Prohibits public utilities from passing along the cost of site investigation and remediation efforts on to rate payers
Summary
A10672 would amend the New York Public Service Law to bar public utilities from recovering certain environmental cleanup costs from customers through rates, tariffs, or other charges. The bill defines “site investigation and remediation expenses” broadly to include costs tied to investigating and cleaning up soil and water contamination from sources such as petroleum or chemical spills, PFAS, dumping, former gas manufacturing operations, former factory operations, brownfield sites, and state or federal Superfund sites.
The bill also prohibits utilities from passing through related fines, penalties, and legal, advisory, or consulting expenses connected to those remediation obligations. In addition, it would require large utilities with more than 75,000 customers to file annual itemized reports with the Public Service Commission identifying expenses that cannot be recovered from ratepayers, and to make those filings publicly available. The Commission would be directed to adopt rules and regulations to implement the new requirements.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would create a new Article 12 in the Public Service Law and directly limit what public utilities may treat as recoverable operating expenses in rate cases. It would shift the financial burden of environmental investigation and remediation away from consumers and onto utilities, while also increasing reporting and transparency obligations for larger utilities and the Public Service Commission.
Sentiment
The available record shows the bill was introduced and referred to the Assembly Committee on Energy, with no recorded votes or committee transcript excerpts. Based on the bill’s purpose and structure, it appears to be framed as a consumer-protection and accountability measure aimed at preventing ratepayers from subsidizing utility-related contamination cleanup costs.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely to be whether utilities should be allowed to recover remediation-related costs from customers when those costs arise from utility operations or legacy contamination. Supporters would likely emphasize fairness, transparency, and protecting ratepayers from paying for environmental liabilities, while opponents may argue that prohibiting recovery could increase utility financial exposure, affect rates, or complicate cleanup financing. The bill’s broad definition of covered remediation expenses, including PFAS and Superfund-related costs, may also draw scrutiny from utilities and regulators.
Same As
Prohibits public utilities from passing along the cost of site investigation and remediation efforts on to rate payers; requires each public utility with more than seventy-five thousand customers to submit to the public service commission an annual report containing a description of any expenses that may not be included or incorporated in the public utility's operating expenses.
Prohibits public utilities from passing along the cost of site investigation and remediation efforts on to rate payers; requires each public utility with more than seventy-five thousand customers to submit to the public service commission an annual report containing a description of any expenses that may not be included or incorporated in the public utility's operating expenses.
Prohibits utilities from raising rates while reporting high profits; requires utilities to reinvest revenues into New York's energy infrastructure, safety, and reliability; requires the submission to the public service commission of a compliance report.
Prohibits public utilities from using funds or being reimbursed by funds raised from ratepayers for contributions or gifts to political candidates, trade associations, public charities, and lobbyists, and for certain travel, entertainment and educational expenditures.
Prohibits public utilities from using funds or being reimbursed by funds raised from ratepayers for contributions or gifts to political candidates, trade associations, public charities, and lobbyists, and for certain travel, entertainment and educational expenditures.
Requires policing agencies to conduct an inventory of, and develop a publicly-available policy for, any artificial intelligence used to aid criminal investigations.