ALBANY, New York — Property owners looking to hook up to the state’s existing gas system would face higher costs under a bill headed to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk.
Lawmakers passed an incremental measure aimed at reining in the expansion of gas service Monday. The bill requires that residential customers pay the full cost of any new pipeline to connect to the gas system. Right now, utilities pay for up to 100 feet of new pipe and pass those expenses on to other ratepayers.
“If you are putting up a new home, you should pay for the connection. That’s all this says,” said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, the sponsor of the bill. “And the connection, by the way, should be paid for by the person who’s putting it in, instead of your neighbors — which is not a good way to get off on the right foot with your neighbors.”
Why it matters: The elimination of the “100-foot rule” for gas utilities was endorsed in New York’s climate scoping plan, which laid out a path to slash emissions in compliance with the state’s landmark 2019 climate law.
