What's happening
This bill bans most diesel-powered electricity generation in New York areas failing federal ozone or PM2.5 air standards, with limited exceptions.
Why it matters
Targets pollution hotspots for cleaner air. By focusing on counties failing federal air standards for ozone or PM2.5, the bill addresses regions already suffering from poor air quality, aiming to reduce health risks associated with diesel emissions, like asthma and heart disease.
Limits exceptions to essential uses. The bill allows only a few exceptions—very small generators, those meeting tough emissions standards, emergency backups, and cogeneration (waste heat use)—ensuring most diesel generation is phased out while preserving critical reliability and efficiency functions.
Pushes utilities and businesses toward cleaner alternatives. By making diesel generation largely unavailable in nonattainment areas, the law will likely accelerate investments in cleaner technologies (like natural gas, batteries, or renewables), impacting energy infrastructure and related jobs in affected regions.
Long-term public health and environmental benefits. The reduction in diesel generator use is expected to lower particulate matter and ozone precursors, contributing to improved respiratory and cardiovascular health and helping New York meet federal clean air requirements.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Limit Diesel Generators for Clean Air
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Referred to environmental conservation
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1121
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 10, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, GLICK, ORTIZ, JAFFEE, LUPARDO, STECK, QUART -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. CRESPO, DINOWITZ, ENGLEBRIGHT, GALEF, GOTTFRIED, PERRY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to restricting the operation of diesel powered electrical generation systems in areas identified as not meeting certain federal air quality standards for ozone
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new section 19-0311-a to read as follows: § 19-0311-a. Restricted operation of diesel powered electrical genera-
tors.
The generation of electricity for public or private use by means of diesel combustion generation facilities shall be prohibited in any county or part thereof that is designated nonattainment for ozone under section 7407 of the clean air act ("act") and classified as severe nonattainment under section 7511 of the act; or designated as nonattainment for PM2.5 under section 7407 of the act, or has been so designated within the prior calendar year, unless:
1. the diesel combustion facility has a generating capacity of less than one hundred kilowatts;
2. the diesel combustion facility complies with or exceeds emission standards adopted for such facilities by the department for particulate matter and nitrogen oxides;
3. the diesel combustion facility is used solely as an emergency backup system during a power outage; or
4. the diesel combustion facility uses cogeneration technology to utilize the waste heat.
§ 2. This act shall take effect twenty-four months after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04963-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.