Assemblymember Michael Cusick, D-Staten Island, Chair of the Energy Committee, has announced he is introducing legislation to maintain the continued viability of the state's existing large-scale, renewable energy resources. Senator Kevin Parker, Chair of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, is carrying companion legislation in the Senate (S.23). 

Anne Reynolds, Executive Director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE NY), said, 
“Support for currently operating renewable energy projects has been a missing piece in New York’s ambitious Clean Energy Standard. This bill addresses this issue by requiring electricity suppliers to buy renewable energy credits – RECs – from existing sustainable biomass, hydropower, and wind power projects.” 

“This is common sense legislation that will ensure New York is able to meet its clean energy goals without reinventing the wheel,” Assemblymember Cusick said. “Our state has a long history of supporting renewable resources, and as we transition our grid to a fully carbon-free future our legacy clean energy infrastructure needs to be supported.” 

This bill directs the Public Service Commission to establish an obligation for all electricity suppliers, including both utilities and competitive retail electricity suppliers, to procure RECs from renewable generators built before 2015. This second tier of the Clean Energy Standard (CES) – often referred to as CES “Tier 2” – would support existing renewables. 

Senator Kevin Parker stated, 
"With the Launch of the Green New Deal during his State of the State Address, Governor Cuomo mentioned the mandate of 100% clean power by 2040 - the fastest in the nation. We must do everything in our power to support Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) by creating Tier 2 of the Clean Energy Standard. As the prime sponsor of this important legislation in the Senate, I look forward to working with Assemblymember Cusick to help shepherd this bill to the Governor's desk."