Energy

Requires an applicant filing any application for a permit or authorization relating to the siting or construction of a qualified energy storage system that has a storage capacity greater than one megawatt hour, is connected to the local distribution system and primarily operated for commercial or electric retail purposes, and is not constructed in connection with a major renewable energy facility to provide notice of such application to the chief executive of the city, town, or village in which it is located and each member of the state legislature within whose district the proposed energy storage system is to be located.

This bill requires New York State-owned parking facilities with fifty or more spaces to install and maintain charging stations for electric vehicles. The Office of General Services is responsible for installing the equipment and may handle maintenance or hire contractors for repairs if needed. The specific number of chargers will be determined by future rules that use either a percentage of total parking spaces or a power capacity calculation method. These requirements apply to new facilities within one year of the bill's effective date, while existing facilities are exempt until new regulations are finalized. The law excludes minor repairs or changes that affect less than half of a parking facility.

Requires an applicant filing any application for a permit or authorization relating to the siting or construction of a qualified energy storage system that has a storage capacity greater than one megawatt hour, is connected to the local distribution system and primarily operated for commercial or electric retail purposes, and is not constructed in connection with a major renewable energy facility to provide notice of such application to the chief executive of the city, town, or village in which it is located and each member of the state legislature within whose district the proposed energy storage system is to be located.

Authorizes the city of Buffalo to alienate and discontinue the use of certain parklands for the construction, operation, maintenance, and repair of a utility thermal energy network project.

Authorizes the town of Greenburgh to alienate and discontinue the use of certain parkland and to lease such land to HESP Solar LLC for a term not to exceed twenty-five years.

Prohibits the public service commission authority to order collection of charges from ratepayers for greenhouse gas reduction unrelated to the electric grid.

Requires the public service commission to post a written summary of the actions taken by the commission or department upon approval of a major change in rates to promote ratepayer affordability and minimizing residential energy burden.

Enacts the "NYS ratepayer protection nuclear moratorium act" under which certain state funds and subsidies are prohibited from being expended for new, reopened or rebuilt closed nuclear power facilities and related entities; creates a nuclear assessment task force.

This bill offers temporary relief on utility costs for one year and exempts fees related to green energy projects for two years. During the first year, customers will not pay sales tax, gross receipts tax, or specific surcharges on their utility bills, and utility companies must lower their rates to match the savings. The second part of the bill prevents utility companies from charging ratepayers for building renewable energy systems, electric vehicle infrastructure, or charging stations for two years. To cover the lost tax revenue, the state will transfer money from its general fund to the relevant accounts after the one-year holiday ends. These changes directly affect all utility customers and those involved in renewable energy or electric vehicle projects.

Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state education, labor, housing and family assistance budget for the 2026-2027 state fiscal year; relates to contracts for excellence, foundation aid, the homeless and foster count, renewable energy projects, zero-emissions school buses and to apportioning aid for universal prekindergarten; relates to reimbursement for the 2026-2027 school year and the maximum contract hours, withholding a portion of employment preparation education aid, and the effectiveness thereof; relates to the use of apportionments for the EXCEL program and the effectiveness thereof; relates to maximum class sizes for special classes for certain students with disabilities; provides for special apportionment for salary expenses; provides for special apportionment for public pension accruals; amends provisions relating to the apportionment amount for the Roosevelt union free school district; provides for set-asides from the state funds which certain districts are receiving from the total foundation aid; provides for support of public libraries; repeals certain provisions relating to the statewide universal full-day prekindergarten program (Part A); relates to evidence-based instructional practices in the subject of mathematics for students in kindergarten through grade five (Part B); relates to the eligibility of students enrolled in an approved program leading to a degree in a high demand field for the New York opportunity promise scholarship (Part C); allows for the chancellor of SUNY and CUNY to impose differential tuition rates on non-resident undergraduate and graduate students until the 2028-2029 academic year (Part E); relates to early childhood educator eligibility for the masters-in-education teacher incentive scholarship program (Part F); changes the name of the "New York state musical instrument revolving fund" to the "New York state music grant fund"; includes musical education in school districts and boards of cooperative educational services within not-for-profit musical entities incorporated in the state and organized for the purpose of the presentation of performing arts for the benefit of the public (Part G); extends provisions of law relating to restructuring financing for residential school placements (Part K); increases the standards of monthly need for aged, blind and disabled persons living in the community (Part L); utilizes reserves in the mortgage insurance fund for the neighborhood preservation program, the rural preservation program, the rural rental assistance program, and the New York state supportive housing program, the solutions to end homelessness program or the operational support for AIDS housing program (Part M); increases the number of land banks which can simultaneously exist in the state of New York from 35 to 45 (Part N); authorizes a tax abatement for alterations and improvements to multiple dwellings for purposes of preserving habitability in affordable housing (Part O); relates to establishing the crime of aggravated harassment of a rent regulated tenant (Part P); renumbers the disparate impact standard for housing and employment in the human rights law (Part Q); defines eligible multiple dwelling under the affordable New York housing program; includes a multiple dwelling that is located on a parcel of land which was part of a tract of land for which a special permit for a large scale general development was approved via the uniform land use review procedure on or before June 15, 2022, and such tract contains a multiple dwelling for which the commencement date is after December 31, 2015 and on or before June 15, 2022 and complies with certain affordability options (Part R).