Bill Text: NY A04224 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes the natural carbon sequestration research program to develop innovative science-based solutions to facilitate sequestration of carbon in New York's natural and working lands.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to energy [A04224 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-A04224-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4224 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 13, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. KELLES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Energy AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to estab- lishing the natural carbon sequestration research program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new 2 section 151-j to read as follows: 3 § 151-j. Natural carbon sequestration research program. 1. There is 4 hereby established the natural carbon sequestration research program. 5 The purpose of the program is to develop innovative science-based 6 solutions to facilitate sequestration of carbon in New York's natural 7 and working lands in ways that decrease total greenhouse gas emissions. 8 In developing the program, the New York state college of agriculture and 9 life sciences as named pursuant to section fifty-seven hundred twelve of 10 the education law shall conduct, support, and develop technologies and 11 management strategies, along with verification systems to facilitate the 12 natural drawdown of carbon from the atmosphere and storage underground. 13 2. Subject to available appropriations, the program shall consider, 14 but not be limited to, the following: stabilizing existing carbon in 15 the soil, increasing carbon sequestration through new practices and 16 cropping systems, purposefully amending the soil with biochar and 17 compost to boost total soil carbon and promote greenhouse gas life cycle 18 benefits, advancing direct air capture of carbon dioxide in farmland and 19 landscapes through enhanced weathering, utilizing other innovative tech- 20 nologies, and the synergies between such approaches, including agrofor- 21 estry and reforestation to store carbon in both trees and soil while 22 producing ancillary benefits for working lands. The research program 23 shall also demonstrate successful technologies in pilot locations 24 throughout the state of New York, utilize the Cornell Cooperative Exten- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03424-05-3A. 4224 2 1 sion system for knowledge transfer, and prepare annual reports which 2 shall be publicly disseminated. 3 3. The program shall include, but not be limited to, research on the 4 following topics, consistent with New York state's climate goals: 5 (a) methods to sequester carbon in soils through nature-based 6 solutions; 7 (b) improvement or enhancement of photosynthesis in plant life and 8 delivery to soil to facilitate carbon sequestration; 9 (c) development and deployment of technologies to measure, model and 10 verify carbon storage in natural and working lands; 11 (d) research that facilitates productive agroforestry, afforestation 12 and reforestation, including research that facilitates increased 13 nature-based carbon storage in peatlands and wetlands; and 14 (e) research that quantifies total greenhouse gas benefits, including 15 but not limited to nitrous oxide, methane and carbon, to assure that 16 there are overall greenhouse gas emission benefits. 17 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.