Summary

This legislation amends the public authorities’ law, adding a new section 1874 to require the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) to develop a comprehensive electric vehicle fast charging station implementation plan.

Explanation

The transportation sector is the second largest contributor to New York State greenhouse gas emissions (28%). In 2021, the legislature passed a law requiring all new vehicle sales to be zero-emission starting in 2035. The faster we electrify our transportation sector, the faster we will reap the health, economic, and social justice benefits of moving away from using such vast amounts of oil.  As this transition takes place, the state needs a comprehensive and strategic game-plan for publicly available and accessible charging, that includes fast charging facilities.

This legislation will help ensure the intentional deployment and accessibility of electric vehicle fast chargers by creating a comprehensive electric vehicle fast charging implementation plan. The bill establishes the Fast Charge NY Working Group and directs the body to develop this plan with NYSERDA, the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and the Department of Public Service (DPS). In addition, new labor standard requirements for related construction and manufacture of fast charging stations will be enforced under section 220 of the labor law. The Fast Charge NY Working Group would consist of thirteen members, including representatives from municipal organizations, environmental justice groups, environmental groups, public utilities and charging developers, and appointees from the governor and legislature.

A recent audit conducted by the State Comptroller found that “NYPA has failed to install EV chargers where they are most needed by New York’s nearly 50,000 registered EVs, leaving nearly half of the state’s counties without any NYPA-installed charging stations.” Since that audit the number of EVs on the road has grown to roughly 140,000. We need to ensure we are not simply throwing money at electrifying transportation, but strategically placing charging infrastructure and the appropriate level of charging stations needed; and for this, we need an electric vehicle fast charging station implementation plan with the relevant state agencies at the table.

Download PDF