Bill Text: NY S08402 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Enacts the "go green schools act" to assist school districts in converting to renewable energy sources as a primary source of energy; directs NYSERDA to conduct a study and make recommendations for such purpose.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-06-04 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [S08402 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S08402-Amended.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         8402--A
            Cal. No. 445

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 26, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
          cations  --  reported  favorably from said committee, ordered to first
          and second report, ordered to a third  reading,  amended  and  ordered
          reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading

        AN  ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to establishing
          the "go green schools act" to assist schools in converting to  renewa-
          ble energy systems as a primary source of energy

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

     1    Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
     2  the "go green schools act".
     3    §  2.  Article  8 of the public authorities law is amended by adding a
     4  new title 9-D to read as follows:
     5                                  TITLE 9-D
     6                            GO GREEN SCHOOLS ACT

     7  Section 1920. Definitions.
     8          1921. Mapping.
     9          1922. Study.
    10          1923. Reporting.
    11    § 1920. Definitions. For the purposes of this title:
    12    (a) "authority" shall have the same meaning as set forth  in  subdivi-
    13  sion two of section eighteen hundred fifty-one of this article; and
    14    (b)  "renewable energy systems" shall have the same meaning as defined
    15  in section sixty-six-p of the public service law.
    16    § 1921. Mapping. 1.  The authority shall develop  a  mapping  tool  to
    17  provide  to  schools  to  assist such schools in converting to renewable
    18  energy systems as a primary source of energy.
    19    2. The mapping tool shall be posted prominently and  publicly  on  the
    20  authority's website and shall include the following features:
    21    (a)  provide sufficient information and guidance to schools to compre-
    22  hensively evaluate what type or types of renewable energy  systems  will
    23  be  the  most cost effective option for meeting the energy needs of each
    24  school in the state; and
    25    (b) renewable energy system siting  information,  such  as:  land  use
    26  cover data; disadvantaged communities; brownfields; previously disturbed

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14229-02-4
        S. 8402--A                          2

     1  and developed sites including but not limited to large rooftops, parking
     2  lots,  and  landfills;  agricultural  soils  and agricultural districts;
     3  forests; wetlands, floodplains, and waterbodies; historic, cultural, and
     4  archaeological  resources;  public  parks,  preserves  and  recreational
     5  resources; conserved and protected  lands;  hosting  capacity;  distrib-
     6  ution,  and  transmission  lines;  and  topography as relevant to siting
     7  renewable energy systems.
     8    3. The authority shall complete and  post  the  mapping  tool  on  its
     9  website on or before December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-six.
    10    § 1922. Study. 1. The authority, within twelve months of the effective
    11  date  of  this title, shall conduct a study of the financial feasibility
    12  and sustainability of converting each public school district to  renewa-
    13  ble energy as a primary source of energy.
    14    2. Such study shall include, but not be limited to:
    15    (a)  the ability of each school district to safely house its own inde-
    16  pendent energy harnessing source and store the energy harnessed, includ-
    17  ing the use of nearby structures to create local storage battery facili-
    18  ties nearby;
    19    (b) the ability to plug schools that are not connected to a  renewable
    20  energy  source into existing renewable energy sources, including but not
    21  limited to solar farms, hydrogen energy plants, wind farms,  geothermal,
    22  and  other  renewable energy sources, as approved by the authority, that
    23  are nearby;
    24    (c) the creation of microgrids to connect school  districts  to  local
    25  renewable energy sources, and the cost to upkeep such microgrids; and
    26    (d)  recommendations  regarding  the  most  feasible  renewable energy
    27  sources for converting public  school  districts  to  renewable  energy,
    28  including  the  most  cost-effective routes to connect schools with such
    29  renewable energy sources.
    30    § 1923. Reporting. 1. (a) The authority, no later  than  three  months
    31  following  the  completion  of  the mapping required pursuant to section
    32  nineteen hundred twenty-one of this title and the study required  pursu-
    33  ant to section nineteen hundred twenty-two of this title, shall submit a
    34  report  to  the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and the
    35  speaker of the assembly, containing the results of such mapping and  the
    36  findings of such study.
    37    (b)  The report required pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision
    38  shall include, but not be limited to:
    39    (i) recommendations for the most efficient ways to convert schools  to
    40  renewable energy systems; and
    41    (ii)  recommendations  for  financial  savings programs to incentivize
    42  school districts to convert to renewable energy systems.
    43    2. The authority, no later than twelve months following the completion
    44  of the mapping required pursuant to section nineteen hundred  twenty-one
    45  of  this  title  and  the  study  required  pursuant to section nineteen
    46  hundred twenty-two of this title, shall submit a second  report  to  the
    47  governor,  the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker of the
    48  assembly, containing projections regarding the sustainability and upkeep
    49  costs of the renewable energy projects recommended in the  first  report
    50  required pursuant to subdivision one of this section.
    51    § 3. Section 1854 of the public authorities law is amended by adding a
    52  new subdivision 9 to read as follows:
    53    9. To develop and provide a mapping tool and assistance to each public
    54  school  district  in converting to renewable energy sources as a primary
    55  source of energy pursuant to title nine-D of this article.
    56    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.