Albany Lawmakers Repeal Outdated Requirement To Stop Continued Expansion of Costly Fracked Gas Infrastructure

ALBANY, NY (06/16/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, the Assembly passed A8888, legislation to amend the outdated "100-foot rule," which requires New Yorkers to subsidize utility companies and pay for new gas pipes and pipelines that we do not need. The Senate passed the same bill last week, meaning the legislation will now go to Governor Hochul for her final signature. In response, Senate sponsor Liz Krueger, Assembly sponsor Jo Anne Simon, Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE) Executive Director Jessica Azulay, and Earthjustice New York Policy Advocate Liz Moran issued the following statements:

Senate Sponsor Liz Krueger said:

"Repealing this outdated ratepayer subsidy that costs gas customers over $200 million each year is a critical step in delivering energy affordability for New Yorkers. But we still have so much work to do to ensure that we don't continue to waste billions of dollars on expensive and unnecessary gas infrastructure. In the coming sessions we must continue to work to save ratepayers money while providing modern heating, cooling, and cooking options that work better and don't endanger the health and safety of New York families."

Assembly Sponsor Jo Anne Simon said:

"This bill ensures that hard-working New Yorkers aren't forced to pay $200 million per year to connect new customers to gas in order to line the pockets of utility shareholders. Utility companies shouldn't have a blank check to expand polluting gas pipelines and force that payment onto other New Yorkers. This will incentivize hook-ups to electric and heat pumps, which are less expensive, more reliable and better for our environment. This isn't everything we hoped for, but this is a good step toward a healthier and more affordable New York."

Liz Moran, New York Policy Advocate at Earthjustice, said:

"Today, lawmakers took a stand by putting the needs of everyday New Yorkers over the profits of greedy fossil fuel companies. Ending the 100-foot rule subsidy is an important achievement that will cut costs for families who have for too long been forced to foot the bill as utilities build out expensive and outdated fracked gas infrastructure. Governor Hochul should not hesitate to sign this bill.

But this is by no means the end of our work. As millions of families are crushed by rising energy bills and an increasingly volatile climate, repealing the 100-foot rule is the bare minimum action lawmakers could have taken this session and comes nowhere close to the comprehensive NY HEAT Act. We are incredibly grateful to Senator Krueger, Assemblymember Simon, and all the advocates who have fought for months to make this change, and we look forward to building on this foundation next session."

Jessica Azulay, Executive Director at Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE), said:

"Today, thanks to the tireless advocacy of New Yorkers fed up with paying high energy bills to pay for fossil fuel expansion, Albany is taking action to change an outdated law that was forcing us to subsidize more gas pipelines and blocking progress to address climate change. We call on the Governor to sign this bill without delay to save utility customers money and move our state one step closer to cleaner heating and affordable energy New Yorkers need.

But our work is not done. The bill passed today is only the first step toward relieving New Yorkers of the burden of paying for unnecessary pipelines. We are incredibly grateful to our bill sponsors, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon and Senator Liz Krueger, as well as the entire Renewable Heat Now Campaign who showed up to support the full NY HEAT Act in Albany and in every corner of the state, and we look forward to working together to expand on this success and deliver a cleaner, more affordable future for all families."

Background

Amending the 100-foot rule is one of three major components included in the NY HEAT Act, which previously passed the Senate but remains stalled in the Assembly. As the cost of building and maintaining gas infrastructure continues to rise, utilities across the state have raised rates to pass those costs onto customers.

Last week, in an effort to help lower utility bills and pass major elements of the NY HEAT Act, the bill's sponsors introduced standalone legislation to repeal the 100-foot rule subsidy. The standalone legislation which passed today removes the mandate that utility customers continue to pay for the cost of new hookups to the gas system, potentially saving New Yorkers an estimated $177 million every year.