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A2003 • 2025

Enacts the Rural Energy Freedom Act

Enacts the Rural Energy Freedom Act

Energy
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Robert Smullen
Last action
2026-05-05
Official status
In Assembly Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Enacts the Rural Energy Freedom Act

Enacts the Rural Energy Freedom Act Exempts the burning of wood for recreation, building heating and cooking from certain greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements.

What This Bill Does

  • Enacts the Rural Energy Freedom Act Exempts the burning of wood for recreation, building heating and cooking from certain greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-05 Assembly

    HELD FOR CONSIDERATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

  2. 2026-01-07 Assembly

    REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

  3. 2025-01-14 Assembly

    REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Official Summary Text

Enacts the Rural Energy Freedom Act
Exempts the burning of wood for recreation, building heating and cooking from certain greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2003

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                                  I N  A S S E M B L Y

                                    January 14, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. SMULLEN, WALSH, LEMONDES, MAHER, BLANKENBUSH,
          BENDETT, ANGELINO, GIGLIO, MIKULIN,  BRABENEC,  MANKTELOW,  DeSTEFANO,
          GALLAHAN,  BUTTENSCHON,  E. BROWN,  TAGUE, SIMPSON, McDONOUGH, HAWLEY,
          BEEPHAN -- read once and referred to the  Committee  on  Environmental
          Conservation

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  environmental  conservation law, in relation to
          excluding the burning of wood for  recreation,  building  heating  and
          cooking from certain greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements

          THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
        BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

     1    Section 1. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as  the  "Rural
     2  Energy Freedom Act".
     3    §  2. Section 75-0109 of the environmental conservation law is amended
     4  by adding a new subdivision 5 to read as follows:
     5    5. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY LAW, RULE OR REGULATION TO  THE  CONTRARY,  THE
     6  BURNING  OF WOOD FOR THE MEANS OF INDOOR AND OUTDOOR RECREATION, HEATING
     7  BUILDINGS AND COOKING OR OTHERWISE PREPARING FOOD SHALL BE EXCLUDED FROM
     8  ANY PROHIBITIONS OR RESTRICTIONS ENACTED AS A RESULT OF COMPLIANCE  WITH
     9  THE  MANDATES  OF  CHAPTER  ONE  HUNDRED SIX OF THE LAWS OF TWO THOUSAND
    10  NINETEEN, INCLUSIVE OF ANY RECOMMENDATIONS  OF  ANY  OF  SUCH  CHAPTER'S
    11  DERIVATIVE BODIES.
    12    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.




         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04578-01-5