60+ NY Business Leaders Urge State Lawmakers to Pass Solar Bill Key to Lowering Energy Costs, Creating Jobs

ASAP Act Estimated to Save New Yorkers $1 Billion a Year on Utility Bills, Create 15,000 jobs; Signatories Come From Nearly Every Region in State

NEW YORK - As Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature continue to negotiate the FY2027 State Budget, more than  60 business leaders from across New York State have urged state leaders in a new letter to pass the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act.

The Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act (S.6570-A/A.8758-A) passed in the State Senate on April 21 but has not yet passed in the Assembly. The business leaders signing onto the letter represent a broad swath of industries crucial to New York State’s economy including solar, commercial real estate, agriculture, and finance. The signatories come from across the state: New York City, Long Island, Hudson Valley, Capital-Saratoga, Finger Lakes, Central New York, Greater Niagara/Western New York, and Chautauqua-Allegheny. 

The ASAP Act  would expand access to rooftop and community (“distributed”) solar energy by modernizing interconnection to lower costs, incentivizing solar development, and ensuring there is equitable distribution of renewable energy benefits. New York currently has nearly 8 gigawatts of rooftop and community solar up and running, and the State is on track to achieve its 10 gigawatt by 2030 goal 3 years ahead of schedule. The legislation would increase New York State’s distributed solar target to 20 gigawatts by 2035, ensuring continued growth in a proven and successful clean energy sector. 

“The fastest, cheapest way to deliver more energy to New Yorkers is solar,” said Ron Kamen, a Northeast chapter director for E2, NYSEIA member, and CEO of EarthKind Energy Consulting in Rhinebeck. “Passing the ASAP Act now would enable businesses from Buffalo to Bay Shore to keep growing and put more people to work in industries like solar, storage, and construction.”

“Solar is a clean energy success story, and lawmakers in Albany should do everything in their power to get more of it online.” Kamen said. 

A January 2026 analysis by Synapse Energy Economics found that deploying 20 gigawatts of rooftop and community solar would save New Yorkers $1 billion per year in avoided energy costs, savings that flow to all ratepayers through lower wholesale electricity prices.

In addition to helping bring down skyrocketing utility prices, increasing investment in solar energy in line with the ASAP Act would reduce New York State’s exposure to global fossil‑fuel price swings.

The ASAP Act is sponsored by Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Didi Barrett, along with a bipartisan group of 84 cosponsors in the Senate and Assembly.

The letter comes after, under the leadership of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA), 50 environmental, labor, and civic organizations hand delivered a letter to Governor Hochul outlining their request. Now, over 100 organizations from across the state have come together to demand the ASAP Act’s inclusion in the final state budget.

“Many New Yorkers do not realize that investing in clean energy and creating a more affordable New York actually go hand-in-hand," said Noah Ginsburg, Executive Director of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association. "We are incredibly grateful that the State Senate has already passed the ASAP Act, but in order to get this legislation approved and implemented as quickly as possible it should be included in the final state budget. The ASAP Act builds on New York’s most successful clean energy sector by expanding rooftop and community solar deployment and cutting costs through no-regrets interconnection reforms. A recent study found that implementing the ASAP Act will lower wholesale electricity rates and save New Yorkers $1 billion annually. On behalf of New York’s hundreds of local solar + storage businesses and our 18,688-strong workforce, New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA) strongly urges the Assembly and Governor to follow the Senate’s lead and enact the ASAP Act in the FY2027 budget."