New York S 2109: Establishes the distributed generation for community solar siting commission

Bill Text

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S02109 Summary:

BILL NOS02109 

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SAME ASSAME AS A07769

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SPONSORCOONEY

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Add Art 49-D §§997 - 997-c, Exec L

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Establishes the nine member distributed generation for community solar siting commission to examine the reasons for delays in the siting of community solar projects, identify those causes and examine solutions to accelerate development; makes related provisions.

Go to top S02109 Actions:

BILL NOS02109 

&nbsp

01/15/2025REFERRED TO FINANCE

01/07/2026REFERRED TO FINANCE

Go to topS02109 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS02109 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS02109 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 2109

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 January 15, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. COONEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance

 AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing the
 distributed generation for community solar siting commission

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

 1 Section 1. Legislative intent. The Legislature finds and declares the
 2 following:
 3 It is the policy of the State of New York as laid out in the Climate
 4 Leadership and Community Protection act (CLCPA) as well as other laws,
 5 regulations and proceedings of the public service commission, that by
 6 the year 2040, New York State will derive 100% of its energy from carbon
 7 free sources with an interim goal of 70% by 2030. Further, the state has
 8 and continues to move toward a carbon free future and a carbon free
 9 economy. As a part of this movement, NYS has adopted legislation and
 10 regulations related to community solar projects and worked through the
 11 NY Sun program and other means to assist in funding more distributed
 12 solar projects and encouraging investment and job creation in the clean
 13 energy sector. Audits by the Comptroller and reports from NYSERDA and
 14 other agencies have, however, begun to show a troubling pattern. New
 15 York is not on track to meet its energy goals, with many projects in the
 16 pipeline but fewer and fewer coming to fruition and completion. If our
 17 state does not triple its renewable energy capacity in the coming years,
 18 we will miss our 2030 goal. "Distributed Generation, including Community
 19 Distributed Generation ("CDG")" for "Community Solar" is one of the keys
 20 to New York meeting its stated goals, and yet, in this important sector,
 21 development is slowing, and local opposition is mounting. The legisla-
 22 ture wishes to discover the causes of this slowdown and evaluate policy
 23 recommendations that can accelerate the siting of community solar
 24 projects in support of our 2030 and 2040 goals.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD03604-01-5

 S. 2109 2

 1 § 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new article 49-D to read
 2 as follows:
 3 ARTICLE 49-D
 4 DISTRIBUTED GENERATION FOR COMMUNITY SOLAR SITING COMMISSION
 5 Section 997. Distributed generation for community solar siting commis-
 6 sion.
 7 997-a. Powers and duties of the commission.
 8 997-b. Hearings.
 9 997-c. Report.
 10 § 997. Distributed generation for community solar siting commission.
 11 1. There is hereby created a distributed generation for community solar
 12 siting commission, which shall consist of the following nine members:
 13 (a) three members appointed by the governor, one of whom must have a
 14 labor background; (b) two members appointed by the temporary president
 15 of the senate, at least one of whom must have a solar development back-
 16 ground; (c) two members appointed by the speaker of the assembly, at
 17 least one of whom must have an environmental background; (d) one member
 18 appointed by the minority leader of the senate; and (e) one member
 19 appointed by the minority leader of the assembly.
 20 2. Members shall receive no compensation for their service, but may be
 21 reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred during the performance of
 22 their duties.
 23 3. Commission staff shall be prov