Governor Kathy Hochul has signed Chapter 87 of the Laws of 2026, further refining New York's rechargeable battery recycling program. The new law amends the rechargeable battery stewardship legislation enacted in 2025 by clarifying existing requirements and expanding certain compliance obligations for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and other businesses involved in the sale of rechargeable batteries and battery-powered products in New York.
In August, the New York Independent System Operator (“NYISO”) will open the upcoming Public Policy Transmission Planning cycle. We have a good sense of the direction that NYISO will take based on the just-released 2025-2044 System & Resource Outlook (the “Outlook”). The Outlook revisits some old themes: the Tale of Two Grids remains with us, the congestion represented by the Central East Interface must be addressed (probably through dynamic voltage support), and the demands made on the grid by data centers are problematic.