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Home/Bills/A 2003New York · 2025–2026 Legislative Session
Assembly BillIntroducedENV

A 2003: Exempts the burning of wood for recreation, building heating and cooking from certain greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements.

New York · Assembly · 2025–2026 Legislative Session · last verified May 6, 2026

What A 2003 does, verified May 6, 2026

The Rural Energy Freedom Act aims to exclude the burning of wood for recreation, building heating, and cooking from certain greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements. This means that individuals can continue to use wood for these purposes without being subject to restrictions imposed by laws and regulations related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The act will take effect immediately, allowing people to continue using wood for these purposes without any changes to existing laws.

Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: held for consideration in environmental conservation (2026-05-05)Alert me
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Coauthors
Philip PalmesanoMary Beth WalshJohn LemondesBrian MaherKenneth BlankenbushScott BendettJoe AngelinoJoseph GiglioJohn MikulinKarl BrabenecBrian ManktelowJoe DeStefano
Recent actions3 total · showing 3
May. 05, 2026held for consideration in environmental conservation
Jan. 07, 2026referred to environmental conservation
Jan. 14, 2025referred to environmental conservation
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 14, 2025 · 252 words
  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2003 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SMULLEN, WALSH, LEMONDES, MAHER, BLANKENBUSH, BENDETT, ANGELINO, GIGLIO, MIKULIN, BRABENEC, MANKTELOW, DeSTEFANO, GALLAHAN, BUTTENSCHON, E. BROWN, TAGUE, SIMPSON, McDONOUGH, HAWLEY, BEEPHAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to excluding the burning of wood for recreation, building heating and cooking from certain greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Rural 2 Energy Freedom Act". 3 § 2. Section 75-0109 of the environmental conservation law is amended 4 by adding a new subdivision 5 to read as follows: 5 5. Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the 6 burning of wood for the means of indoor and outdoor recreation, heating 7 buildings and cooking or otherwise preparing food shall be excluded from 8 any prohibitions or restrictions enacted as a result of compliance with 9 the mandates of chapter one hundred six of the laws of two thousand 10 nineteen, inclusive of any recommendations of any of such chapter's 11 derivative bodies. 12 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04578-01-5 
Text of A 2003 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions
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