New York S 8970: Establishes a municipal solar planning grant program

Bill Text

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S08970 Summary:

BILL NOS08970 

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SAME ASSAME AS A10552

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SPONSORASHBY

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Add Art 54 Title 17 §§54-1701 & 54-1702, En Con L

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Establishes a municipal solar planning grant program for municipalities to receive grants for plans to develop solar energy systems on agricultural land and commercially-zoned properties in such municipalities; creates a database to track such solar energy system distribution.

Go to top S08970 Actions:

BILL NOS08970 

&nbsp

01/21/2026REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Go to topS08970 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS08970 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS08970 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 8970

 IN SENATE

 January 21, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. ASHBY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation

 AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
 establishing a municipal solar planning grant program

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Article 54 of the environmental conservation law is amended
 2 by adding a new title 17 to read as follows:
 3 TITLE 17
 4 MUNICIPAL SOLAR PLANNING GRANT PROGRAM
 5 Section 54-1701. Municipal solar planning grant program.
 6 54-1702. Municipal solar planning grant program database.
 7 § 54-1701. Municipal solar planning grant program.
 8 1. For the purposes of this title, the term "solar energy system"
 9 shall mean a renewable energy system, as defined by section sixty-six-p
 10 of the public service law, that generates electricity through solar
 11 thermal technology or photovoltaics technology.
 12 2. The department, in conjunction with the New York state energy
 13 research and development authority, shall establish the municipal solar
 14 planning grant program to provide financial assistance to municipalities
 15 that submit a plan for the development of solar energy systems. Such
 16 submitted plans shall include a ratio, as determined by the New York
 17 state energy research and development authority, of solar energy systems
 18 housed on former agricultural land and open space land compared to
 19 commercial land, rooftops and parking lots.
 20 3. Such program shall determine the following:
 21 (a) definitions of agricultural land and commercially-zoned properties
 22 for the purposes of the program;
 23 (b) eligible municipalities under the program;
 24 (c) maximum per-municipality awards under the program; and
 25 (d) any other standards, guidelines or rules as may be necessary to
 26 administer the program.
 27 § 54-1702. Municipal solar planning grant program database.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD14536-02-6

 S. 8970 2

 1 The department, in consultation with relevant state agencies, munici-
 2 palities and the federal government, shall establish a database for
 3 municipalities to track their distribution of solar energy systems on
 4 agricultural land versus commercially-zoned properties, including, but
 5 not limited to, the address, square footage and approximate age of such
 6 solar energy systems. Such database shall be designed to enable munici-
 7 palities to regularly update the information therein.
 8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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