Environment

2015 Financial Condition Report
For Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2015

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 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 2014-15, $162 million was appropriated to the EPF.

New York Works appropriations in SFY 2014-15 were made to the capital budgets of the:
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for $40 million; and
- New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for $92.5 million.

NYSERDA accounts for a significant amount of spending on environmentally-related energy programs.
In SFY 2014-15, NYSERDA:
- disbursed $768.3 million on 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 $42.9 million was appropriated in the State Budget; and
  - approximately $633.3 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 ($103 million).

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

In 2013, the State’s average electricity prices became the fourth highest in the nation.
In 2013, 23 percent of the State’s electricity generation came from renewable resources. The State produced more hydroelectric power than any state east of the Rocky Mountains.
Among all states, New York State:
- consumed less energy per capita in 2012. Wyoming consumed the most per capita.
- ranked fourth in net renewable electricity generation in 2010 (Washington ranked first).

In 2012, the value of agricultural production in the State was over $5.7 billion.
The State is the nation’s fourth leading milk-producing state, with 13.2 billion pounds produced in 2012 and a preliminary value of nearly $2.6 billion.
The State ranked first among all states in the production of pumpkins and second in the production of apples, squash and maple syrup in 2012 (according to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets).

Environment