Environment

Enacts the "packaging reduction and recycling infrastructure act" to require companies selling, offering for sale, or distributing packaging materials and products to register with a packaging reduction organization to develop a packaging reduction and recycling plan; makes related provisions.

S 98 requires electric corporations to cover the costs of "make-ready" infrastructure needed to charge electric vehicles for public fleets, such as government-owned buses, police cars, and school district vehicles. It mandates that corporations include 100% of their own infrastructure costs (like transformers and wiring) and at least 50% of customer infrastructure costs (like site wiring) in their rates - increasing to 90% in disadvantaged communities - so these expenses are shared across all utility customers instead of paid directly by fleet operators. This reduces upfront financial barriers for public entities transitioning to electric fleets while ensuring infrastructure costs are recovered through standard rate structures. The bill applies specifically to state, municipal, school district, and public authority fleets, not private businesses.

Enacts the "sustainable affordable housing and sprawl prevention act"; exempts or limits environmental review under SEQR for the construction of certain new residential units to avoid creating unnecessary housing sprawl; limits certain rights to action under SEQR; makes related provisions.

Prohibits local governments from prohibiting the construction, installation, or operation of carport-mounted solar energy systems with a nameplate capacity of five megawatts or less, in any non-residential zoning district or mixed commercial and residential zoning district of any such city, town or village, provided however, if the zoning district is a certified agricultural district the agricultural impacts of the projects shall be minimized to the extent practicable.

Establishes the climate corporate data accountability act requiring certain business entities within the state to annually disclose scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3 emissions; establishes the climate accountability and emissions disclosure fund.

Enacts the "Customer Savings and Reliability Act" in relation to regional affordable gas transition plans to guide an orderly, affordable, and equitable right-sizing of the utility gas system in a manner that aligns with climate justice and emissions reduction provisions.

Enacts the tropical rainforest economic & environmental sustainability act requiring that companies contracting with the state do not contribute to tropical forest degradation or deforestation directly or through their supply chains; establishes the supply chain transparency assistance program to assist small and medium-sized businesses and minority and women-owned businesses in achieving compliant supply chains.

Enacts the low impact landscaping rights act, preventing homeowners' associations from adopting or enforcing any rules or regulations that would effectively prohibit, or impose unreasonable limitations on, the installation or maintenance of low impact landscaping.

Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state transportation, economic development and environmental conservation budget for the 2025-2026 state fiscal year; relates to the waterfront commission act; makes amendments to change "applicant" to "licensee or registrant" (Part A); provides for mass transportation payments to the Central New York Regional Transportation District; adds Cortland county to such district (Part B); relates to extending the authorization for a pre-licensing course internet program (Part C); increases the value of a motor vehicle considered abandoned which can become property of the local authority the vehicle is abandoned in (Part D); extends provisions of law relating to certain tax increment financing provisions (Part I); relates to certain provisions regarding labor disputes involving the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Part J); relates to the acquisitions or transfers of property for certain transit projects; extends the effectiveness of certain provisions of law relating thereto (Part K); relates to funding for net paratransit operating expenses for the city of New York and the metropolitan transportation authority and makes permanent certain provisions of law relating thereto (Part L); provides funding for the metropolitan transportation authority 2025-2029 capital program (Part M); establishes a demonstration program on certain covered locations to enforce vehicle weight restriction on such interstate by means of mobile or stationary weigh in motion systems (Part N); authorizes a photo monitoring program for the Triborough bridge and tunnel authority and New York state bridge authority; extends provisions relating to certain notices of liability (Part Q); relates to the effectiveness of the New York state health insurance continuation assistance demonstration project (Part S); authorizes the Olympic regional development authority to enter into agreements for membership of one or more of its ski venues in reciprocal ski pass programs where such members are required to guarantee contractual indemnity up to a capped amount (Part T); regulates artificial intelligence companion models; establishes a suicide prevention fund (Part U); relates to refund policies for online retailers (Part V); enhances disclosure requirements for automatic renewals (Part W); requires disclosure of algorithmically set prices for goods and services (Part X); relates to the regulation of buy-now-pay-later lenders; requires such lenders to be licensed or authorized; establishes prohibited acts, limitations on loans, and consumer protections (Part Y); establishes reporting requirements for pharmacy benefit managers about the rebate contracts between pharmacy benefit managers and drug manufacturers (Part Z); provides for rate increases for hire motor vehicle insurance (Part CC); extends the authority of the New York state urban development to administer the empire state economic development fund (Part EE); extends the power of the New York state urban development corporation to make loans to 07/01/2026 (Part FF); extends the authority of the dormitory authority to enter into certain design and construction management agreements (Part GG); expands certain provisions of the state finance law and the New York state infrastructure trust fund; directs a policy study analyzing ways to improve the effectiveness of the minority and women-owned business enterprise program (Part KK); increases the cap on the amount of money authorized to be on deposit pursuant to the excelsior linked deposit program at any given time (Part LL); relates to purchasing thresholds for minority- or women-owned businesses or service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (Part MM); authorizes the New York convention center operating corporation to establish a subsidiary for the purposes of forming a pure captive insurance company (Part NN); extends the waste tire management fee until December 31, 2027; requires notice of the waste tire management and recycling program to be provided to customers; removes the exclusion for mail order sales (Part PP); extends provisions of the deer hunting program to 2028 (Part QQ); relates to financial responsibility, recovery of response costs and natural resource damages, and abatement actions relating to disposal of inactive hazardous waste (Part RR); relates to the recall of a class B firefighting foam; prohibits the sale or distribution of firefighting personal protective equipment that contains intentionally added PFAS; directs the department of environmental conservation to make a recommendation to the legislature on whether to postpone the effectiveness of such provisions (Part SS); exempts conveyances of real property for open space, parks, or historic preservation purposes to any not-for-profit corporation operated for conservation, environmental, parks or historic preservation purposes (Part TT); authorizes the New York state energy research and development authority to finance a portion of its research, development and demonstration, policy and planning, Fuel NY program, climate change related expenses of the department of environmental conservation from an assessment on gas and electric corporations (Part VV); relates to utility and cable television assessments that provide funds to the department of health from cable television assessment revenues and to the department of agriculture and markets, department of state, the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation, and the department of environmental conservation from utility assessment revenues; requires accountings be submitted of such funds (Part XX); increases and redirects civil penalties for failing to comply with the department of public service's prescribed rules and regulations established for the protection of underground facilities; amends the effectiveness of certain provisions relating to establishing the underground facilities safety training account (Part YY); authorizes the department of taxation and finance to disclose certain information to the department of environmental conservation or the New York state energy research and development authority for the purpose of implementing the New York state climate leadership and community protection act (Part ZZ); establishes a commission to replace the statue of Robert R. Livingston in the National Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol with a statue of Harriet Tubman; provides that such commission shall consist of the governor or a designee, the temporary president of the senate or a designee, the speaker of the assembly or a designee, the executive director of the council on the arts or a designee, and the commissioner of the office of general services or a designee (Part BBB); extends certain rebates to municipalities for clean vehicle projects (Part CCC); relates to appointments to the cannabis board, removes provisions of law deeming a person acting as chairperson of the cannabis control board as a state officer; relates to agreements of such board with the New York state Indian nations and tribes (Part DDD); relates to a special license fee for a licensee allowed to engage in the cultivation, processing, distribution and retail of both medical cannabis and adult use cannabis; makes a conforming technical change; and provides for the repeal of certain provisions of the cannabis law (Part EEE).

Relates to the climate change adaptation cost recovery program and requirements for climate change adaptive infrastructure projects; relates to the use of funds from the climate change adaptation fund for certain projects; relates to the disclosure of certain data from returns of petroleum or fossil fuel businesses; relates to expenditure of funds from the climate change adaptation fund; repeals certain provisions; relates to severability and legislative findings.