S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
10582
I N A S S E M B L Y
June 6, 2012
___________
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Ryan,
Cahill) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Energy
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to residential
consumer discount programs
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subdivision 13-b of section 1005 of the public authorities
law, as added by section 4 of part CC of chapter 60 of the laws of 2011,
is amended to read as follows:
13-b. Residential consumer discount programs. (a) Residential consumer
electricity cost discount. Notwithstanding any provision of this title
or article six of the economic development law to the contrary, the
authority is authorized, as deemed feasible and advisable by the trus-
tees, to use revenues from the sale of hydroelectric power, and such
other funds of the authority as deemed feasible and advisable by the
trustees, to fund monthly payments to be made for the benefit of such
classes of electricity consumers as enjoyed the benefits of authority
hydroelectric power withdrawn pursuant to subdivision thirteen-a of this
section, for the purpose of mitigating price impacts associated with the
reallocation of such power in the manner described in this subdivision.
Such monthly payments shall commence after such hydroelectric power is
withdrawn. The total annual amount of monthly payments for each of the
three twelve month periods following withdrawal of such hyrdoelectric
power shall be one hundred million dollars. The total annual amount of
monthly payments for each of the two subsequent twelve month periods
shall be seventy million dollars and fifty million dollars, respective-
ly. Thereafter, the total annual amount of monthly payments for each
twelve month period shall be thirty million dollars. The total amount of
monthly payments shall be apportioned by the authority among the utility
corporations that, prior to the effective date of this subdivision,
purchased such hydroelectric power for the benefit of their domestic and
rural consumers according to the relative amounts of such power
purchased by such corporations. The monthly payments shall be credited
to the electricity bills of such corporations' domestic and rural
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD16164-01-2
A. 10582 2
consumers in a manner to be determined by the public service commission
of the state of New York. The monthly credit provided by any such corpo-
ration to any one consumer shall not exceed the total monthly electric
utility cost incurred by such consumer.
(b) Agricultural consumer electricity cost discount. (1) Beginning
with the second twelve month period after such hydroelectric power is
withdrawn, up to eight million dollars of the residential consumer elec-
tricity cost discount established by paragraph (a) of this subdivision
shall be dedicated for monthly payments to agricultural producers who
receive electric service at the residential rate. The total amount of
monthly payments shall be apportioned by the authority among the utility
corporations in the same manner as they are apportioned in paragraph (a)
of this subdivision. Monthly payments shall be credited to the electric-
ity bills of such corporations' agricultural consumers in a manner to be
determined by the public service commission of the state of New York.
The combined monthly credit, under this paragraph and paragraph (a) of
this subdivision, provided by any such corporation to any one consumer
shall not exceed the total monthly electric utility cost incurred by
such consumer.
(2) The authority shall work cooperatively with the department of
public service to evaluate the agricultural consumer electricity cost
discount, which shall include an assessment of the benefits to recipi-
ents compared to the benefits the recipients received from the authori-
ty's hydroelectric power, withdrawn pursuant to subdivision thirteen-a
of this section, during the twelve month period ending December thirty-
first, two thousand ten, and compared to other agricultural consumers
that did not choose to receive the discount.
(c) Energy efficiency program. (1) Beginning with the withdrawal of
such hydroelectric power, the authority or the New York state energy
research and development authority, shall conduct an energy efficiency
program for five years to provide energy efficiency improvements for the
purpose of reducing energy consumption for domestic and rural consumers.
NOTWITHSTANDING ANY PROVISION OF THIS TITLE OR ARTICLE SIX OF THE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LAW TO THE CONTRARY, THE AUTHORITY IS AUTHORIZED,
AS DEEMED FEASIBLE AND ADVISABLE BY THE TRUSTEES, TO USE REVENUES FROM
THE SALE OF HYDROELECTRIC POWER, AND SUCH OTHER FUNDS OF THE AUTHORITY
AS DEEMED FEASIBLE AND ADVISABLE BY THE TRUSTEES, TO FUND SUCH ENERGY
EFFICIENCY PROGRAM. Such energy efficiency program may be undertaken in
cooperation with other energy efficiency programs offered by utility
corporations, state agencies and authorities including but not limited
to the New York state energy research and development authority;
provided however that energy savings attributable to such other energy
efficiency programs shall not be included in determining the amount of
energy saved pursuant to the program established by this paragraph;
(2) The authority or the New York state energy research and develop-
ment authority shall annually post on their website a report evaluating
the energy efficiency program, including but not limited to, the number
of domestic and rural consumers who opted to participate in the program
and, if practicable, the estimated savings the domestic and rural
consumers received by participating in the energy efficiency program.
S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.