Assembly votes to push repeal of 100‑foot gas‑hookup rule to Dec. 19, 2026 after heated debate

The Assembly on Wednesday approved a chapter amendment to delay by one year the effective date of last year’s repeal of the so‑called “100‑foot rule” for residential gas hookups, setting the new effective date at Dec. 19, 2026. The measure passed 80‑61 after sustained floor debate.

Sponsor Miss Simon said the governor requested the delay to give the Public Service Commission time to adopt billing regulations that would allow utilities to implement the change without disrupting customers. "The governor wanted to delay it," Simon said, adding the postponement was "exactly a year" and that PSC rulemaking would be straightforward.

Simon and other supporters argued the underlying repeal will ultimately save ratepayers about $600 million a year by stopping the socialization of new‑hookup costs across all customers. "Ratepayers throughout New York state should not be paying for somebody else's hookup," Simon said.

Opponents disputed the savings claim and raised multiple concerns: potential increases in upfront housing and development costs, the effect on construction jobs and labor protections, and whether the governor's request was politically motivated. "This bill will only contribute to increased unaffordability, higher out‑migration," said a member opposing the measure, urging colleagues to vote no.

Members repeatedly debated what questions were germane to a chapter amendment that changes only the effective date; the chair at several points interrupted members for straying beyond the amendment's scope. The chamber recorded several explanations of vote, with members on both sides framing the amendment as either a necessary accommodation for orderly implementation or an election‑year deferral of significant energy policy changes.

The recorded vote was Ayes 80, Nays 61; the chapter amendment delays the effective date but does not change the substantive provisions of the underlying law. The sponsor said PSC rulemaking will guide how utilities change billing practices to conform to the amended law, while opponents warned of job losses and higher costs that could fall on homeowners and developers.

What happens next: The chapter amendment postpones the policy’s effect; agencies (notably the Public Service Commission) are expected to begin or accelerate rulemaking to define billing changes. Lawmakers and stakeholders said they will continue to track implementation, labor impacts and housing‑cost effects.