Bill > S08712

This bill mandates that the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) establish or update rules and regulations for the siting, design, construction, and operation of major renewable energy facilities, with a particular focus on protecting agricultural land. Key provisions include defining "agrivoltaics" as the dual use of land for solar power and agriculture, and specifying what constitutes "agricultural products and activities." The bill prioritizes previously developed or underutilized sites for renewable energy projects and strengthens protections for farmland by requiring detailed impact studies on prime agricultural land, cumulative impact assessments on regional food economies, and ensuring a "critical mass" of farmland is not threatened, with the Department of Agriculture and Markets determining what constitutes a critical mass. Applicants will need to submit decommissioning plans and financial assurances for facilities on farmland, and a farmland conservation fee will be imposed on solar development on prime soils or farmlands, unless it's an agrivoltaics project. These new rules and regulations are set to expire upon the repeal of related provisions in the Public Service Law.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S8712