Enacts the "Long Island public school solar and geothermal act" to provide funding to public schools located within Nassau or Suffolk county for the purchase and installation of solar panels and ground source heat pump systems; makes an appropriation therefor.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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157
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 6, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sen. KAPLAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommuni-
cations
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to enacting the
"Long Island public school solar and geothermal act"; and making an
appropriation therefor
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Long
2 Island public school solar and geothermal act".
3 § 2. Section 1854 of the public authorities law is amended by adding a
4 new subdivision 22 to read as follows:
5 22. a. To make grants from amounts appropriated therefor, in amounts
6 of two hundred thousand dollars, to fifty public school districts
7 located within the county of Nassau or the county of Suffolk, to provide
8 such school districts with funding for the purchase and installation of
9 photovoltaic solar panels or ground source heat pump systems within such
10 district. Grants shall be made upon application by such school districts
11 to the authority in a manner and form to be determined by the authority.
12 In order to be eligible for a grant for the installation of photovoltaic
13 solar panels pursuant to this subdivision, such application shall
14 include a plan proposed by the school district providing for the instal-
15 lation of photovoltaic solar panels on a minimum of fifty percent of
16 such school district's suitable roof space on buildings that are eligi-
17 ble for state building aid. Grants shall be made available for a period
18 of thirty months from the successful application of a school district.
19 b. No school district that receives a grant pursuant to paragraph a of
20 this subdivision shall be subject to a reduction in state education aid
21 due to moneys saved by the school district as a result of lower utility
22 costs resulting from the purchase and installation of photovoltaic solar
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00826-01-1
S. 157 2
1 panels or ground source heat pump systems pursuant to paragraph a of
2 this subdivision.
3 § 3. The sum of ten million dollars ($10,000,000), or so much thereof
4 as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the New York state energy
5 research and development authority from any moneys in the state treasury
6 in the general fund to the credit of the state purposes account, not
7 otherwise appropriated, for the purposes of carrying out the provisions
8 of section two of this act. Such sum shall be payable on the audit and
9 warrant of the state comptroller on vouchers certified or approved by
10 the New York state energy research and development authority, or its
11 duly designated representative in the manner provided by law.
12 § 4. This act shall take effect April 1, 2022.