Bill Text: NY S07861 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Directs the department of agriculture and markets, in cooperation with NYSERDA and institutions of higher education, to develop and produce guidance and educational materials for farmers on the use of agrivoltaics in farming; requires the department of agriculture and markets to provide a booth at the state fair for the purpose of educating the general public on the use of agrivoltaics in farming.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2022-11-22 - APPROVAL MEMO.27 [S07861 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S07861-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         7861--A
            Cal. No. 430

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 12, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  MAY, RAMOS -- read twice and ordered printed, and
          when printed to be  committed  to  the  Committee  on  Agriculture  --
          reported  favorably  from  said committee, ordered to first and second
          report, ordered to a third reading, passed by Senate and delivered  to
          the  Assembly, recalled, vote reconsidered, restored to third reading,
          amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place  in  the  order  of
          third reading

        AN  ACT  to direct the department of agriculture and markets, in cooper-
          ation with the New York state energy research and development authori-
          ty, to develop and produce guidance and educational materials  on  the
          use of agrivoltaics in farming

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

     1    Section 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this act, the term  "agri-
     2  voltaics"  shall  mean  the  simultaneous  use of areas of land for both
     3  solar photovoltaic power generation and agriculture including the collo-
     4  cation of solar photovoltaic  panels  and  production  of  crops  and/or
     5  animal farming such as grazing on the same property.
     6    §  2.  Guidance  and  educational materials on agrivoltaics.   (a) The
     7  department of agriculture and markets, in cooperation with the New  York
     8  state  energy  research  and  development  authority and institutions of
     9  higher education with expertise in agrivoltaics, shall develop  guidance
    10  and  educational materials for farmers regarding the use of agrivoltaics
    11  in farming that shall, at a minimum, contain the following:
    12    (i) information about available resources to assist farmers  to  maxi-
    13  mize  agricultural  production  including,  but  not limited to, growing
    14  crops or grazing animals on land with collocated solar panels;
    15    (ii) information on the use of high value shade-resistant crops;
    16    (iii) information about potential marketing opportunities to consumers
    17  interested in purchasing food and other agricultural products from farms
    18  that produce renewable energy and may be  positively  impacting  climate
    19  change;
    20    (iv)  the  potential  for  benefits such as reduced electricity costs,
    21  diversified revenue streams, and water use reduction;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14275-04-2
        S. 7861--A                          2

     1    (v) the potential for extended crop growing seasons; and
     2    (vi) information about pollinator-friendly standards and practices for
     3  farmland with collocated solar photovoltaic panels.
     4    (b)  No later than one hundred twenty days after the effective date of
     5  this act, the guidance and educational materials developed  pursuant  to
     6  paragraph (a) of this section shall be produced and distributed to coop-
     7  erative  extension  offices  located  in the state and to New York state
     8  soil and  water  conservation  districts,  and  made  available  on  the
     9  websites  of  the department of agriculture and markets and the New York
    10  state energy research and development authority.
    11    § 3. State fair. The  department  of  agriculture  and  markets  shall
    12  provide  a  booth  at  the  New York state fair, established pursuant to
    13  article 2-A of the agriculture and markets law, next occurring after the
    14  effective date of this act, for the purpose  of  educating  the  general
    15  public on the use of agrivoltaics in farming.
    16    § 4.  Agricultural exhibitions, conferences and meetings. The  depart-
    17  ment   of agriculture  and  markets may make available information about
    18  agrivoltaics  to  farmers  attending  agriculture  related  exhibitions,
    19  conferences and meetings.
    20    §  5.  Powers.  The  department of agriculture and markets and the New
    21  York state energy research and development authority  may  consult  with
    22  any  state  or  local office, agency, or department, request information
    23  from any such entity, or conduct any research that is relevant and mate-
    24  rial to the  development  of  the  guidance  and  educational  materials
    25  directed to be developed pursuant to section two of this act.
    26    § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.