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Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 42
History
- Signed chap.555
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.119
- Substituted for A6280
- Referred to energy
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 61–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.383
Show 1 earlier action
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Relates to the definition of rural areas
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor William Magee
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S3579
Title of bill
An act to amend the rural electric cooperative law, in relation to the definition of rural areas
Purpose or general idea of bill
The intent of this bill is to modify a limitation on the size of a city or village that may be served by a rural electric cooperative so that it conforms to the United States Department of Agriculture definition of rural.
Summary of specific provisions
This bill amends subdivision (c) of section 2 of the rural electric cooperative law, in relation to a rural electric cooperative's ability to serve certain customers within cities and villages with a population of 20,000 or less.
Justification
New York's Rural Electric Cooperative Law definition of "rural areas" (only within the boundaries of any city or village having a population in excess of one thousand inhabitants) is inconsistent with the federally recognized definition as it applies to rural electric cooperatives and could restrict a rural electric cooperative from serving customers within certain rural cities and villages.
New York rural electric cooperatives have a long tradition of providing low-cost, reliable service to their membership. Despite their low "customer density" (averaging 6 members per mile of distribution line), cooperatives outperform traditional investor-owned utilities on rates and reliability of service, quickly restoring power during emergency outage conditions.
As consumer owned utilities with attractive rates, rural electric cooperatives are in a prime position to take an active role in economic development efforts often working closely with county and local officials to attract retail, commercial and industrial businesses to rural Upstate New York. The cooperatives also promote energy conservation, demand side management, and renewable energy development efforts in their communities.
Therefore, considering the potential benefits to ratepayers in certain rural areas of the state, there appears to be no reason to restrict rural electric cooperatives in New York to serving customers only within the boundaries of any city or village having a population in excess of one thousand inhabitants.
Prior legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.