2016 Financial Condition Report

For Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2016

Environment

2016 Financial Condition Report
For Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2016

Environmental Protection Fund (EPF)

  • Created in 1993, the EPF:
    • provides an ongoing source of primarily pay-as-you-go funding to address the State’s environmental capital spending needs.
    • supports a broad array of environmental programs, such as: State and municipal open space conservation; municipal and agricultural non-point source water pollution control; State and local parks projects; municipal water pollution control and aquatic habitat conservation; support for the State’s zoos, botanical gardens and aquaria; waterfront revitalization; and farmland conservation.
    • is primarily funded with a portion of the State’s real estate transfer tax.
  • Appropriations to the EPF have fluctuated over the life of the fund:
    • from an initial funding level of $31.5 million in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 1994-95;
    • to a low of $0 in SFY 2001-02; and
    • to a high of $250 million in SFY 2002-03 and again in SFY 2007-08.
  • In SFY 2015-16, $177 million was appropriated to the EPF.
History of EPF Appropriations and Sweeps Backed by General Fund Repayment Authorization and Bonding

New York Works

  • New York Works appropriations in SFY 2015-16 were made to the capital budgets of the:
    • New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for $40 million for various purposes including dam safety, recreational access projects and infrastructure upgrades; and
    • New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for $112.5 million to maintain and upgrade infrastructure in State Parks facilities.

New York State Energy, Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

  • NYSERDA accounts for a significant amount of spending on environmentally-related energy programs.
  • In SFY 2015-16, NYSERDA:
    • disbursed $810.3 million for programs including energy efficiency deployment, Green Jobs/Green New York, the Renewable Portfolio Standard, and the Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard.
    • derived most of its revenue from two sources:
      • approximately $43.6 million was appropriated in the State Budget; and
      • approximately $780.8 million was generated by assessments on energy consumption as ordered by the New York State Public Service Commission and through auction of allowances through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative ($127.4 million).

Energy

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

  • In 2015, the State’s average electricity prices fell to the eighth highest in the nation.
  • In 2014, 23 percent of the State’s electricity generation came from renewable resources. Between 2010 and 2014, the capacity of solar electric generation enrolled in a utility net-metering program increased nearly eightfold, from 41.5 megawatts to 312.7 megawatts.
  • Among all states, New York State:
    • had the lowest per capita consumption of energy in 2013 (Wyoming consumed the most per capita); and
    • ranked ninth in generation of carbon dioxide emissions in 2013 (Texas ranked first).

Agriculture

  • In 2014, the value of agricultural production in the State was approximately $6.4 billion.
  • In 2014, New York State was ranked third among the states in the export of dairy products, valued at $500.3 million.
  • The State ranked second among all states in the production of maple syrup in 2014, with 546,000 gallons produced.