Establishes the small business energy conservation ombudsman program to represent small businesses on issues relating to state energy policy and the goals of the climate leadership and community protection act.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9280
IN SENATE
May 9, 2024
___________
Introduced by Sen. RYAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Commerce, Economic Devel-
opment and Small Business
AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to establish-
ing the small business energy conservation ombudsman program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The economic development law is amended by adding a new
2 section 138-a to read as follows:
3 § 138-a. Small business energy conservation ombudsman program. 1.
4 There is hereby established within the division for small businesses a
5 small business energy conservation ombudsman program. The primary
6 purpose of such program is to represent small businesses on issues
7 relating to state energy policy and the goals of the climate leadership
8 and community protection act.
9 2. The department shall, through the small business energy conserva-
10 tion ombudsman program, provide the following services:
11 a. soliciting input from small businesses on conservation of energy
12 and the promotion of the state's clean energy and climate agenda,
13 including interacting with organizations representing small businesses
14 such as trade associations or other entities;
15 b. participating in, facilitating and promoting the participation of
16 small businesses in the development and implementation of rules and
17 regulations adopted pursuant to the state energy law and other aspects
18 of the climate leadership and community protection act, including but
19 not limited to rules and regulations relating to retrofitting existing
20 commercial buildings and making new construction compliant with section
21 11-104 of the energy law and to the electrification of the transporta-
22 tion sector pursuant to article seventy-five of the environmental
23 conservation law;
24 c. participating in and sponsoring meetings with the New York state
25 research and development authority, state and local energy and climate
26 agencies, industry groups and small business representatives;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15377-01-4
S. 9280 2
1 d. providing guidance and recommendations to the New York state
2 research and development authority and other state agencies on the
3 development, content and operation of the small business energy conser-
4 vation ombudsman program;
5 e. developing and distributing to small businesses information and
6 materials on energy conservation and the requirements and goals of the
7 climate leadership and community protection act as outlined in section
8 3-101 of the energy law;
9 f. aiding in the investigation and resolution of energy conservation
10 complaints and disputes from small businesses against state agencies and
11 local authorities;
12 g. reviewing and providing comments and recommendations to state agen-
13 cies regarding the development and implementation of energy conservation
14 regulations that impact small businesses;
15 h. referring small businesses to specialists for information and
16 assistance on affordable alternative technologies, process changes,
17 products and operational methods to help achieve energy conservation and
18 the goals of the climate leadership and community protection act;
19 i. providing information to small businesses on state-sponsored
20 programs offering financial and technical assistance, and in locating
21 sources of funding for energy conservation; and
22 j. establishing procedures for assuring the confidentiality of infor-
23 mation received from small businesses.
24 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
25 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
