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2017 Financial Condition Report

For Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2017

Environment

2017 Financial Condition Report
For Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2017

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 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; farmland conservation; and municipal climate change mitigation and resilience programs.
    • Has been primarily funded with a portion of the State’s real estate transfer tax. In SFY 2016-17, a $146 million transfer from the State’s General Fund to the EPF, supported with $120 million in monetary settlement funding, provided the majority of financing.
  • 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 $302 million in SFY 2016-17.
History of EPF Appropriations and Fund Sweeps

New York Works

  • New York Works appropriations in SFY 2016-17 were made to the capital budgets of the:
    • Department of Environmental Conservation for $40 million for various purposes, including dam safety, demolition of unsafe structures on State lands and flood protection projects; and
    • Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for $92.5 million to maintain and upgrade infrastructure in State Parks facilities and to maintain ski lifts and other Olympic Regional Development Authority facilities.

Energy

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

  • In 2015, New York State consumed 190 million British Thermal Units (BTUs) per capita, the lowest of any state. Consuming 921 million BTUs for every resident, Louisiana had the highest per capita energy consumption.
  • In 2014, New York State’s per capita energy expenditure of $3,446 was the third lowest in the nation. At $11,094, North Dakota’s per capita energy expenditure was the highest.
  • New York’s March 2017 residential rate for natural gas of $10.72 per thousand cubic feet (TCF) was 21st in the nation. Hawaii ranked first with a price of $36.69 per TCF.
  • With an average residential rate of $17.02 per kilowatt hour (kWh), New York’s March 2017 electric price was ninth in the nation. Top-ranked Hawaii’s comparable rate was $29.04.
  • In 2014, New York State had the ninth highest carbon dioxide emissions among the states with total emissions of 170 million metric tons. Texas, with total carbon dioxide emissions of 642 million metric tons, ranked first in 2014.

Agriculture

  • In 2015, the value of agricultural production in New York State was approximately $5.3 billion.
  • With total receipts of $2.6 billion, New York State was the third largest dairy producing state in 2015.
  • New York State was ranked second in sales of apples in 2015, with receipts of $274.5 million.

*Over the life of the Fund, enacted State budgets have authorized a total of $953.7 million in fund sweeps, including $306.5 million of which were replaced with bonds proceeds. Additionally, Section 92-s of the State Finance Law provides for the transfer of up to $447.2 million from the General Fund to the EPF if moneys in the Fund are deemed insufficient by the State Budget Director to meet actual and anticipated disbursements from appropriations and reappropriations.