What's happening
This bill requires utilities to pay farm waste anaerobic digester generators at least 12 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity.
Why it matters
Supports the survival and expansion of farm-based anaerobic digesters. , which help reduce methane emissions and nutrient runoff from agricultural operations—addressing both climate and water quality concerns.
Addresses a gap in current compensation methods. by establishing a guaranteed rate for electricity from farm waste digesters, making their operation financially viable and preventing the closure of existing (legacy) facilities and discouraging new investment.
Helps safeguard previous state investments. in anaerobic digestion technology under programs like the Clean Energy Fund, ensuring that infrastructure built with public funds continues to deliver environmental and energy benefits.
Advances state climate and clean energy goals. by incentivizing renewable bioenergy production, which displaces fossil fuel use and aids New York in meeting its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Increase Farm Waste Power Credit
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to energy
- Referred to energy
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.
Raise Credit for Farm Energy
In Senate Committee · Energy And Telecommunications · Sponsor Pamela Helming
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2283
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 22, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. WOERNER -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. JONES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Energy
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to setting the rate of credit per kilowatt hour for farm waste generating equipment customer-generators, which includes the anaerobic digestion of agricultural waste
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Legislative Intent. It is the intent of this Legislature to support the ongoing financial viability of farm waste generating equipment customer-generators--more commonly known as anaerobic digesters--in New York state. Anaerobic digesters located on New York dairy farms create critical environmental attributes including, but not limited to, reducing methane gas releases and abating nutrient contamination of nearby water sources. The Legislature also recognizes that legacy anaerobic digesters are not financially viable under the current compensation methodology; as such, legacy anaerobic digesters are at risk of closure. Any closures would undo the significant financial investment made by the state of New York to install anaerobic digesters under the Clean Energy Fund program. Closures would also put New York behind on meeting greenhouse gas emission reduction goals as set forth under the State Energy Plan, and behind on developing a clean, distributed grid. While the New York state Public Service Commission has initiated a proceeding to transition to a compensation methodology based on the value of distributed energy resources, the implementation of the new methodology will not address the immediate financial need of existing, or legacy, anaerobic digesters, or new digesters installed prior to the finalization of a meaningful value stack methodology that includes environmental values attributed to the avoided use of electricity generated by fossil fuels and the reduction of on-site greenhouse gas emissions.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01249-01-9
A. 2283 2
The Legislature hereby determines that the public interest requires an increase in the rate of compensation for customer-generators operating legacy anaerobic digesters, and new digesters installed prior to the finalization of a meaningful value stack methodology, which will apply to credit calculations for the customer-generators' bills following implementation of this legislation.
§ 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 4 of section 66-j of the public service law, as amended by chapter 494 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
(b) In the event that the amount of electricity produced by a customer-generator during the billing period exceeds the amount of electricity used by the customer-generator, the corporation shall apply a credit to the next bill for service to the customer-generator for the net electricity provided at the same rate per kilowatt hour applicable to service provided to other customers in the same service class which do not generate electricity onsite, except for micro-combined heat and power or fuel cell customer-generators [or farm waste generating equipment customer-generators as described in subparagraph (ix) of paragraph (a) of subdivision one of this section], who will be credited at the corporation's avoided costs; provided, however, that in the case of farm waste generating equipment customer-generators, the corporation shall apply a credit to the next bill at a rate of no less than twelve cents per kilowatt hour. The avoided cost credit provided to micro-combined heat and power or fuel cell customer-generators [or farm waste generating equipment customer-generators as described in subparagraph (ix) of paragraph (a) of subdivision one of this section] shall be treated for ratemaking purposes as a purchase of electricity in the market that is includable in commodity costs.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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.