CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
2026 LEGISLATION
Expanding Use of Solar Legislation
These bills are the priority legislation of NY Renews and included in Climate Can't Wait's 2026 policy agenda.
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Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) S6570 (Harckham) / A8758 (Barrett)
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Legislation to expedite permitting and to lower costs for residential solar. S5781 (Harckham) / A6270 (Cunningham)
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Community solar opportunity and local approval reform (Community SOLAR) Act S8119 (Parker) / A9087 (Levenberg)
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Solar Up Now New York Act (SUNNY Act) S8512 (Kreuger) / A9111 (Gallagher)
Packaging Reduction &
Recycling Infrastructure Act
Beyond Plastics is the principal advocacy group for this bill. Read more about Beyond Plastics below.
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PRRIA requires companies to reduce their product packaging by 30% in 12 years and bans 17 priority toxic chemicals in packaging materials. S1464 (Harckham) / A1749 (Glick)
Renewable Capitol Act
This bills is in Climate Can't Wait's 2026 policy agenda.
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Requires that Office of General Services and NYPA to ensure that all operations that power, heat, or cool state buildings in downtown Albany, including the Empire State Plaza and the Capitol, transition to renewable systems within 3 years. This bill will close the Sheridan Hollow Steam Plant that has polluted the disadvantaged community of Sheridan Hollow for over 100 years. S4842 (Fahy) / A3466 (Romero)
2025 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
What did and did not happen
Little progress was made for the climate in this legislative session. Bills that did not pass both chambers do not have to be reintroduced in 2026, but have to be voted on again.
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What passed? A compromise bill, that was one of three elements of the NY HEAT Act, was passed at the last minute (S8417/A8888). The governor signed the bill into law on 12/19/2025. This new bill ends an outdated law that obligated a utility corporation or municipality to provide the first 100 feet to a service line. This ends up being subsidized by all gas customers.
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The NY HEAT Act was not voted on. The parts of the NY HEAT Act that were not voted on include a provision to create statewide affordable gas transition plan and a utility home energy affordable transition programs.
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The Senate passed the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA), but never made it to the Assembly floor for a vote.
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Environmental and climate funding in the 2026 budget include: $425 million for the Environmental Protection Fund; $500 million for clean water; $90 million for the Department of Environmental Conservation capital projects; $200 million for the NYS Parks Capital Project.
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Read more about the budget: State Budget Goes Small On Climate
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The NY League of Conservation Voters follows additional environmental bills. Those that passed include am improvement in how renewable energy systems are appraised; enhanced septic system replacement grants, e-bike and e-scooter batters safety improvements; ban on PFAS in menstrual products.
PLASTIC POLLUTION
The production of plastic uses fossil fuels, contributing to global warming, and the facilities that produce and incinerate plastic are often in low-income communities and communities of color.
Less than 1/3 of all plastic bottles will ever be recycled. Microplastic contamination that is ingested by fish and sea mammals have been found in rivers, lakes, and oceans. For more information go to Beyond Plastics.
Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA)
S1464/A1749
Requires companies selling, offering for sale, or distributing packaging materials and products to register with a packaging reduction organization to develop a packaging reduction and recycling plan.
PRRIA passed in the Senate but was not voted on in the Assembly.
Bigger Better Bottle Bill (BBBB)
S5684/A6543
Expands the returnable container deposit scheme to include more beverage containers. The expansion would include bottled noncarbonated beverages, noncarbonated juices that are less than 100% fruit or vegetable juice, coffee, tea, carbonated fruit beverages, wine, liquor, distilled spirit coolers, and cider. This bill also increases the bottle deposit to 10 cents per container.