December 23, 2021
On December 21st, Governor Hochul signed legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Thiele that opens a pathway for Community Choice Aggregate programs on Long Island.
Although the state mandate authorizing CCA was issued by the Public Service Commission (PSC) in 2016, the original mandate did not take into account the complexity of LIPA's service area and rate structure. As a result, Long Island municipalities were hampered in their efforts to implement the CCA.
The legislation, sponsored by Congressman Thiele and State Senator Kaminsky, addresses many of the complexities not addressed in the original PSC series. The City of Southampton, the first of four Long Island municipalities to adopt legislation allowing a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program to begin in their communities, can now move forward with CCA development.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA), a non-profit corporation that offers objective information and analysis to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, describes CCA as the most effective step that can a municipality do to increase access to renewable energy sources and reduce carbon emissions. “Now that the city has the opportunity to pursue CCA more aggressively, the chances of meeting our renewable energy and carbon footprint goals are greatly enhanced,” said Councilman John Bouvier.
Mr. Bouvier thanks Assemblyman Thiele for his leadership and support on this issue. She also thanks the more than 500 members of the Southampton community who submitted letters of support to the Governor's office encouraging her to sign this bill into law. Mr. Bouvier added, “Without Assemblyman Thiele's leadership, broad community support and the hard work of city staff, this important milestone would not have been achieved.”
The new law will take effect 90 days after it is signed. In the meantime, Town staff will work with all stakeholders and community members to develop plans to bring CCA to Southampton.
This press release was issued by the City of Southampton. The views expressed here are the author's own.
