State Policy Network

IntermediaryTrade AssociationLow activityCross-state operator

Distributes model legislation to state affiliates

Arlington, VAFirst tracked May 12, 2009

Supplies the model text behind the 1,500 ft setback overlay now circulating in Chautauqua, Niagara, and Cayuga counties. Affiliates localize the draft; the network provides the legal memo and the talking points.

Free-market absolutists

Recommended engagement strategy

Engage on the record at the state level where their ratepayer framing can be tested against actual bill impacts.

Trade Association profile: Institutional and durable. Engage on the record where their members are also ratepayers.

Open counter-measure playbook

Hearing appearances

Logged in minutes

Counties active

Chautauqua, Niagara

Projects opposed

Solar & storage dockets

Funding received

$2.2M

1 traced inbound edges

Funding given

$2M

3 traced outbound edges

Arguments logged

Top: Ratepayer Cost

Where They OperateCounties with a tracked filing, appearance, or monitored channel, and the specific project dockets involved.Counties with a tracked filing, appearance, or monitored channel, and the specific project dockets involved.

Counties

Chautauqua8 ev.
Niagara12 ev.
Steuben11 ev.
Cayuga8 ev.

Project dockets

Silver Creek SolarChautauqua Co.
Cambria SolarNiagara Co.NO DOSSIER
Cato SolarCayuga Co.NO DOSSIER

View on county map

What They ArgueArgument classification from filings, testimony transcripts, and monitored posts. Counts are statements, not documents.Argument classification from filings, testimony transcripts, and monitored posts. Counts are statements, not documents.

Ratepayer Cost9 · 37.5%
Home Rule / Preemption6 · 25%
Fire / Battery Safety5 · 20.8%
Environmental Impact4 · 16.7%

Most-repeated claim

“Ratepayers absorb the cost and the town inherits the cleanup.”

Who They FundTraced grants, dues, contractor payments, and campaign contributions. Amounts come from 990 filings, grant letters, and NYS BOE data.Traced grants, dues, contractor payments, and campaign contributions. Amounts come from 990 filings, grant letters, and NYS BOE data.

Inbound

Koch Industries$2.2M
2023 · General operating grant

Outbound

Open in funding network

Activity Log7 entriesChronological record assembled from hearing minutes, local law filings, 990 disclosures, and monitored channels.Chronological record assembled from hearing minutes, local law filings, 990 disclosures, and monitored channels.

Campaign finance filingMay 28, 2025BOE filing shows donor overlap with organizations active against Cambria Solar.
Channel monitoredMay 21, 2025Linked Chautauqua County group added to the monitor; 2160 members in its first month.
Coalition letter co-signedMay 9, 2025Co-signed a letter to the Niagara County legislature opposing ORES preemption under Article VIII.
Board minutes matchedApr 24, 2025Language in Hanover board minutes matched a submission filed on Silver Creek Solar.
Hearing appearanceApr 2, 2025Spoke for 9 minutes against Silver Creek Solar at the Hanover planning board.
Study entered into recordMar 18, 2025Cost and land-use study submitted to the Hanover board; funding disclosure omitted from the filing.
First tracked activityMay 12, 2009Entered the monitor via a Chautauqua County record referencing Cambria Solar.

Aliases & AffiliationsAlternate names seen in filings and the organizations this actor is formally or functionally tied to.Alternate names seen in filings and the organizations this actor is formally or functionally tied to.

Known aliases and filing names

SPN
State Policy Network Energy Working Group

Affiliations

Empire Center for Public Policy
Coalition for Affordable Energy

Network position

Classified as a intermediary in the three-tier model, with 4 traced funding edges.