What's happening
This bill creates a program to provide grants and low-interest loans for energy efficiency improvements to New York dairy farms.
Why it matters
Targets energy reliability and cost savings for rural dairy farms. by addressing their unique challenges at the end of the electric grid, aiming to make farms less vulnerable to outages and high utility costs.
Requires an energy audit for eligibility. , ensuring that only projects with demonstrable energy efficiency gains and informed strategies receive funding—improving the likelihood of real, measurable outcomes.
Supports a broad range of improvements. , including proven efficiency upgrades, custom solutions that pay for themselves within 10 years, process optimizations, and renewable energy technologies (like solar, wind, or biogas), giving farms flexibility to pursue the most impactful projects.
Promotes economic development and innovation in rural areas. by encouraging adoption of advanced technologies, creating opportunities for new jobs in the energy services sector, and potentially increasing farm productivity and milk yields.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Aid Dairy Farms Save Energy
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Committed to rules
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.1224
- Print number 2480a
- Amend and recommit to finance
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Help Dairy Farms Save Energy
In Assembly Committee · Economic Development · Sponsor William Magee
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2480--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 13, 2017
Introduced by Sens. RITCHIE, SERINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions -- recommitted to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favorably from said committee and committed to the Committee on Finance -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the New York state urban development corporation act, in relation to creating the dairy farm improved energy efficiency program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds and declares that due to their remote locations at the end of the electric grid infrastructure, farms are more difficult to service by electric utilities. Strengthening the energy systems of individual farms and developing micro-grids in remote areas will enhance the overall reliability of the electric system. The legislature further finds that assisting dairy farms with high efficiency lighting, high efficiency pumping and cooling equipment, and other energy management systems, will result in significant energy savings and increased milk yields. The legislature hereby declares that providing low cost tools and programs to farmers will help farm operations become more efficient and reduce their cost of doing business. Advancing new technologies will also help to accelerate the development of the energy services industry, thus providing new and expanded job opportunities for New Yorkers.
Therefore, the legislature seeks to provide funds to encourage energy efficient dairy farms through grants and low interest loans for approved projects to stimulate the New York state dairy industry.
§ 2. Section 1 of chapter 174 of the laws of 1968, constituting the New York state urban development corporation act, is amended by adding a new section 16-aaa to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07351-02-8
S. 2480--A 2
§ 16-aaa. Dairy farm improved energy efficiency program. 1. Definitions. For the purpose of this section:
(a) "Authority" shall mean the New York state energy research development authority.
(b) "Loan fund" shall refer to the dairy farm improved energy efficiency loan fund established pursuant to this section.
2. (a) The corporation, with the assistance of the authority, shall establish a dairy farm improved energy efficiency loan fund to provide grants and low interest loans to dairy farms for energy efficiency projects and advanced energy technologies.
(b) In order to be eligible to participate in this loan program, a dairy farm must have an energy audit provided through the authority's energy audit program that helps customers make informed electrical energy decisions and implement energy efficiency strategies.
3. (a) The corporation shall, within available appropriations, provide financial, technical or other assistance from the loan fund to eligible dairy farms.
(b) The corporation is authorized to provide grants and low interest loans from the loan fund for eligible improvements to dairy farms. To be eligible for such grants and loans, a dairy farm shall identify an eligible improvement project and provide necessary documentation.
(c) Grants or loans provided by the corporation may be up to one hundred thousand dollars.
4. Energy efficiency improvements eligible for grants or low interest loans through the loan fund shall include, but not be limited to:
(a) Pre-qualified measures that are proven cost effective investments which reduce energy use;
(b) Custom measures that pay for themselves in ten years through reduced energy use;
(c) Process improvement measures that reduce manufacturing energy use on a cost-per-unit basis; and
(d) Renewable technologies that use the sun, wind, anaerobic digestion of animal wastes or other appropriate technologies to generate heat or power.
5. Applications for assistance pursuant to this section shall be reviewed and evaluated by the corporation in cooperation with the authority pursuant to eligibility requirements and criteria set forth in the rules and regulations promulgated by the corporation.
6. The corporation and the authority shall submit an annual written report to the speaker of the assembly and the temporary president of the senate identifying the number of dairy farms assisted through the loan fund program, and the types of improvements implemented and energy cost savings and any other benefits realized by the dairy farms assisted by this program.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the New York state urban development corporation act, in relation to creating the dairy farm improved energy efficiency program
Purpose
Assist dairy farms with high efficiency lighting, high efficiency pump- ing and cooling equipment, and other energy management systems.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 outlines the legislative findings for the bill; that due to their remote locations at the end of the electric grid infrastructure, dairy farms are difficult to service by electric utilities thus by strengthening the energy systems of individuals farms and developing micro-grids in remote areas the reliability of electric systems is enhanced and results in the increased efficiency of these farms, the acceleration of development of the energy services industry, and the expansion of job opportunities for New Yorkers. Section 2 amends the urban development corporation act by defining "authority" and "loan fund" and establishes a dairy farm improved energy efficiency loan fund. Section 2 also provides participation eligibility, the terms of the appropriate funding, and requires the authority report its assistance. Section 3 is the effective date.
Justification
Family dairy farms are struggling with depressed wholesale milk prices. It is the prerogative of state policymakers to provide low-cost tools to farmers to assist them in becoming more efficient and cost-effective. The financing program created by this bill provides a mechanism to achieving that goal by establishing the necessary grants and low inter- est loans to dairy farms for energy efficiency projects and advanced energy technologies. This bill accelerates the development of the energy technologies and services to dairy farms and in so doing industry farms are made more energy efficient and financially stable. In turn, this provides new and expanded job opportunities for New Yorkers. For the foregoing reasons, it is imperative that this bill is enacted.
Prior legislative history
2005-2006: S.6816/ A.8096 2007-2008: S.3235A/A.10238 2009-2010: S.5429/A.2880 2011-2012: S.3136A/A.5145A 2013-2014: S.1081B/A.8453 2015-2017: S.2984/A.1110
Fiscal implications
Subject to appropriations.
Effective date
Immediately upon enactment of the bill into law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.