Relates to establishing the school energy efficiency program

Title of bill

An act establishing the school energy efficiency program

Purpose

This legislation will streamline the process for approving school energy efficiency projects submitted for review and approval to the State Education Department.

Summary of provisions

Section 1. Legislative intent.

Section 2. A school energy efficiency program will be established to streamline the approval process for eligible entities pursuing the installation of energy efficiency projects. The New York State Education Department (SED) will delineate how energy efficiency project approval requests will be processed separately from all other capital improvement applications. SED must provide a specific date for such a process to be in place. A report to the Governor and Legislature on how it will manage such project reviews and approvals, including any legislative action that might be required, is due by January 1, 2018.

Section 3. Effective date.

Justification

Each year, over $1 billion dollars are spent on energy costs by school districts all across New York State. Costs vary by school districts with smaller school districts incurring costs of several million dollars per year and larger school districts, like New York City, have costs totaling over $300 million per year to heat and light their school buildings.

As energy costs continue to rise and as school budgets are facing increasing constraints leading to cuts in enrichment programs, increased class sizes, reduction of support staff and cuts in teaching staff, it is important that practical and tangible opportunities to institute cost savings are given our highest priority.

Currently schools looking to reduce their energy costs by putting in place energy efficiency technologies have to wait for a long approval process by the State Education Department because these energy efficiency improvements are reviewed by the same team that reviews and approves larger capital Improvement programs.

This legislation seeks to streamline the review and approval for energy efficiency projects submitted for review by school districts. There is no fiscal impact created by this legislation. Rather, SED has been asked to set up a review process within their existing division of duties of the employees assigned to review capital projects submitted for approval. SED has been asked to establish the streamline process by January 1, 2018 and to report to the Governor and the Legislature on how the new streamline process will work.

In 2012, the Legislature authorized and the Governor approved a review of how new energy efficiency and green technologies could help schools reduce and eventually eliminate their huge and rising energy costs. The review required a set of recommendations. This legislation is a direct by-product of that review and is one of the recommendations that were provided to help schools free up funding that could be put to use to directly help student academic achievement. It is critically

important that this legislation is passed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor in 2016.

Legislative history

2015 - S.4385/A.5976 - EDUCATION/Education 2014 - A9856 -- Education

Fiscal implications

None

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.