Legislative Memos

2015 Legislative Agenda

The primary goal of the Independent Power Producers of New York, Inc. (IPPNY) is to promote fair, fully competitive electric markets in New York State.

In furtherance of this goal, IPPNY supports the following:

• Fair competition among wholesale and retail suppliers of electricity and among generators and all electric resource alternatives including renewable, fossil-fueled, nuclear, distributed energy resources and conservation technologies, as well as transmission and distribution solutions;

• Regulatory certainty that enables power generators to plan for the future and finance new electric generating facilities;

• Fair tax treatment of New York power facilities, including in the areas of property tax, the Corporate Franchise Tax, and benefits to manufacturers, as well as the continuation of previously enacted tax relief;

• The development of safe, secure, reliable and diverse supplies of energy;

• The sale of electric generating facilities owned by public power authorities and utilities to independent power producers;

• Maintaining the benefits of the competitive wholesale electricity market, such as: the shift of investment risks away from captive ratepayers to private investors and not having utilities or public power authorities own new generating facilities regardless of size; increased system reliability and availability; substantially reduced air emissions; and expansive growth in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and demand response resources;

• Ensuring consistency with the competitive energy marketplace in relation to incentives for power plant investments such as repowering and for assisting communities impacted by power plant closures;

• Limiting the use of the power of eminent domain in the energy sector only to activities that achieve a public use, benefit or purpose that maximizes benefits to New York State; and

• The use of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Allowance Auction proceeds for purposes such as reducing emissions directly at power plants as well as for renewable or non-CO₂ emitting technologies, innovative CO₂ emissions abatement technologies, and the development of CO₂ capture and sequestration technology, as well as expanding the RGGI program to regulate emissions from all sectors in addition to the electricity sector.

IPPNY opposes the following:

• Any new or increased taxes, fees, assessments or costs on energy producers or suppliers;

• Legislation that impedes competition under restructured energy markets or that includes provisions detrimental to the development of more competitive electric power supply and natural gas supply;

• Legislation that authorizes the takeover of energy facilities by eminent domain;

• Legislation proposing to lower power plant emission standards or to impose financial requirements that economically would disadvantage New York generators, as a result of the cumulative effect of environmental regulations as they compete in regional and national markets;

• Legislation that mandates specific technologies for electric generating facilities; and

• The allocation of funds under the RGGI, System Benefits Charge or Renewable Portfolio Standard programs in a manner that jeopardizes contracts depending on these funds or that increases risk for investments by generators.

The Independent Power Producers of New York, Inc. (IPPNY) is a trade association representing companies involved in the development of generation, marketing and sale of electric power and natural gas in New York State. Utilizing cutting-edge technologies and a wide variety of fuel types, IPPNY members produce over 75 percent of New York State's electric power.

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