Establishes a municipal solar planning grant program for municipalities to receive grants for plans to develop solar energy systems on agricultural land and commercially-zoned properties in such municipalities; creates a database to track such solar energy system distribution.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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8970
IN SENATE
January 21, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. ASHBY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
establishing a municipal solar planning grant program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Article 54 of the environmental conservation law is amended
2 by adding a new title 17 to read as follows:
3 TITLE 17
4 MUNICIPAL SOLAR PLANNING GRANT PROGRAM
5 Section 54-1701. Municipal solar planning grant program.
6 54-1702. Municipal solar planning grant program database.
7 § 54-1701. Municipal solar planning grant program.
8 1. For the purposes of this title, the term "solar energy system"
9 shall mean a renewable energy system, as defined by section sixty-six-p
10 of the public service law, that generates electricity through solar
11 thermal technology or photovoltaics technology.
12 2. The department, in conjunction with the New York state energy
13 research and development authority, shall establish the municipal solar
14 planning grant program to provide financial assistance to municipalities
15 that submit a plan for the development of solar energy systems. Such
16 submitted plans shall include a ratio, as determined by the New York
17 state energy research and development authority, of solar energy systems
18 housed on former agricultural land and open space land compared to
19 commercial land, rooftops and parking lots.
20 3. Such program shall determine the following:
21 (a) definitions of agricultural land and commercially-zoned properties
22 for the purposes of the program;
23 (b) eligible municipalities under the program;
24 (c) maximum per-municipality awards under the program; and
25 (d) any other standards, guidelines or rules as may be necessary to
26 administer the program.
27 § 54-1702. Municipal solar planning grant program database.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14536-02-6
S. 8970 2
1 The department, in consultation with relevant state agencies, munici-
2 palities and the federal government, shall establish a database for
3 municipalities to track their distribution of solar energy systems on
4 agricultural land versus commercially-zoned properties, including, but
5 not limited to, the address, square footage and approximate age of such
6 solar energy systems. Such database shall be designed to enable munici-
7 palities to regularly update the information therein.
8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
