What's happening
This bill expands net metering to include waste-fueled electric generating equipment at municipal landfills and publicly owned treatment works.
Why it matters
Encourages renewable energy production from waste. By allowing waste-fueled electric generation at municipal landfills and treatment works to qualify for net metering, the bill incentivizes the capture and conversion of biogas—reducing methane emissions and generating clean electricity from materials that would otherwise contribute to pollution.
Financial benefits for municipalities. Municipal governments (and their public-private partners) can offset their energy costs by generating electricity from local waste sources and receiving credits through net metering, potentially lowering utility expenses for public services and freeing up resources for other community needs.
Promotes investment in waste-to-energy infrastructure. Explicitly including these facilities and technologies in net metering eligibility could drive new investments in biogas recovery systems and related equipment, which may create local jobs and foster innovation in managing municipal waste.
Aligns environmental and economic objectives. The bill supports state goals for greenhouse gas reduction and waste diversion by making it more attractive for municipalities to recover energy from waste streams, thus tying together environmental stewardship and fiscal responsibility.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Expand Net Metering Landfills
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
22
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to net metering standards for municipal landfills and waste water treatment facilities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The section heading of section 66-j of the public service law, as amended by chapter 546 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
Net energy metering for residential solar, farm waste, non-residential solar electric generating systems, micro-combined heat and power generating equipment, fuel cell electric generating equipment, [and] microhydroelectric generating equipment and waste fueled electric generating equipment at municipal landfills and publicly owned treatment works.
§ 2. Subdivision 1 of section 66-j of the public service law is amended by adding three new paragraphs (i), (j) and (k) to read as follows:
(i) "Landfill" means a disposal facility or part of a facility where solid waste, as defined in 6 NYCRR 360-1.2(a)(1), is placed in or on land, and which is not a land treatment facility, a surface impoundment, or an injection well, which is owned or operated by a municipal government or by a public private partnership established under section one hundred twenty-w of the general municipal law.
(j) "Publicly owned treatment works" means a facility for the purpose of treating, neutralizing or stabilizing sewage, including treatment or disposal plants, the necessary intercepting, outfall and outlet sewers, pumping stations integral to such plants or sewers, equipment and furnishings thereof and their appurtenances which is owned or operated
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05542-01-9
S. 22 2
by a municipal government or by a public private partnership established under section one hundred twenty of the general municipal law.
(k) "Waste fueled electric generating equipment" means equipment that generates electric energy from biogas produced by the anaerobic digestion of: waste, refuse, household or mixed municipal solid waste in a landfill gas recovery facility, as defined in 6 NYCRR 360-1.2(b)(96), wastewater, sludge, as defined in 6 NYCRR 360-1.2(b)(155), and domestic sewage, as defined in 6 NYCRR 360-1.2(b)(53), that is:
(i) manufactured, installed, and operated in accordance with applicable government and industry standards;
(ii) connected to the electric system and operated in conjunction with an electric corporation's transmission and distribution facilities;
(iii) operated in compliance with any standards and requirements established under this section;
(iv) fueled at a minimum of ninety percent on an annual basis by biogas produced from the anaerobic digestion of household or mixed municipal solid waste, sludge, wastewater, domestic sewage, agricultural waste such as livestock manure materials, crop residues, and food processing waste;
(v) owned and operated by a municipal government or by a public private partnership established under section one hundred twenty-w of the general municipal law.
§ 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 public service law, in relation to net metering standards for municipal landfills and waste water treatment facilities
Purpose
To allow municipal landfills and water treatment facilities the option of offsetting their energy costs by producing their own energy and feed- ing it back into the grid.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends § 66-j of the public services law by adding the phrase "landfills and publicly owned treatment works to the net metering law.
Section 2 amends § 66-j of the public services law by adding a new subdivision (i), which provides the definition of a landfill. amends 66-j of the public services law by adding a new subdivision (j) which provides the definition of publicly owned treatment works. amends § 66-j of the public services law by adding a new subdivision (k) which provides the definition of waist fueled electric generating equipment.
Section 3 sets forth the effective date.
Justification
This bill broadens net metering law in New York State to include energy generated at county or municipal landfills and water treatment facili- ties as electricity power companies must purchase back upon the county or municipalities request. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), forty-four states have implemented net-metering policies. This reflects a national trend in which states see the value of net-metering is an economically viable and environmentally sound principle.
In the case of this bill, counties and municipalities will save money by producing their own energy that is sent back into the energy grid. Landfills and water treatment facilities will be able to trap the meth- ane gas released from waste and convert it to a renewable energy source. In addition, energy produced by utility companies will no longer have to be exported to other states. Net metering allows for the same energy to circulate within local power grids, as utilities no longer have to produce an excess in order to avoid losing money.
The use of solar panels on the rooftops of residential homes is current- ly the most common form of net metering. Governor Cuomo's one billion dollar "NY-Sun Incentive Program" in 2014 has also encouraged businesses to invest in solar energy, which may be eligible for net-metering. By expanding the definition of net metering, counties and municipalities will be given the same opportunity to reduce energy costs that residen- tial and commercial facilities have already been given.
Legislative history
05/05/16 PASSED SENATE 01/06/17 REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS 01/03/18 -REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.