Bill Text: NY S05114 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Enacts the "New York microgrids act" to establish the microgrids of New York grant program within the New York state energy research and development authority; such program shall award monies to certain areas of the state for the purposes of reducing utility rates, reducing utility demand and encouraging use of renewable energy resources.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO CORPORATIONS, AUTHORITIES AND COMMISSIONS [S05114 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S05114-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          5114
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                      April 9, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Corporations,  Authorities
          and Commissions
        AN  ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to enacting the
          "New York microgrids act"
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  Article  8  of  the  public authorities law is amended by
     2  adding a new title 9-B to read as follows:
     3                                  TITLE 9-B
     4                           NEW YORK MICROGRIDS ACT
     5  Section 1900. Short title.
     6          1901. Definitions.
     7          1902. Purposes.
     8          1903. Microgrids of New York grant program.
     9    § 1900. Short title. This title shall be known and may be cited as the
    10  "New York microgrids act".
    11    § 1901. Definitions. As used in  this  section,  the  following  terms
    12  shall have the following meanings:
    13    1.  "Authority"  means the New York state energy research and develop-
    14  ment authority continued pursuant to section eighteen hundred  fifty-two
    15  of this article.
    16    2.  "Energy insecure regions" means areas of the state that have expe-
    17  rienced increased electricity outages due to grid instability,  capacity
    18  constraints, distribution and transmission line issues.
    19    3.  "Program"  means  the  microgrids of New York grant program estab-
    20  lished pursuant to section nineteen hundred three of this title.
    21    4. "Rural areas" shall have the same meaning as is  ascribed  to  such
    22  term pursuant to subdivision seven of section four hundred eighty-one of
    23  the executive law.
    24    5.  "Low-income  community"  means a census block group, or contiguous
    25  area with multiple census block groups, having a  low-income  population
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11135-01-9

        S. 5114                             2
     1  equal  to  or greater than 23.59 percent of the total population of such
     2  block group or groups, or such other percentage as may be determined  by
     3  the New York state department of environmental conservation.
     4    § 1902. Purposes. The purposes of this title are to:
     5    1. promote long term reduction of energy costs;
     6    2.  reduce  the  capacity demand for the market by drawing less energy
     7  from the original grid;
     8    3. stabilize energy costs;
     9    4. enhance the reliability of energy sources;
    10    5. increase energy independence throughout the state; and
    11    6. promote reliance on  renewable  energy  sources  to  help  mitigate
    12  climate change and achieve the state's energy use reduction goals.
    13    §  1903.  Microgrids of New York grant program. 1. The authority shall
    14  establish and operate the microgrids of New  York  grant  program.  Such
    15  program  shall be implemented by the authority, in consultation with the
    16  department of public service, the power authority of the  state  of  New
    17  York,  the  Long  Island  power authority and the department of environ-
    18  mental conservation. In furtherance thereof, the authority shall:
    19    (a) use monies made available for the purposes of this title  and  the
    20  program;
    21    (b)  enter  into  contracts  with constituency based organizations and
    22  other entities through the competitive grant process established  pursu-
    23  ant to subdivision two of this section;
    24    (c)  enter  into  contracts  with  one or more program implementers to
    25  perform such functions as the authority deems appropriate; and
    26    (d) exercise such other powers as are necessary for the proper  imple-
    27  mentation of this title.
    28    2. The authority shall:
    29    (a)  issue  one  or  more  program opportunity notices or requests for
    30  proposals to solicit applications from partnerships comprised of consti-
    31  tuency based organizations, which can connect community members  to  the
    32  program,  including facilitating awareness of the program and enrollment
    33  therein;
    34    (b) award grants of not more than one hundred fifty  thousand  dollars
    35  to each approved applicant;
    36    (c) with regard to awarding such grants, give preference to:
    37    (i) communities in areas of the state where energy costs are a partic-
    38  ularly  high  percentage  of  a  community's  median household income as
    39  determined by the authority;
    40    (ii) communities that would benefit from energy resiliency provided by
    41  a microgrid, as demonstrated by prior outage history due to  weather  or
    42  other causes;
    43    (iii) low income communities;
    44    (iv) energy insecure regions; and
    45    (v) rural areas.
    46    3.  The authority is authorized in consultation with the department of
    47  public service, the power authority of the state of New York,  the  Long
    48  Island power authority and the department of environmental conservation,
    49  to promulgate such rules and regulations as shall be necessary to imple-
    50  ment the provisions of this section.
    51    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    52  it shall have become a law.
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