The New York State Senate passed four bills as part of its Earth Day legislation package which was advanced to protect New Yorkers and the state’s natural environment. The bills included measures to invest in electrification and solar infrastructure, reduce waste and emissions and remove harmful substances from the state’s environment.

The bills came from State Sen. Pete Harckham. Among Harckham’s passed bills was the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act (S.6570A) which raises New York’s distributed solar target from 10 gigawatts (GW) to 20 GW by 2035. The ASAP Act would also streamline the process for connecting new projects to the grid. Additionally, the bill revives the NY-SUN program, making solar more accessible to homeowners, and directs the Public Service Commission to advance reforms to the utility interconnection process to ensure timely and cost-effective integration of new small-scale solar energy projects. According to a study from Synapse Energy Economics, the enactment of this legislation will save ratepayers $1 billion per year.

Jonathan Cohen, policy director of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA), said “Independent analysis is clear: if we build 20 gigawatts of rooftop and community solar by 2035 and meet our energy storage goals, New Yorkers will save a billion dollars every single year in avoided energy costs. The ASAP Act is how we unlock those savings. It aligns our solar goals with what benefits ratepayers most and fixes outdated grid‑connection processes that are driving up costs. This bill is the most effective, immediate step we can take to make energy affordability a reality for every household in New York.”

Another Harckham bill (S.1668) that passed will enable the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to administer a program that would provide grants, loans and other assistance in order to help residences switch from delivered propane or fuel-oil heating systems to electric heat pumps.

The two other passed bills aim to protect the environment. One (S.4046) would prohibit the use of grade number four fuel oil in any building or facility in New York State after July 1, 2030, and the other (S.6765A) would extend and enhance the Mercury Thermostat Collection Act. Among other measures, it would require manufacturers and producer responsibility organizations to submit a mercury collection plan and create a cash incentive to turn in old mercury thermostats for proper and safe disposal.

The senate’s Earth Day legislation package also included bills that were passed to streamline the replacement process for lead service lines, facilitate the replacement and redevelopment of the state’s fossil fuel facilities, establish an electric landscaping rebate program, prohibit harmful substances in products such as cosmetics and wipes and monitor and prevent harmful algal blooms in the state’s water resources.

The Earth Day package was passed just as the American Lung Association released its annual “State of the Air” report card, which notes that 33.5 million children in the U.S.—almost 50% of those under 18—are living in areas with failing air pollution grades. Also, from 2022 and 2024, more than 125 million people—about 38% of the country’s population—were living with high smog and ozone levels that put their health at risk, the highest levels in six years.

The same report gave Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties an F grade for ozone pollution.

“When it comes to transitioning from dirty, expensive fossil fuels to affordable clean energy and effectively safeguarding our environment, New York needs a bold vision and real action,” Harckham said.