N.Y. Public Authorities Law § 1912: Powers and duties

* § 1912. Powers and duties. The authority is hereby authorized and

directed to undertake such actions it deems necessary or convenient to

establish, augment, or expand existing renewable energy outreach and

community planning programs to provide information, resources and

technical assistance to support the siting, development, and acceptance

of renewable energy technologies, including:

1. Developing and enhancing a community education and engagement

program to inform New Yorkers about the climate crisis and the benefits

of shifting to a clean energy economy and conducting outreach, providing

information and education, and building consensus on the environmental

and local benefits of renewable energy technologies. Such strategic

education and outreach shall include:

(a) Effective communication, engagement and public outreach to

communities, including disadvantaged communities, to provide education

and information on maximizing the benefits that renewable energy

technologies can provide while demonstrating strategies and solutions

that are available to ensure that community benefits are meaningful and

negative impacts are avoided, reduced, or mitigated;

(b) Comprehensive education and outreach to local governments that may

host renewable energy technologies to provide objective information

about the impacts of renewable energy development and mitigation

opportunities; and

(c) Facilitation of forums for communities, regions, renewable energy

developers, and other stakeholders to exchange information and ensure

that all have access to the factual information necessary to support the

appropriate siting of facilities and acceptance of renewable energy

technologies.

2. Collaborating with community stakeholders, the agriculture and

forestry sectors, and the renewable energy industry to develop,

facilitate, and provide centralized access to renewable energy planning

resources and assistance for local governments. Such resources shall

include publicly available data resources, including a mapping tool,

related to renewable energy development to help municipal

representatives and local communities make informed land use decisions

and communicate local priorities to developers.

(a) The renewable energy development data resources, including a

mapping tool, shall be available on the authority's website and shall

provide sufficient information and guidance to allow communities to

undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the potential for renewable

energy development and to plan proactively for deployment that maximizes

local benefit and avoids, reduces, or mitigates negative impact on lands

with agricultural soils, farming, forests, and other competing uses.

(b) The renewable energy development data resources may use publicly

available information and shall be designed to facilitate participation

by local governments, renewable energy developers and other stakeholders

in existing renewable energy siting and planning processes.

(c) The renewable energy development data resources shall provide, to

the extent available information on agricultural, environmental, energy

system and other resources relevant to renewable energy technology

siting, such as: land use cover data; disadvantaged communities;

brownfields; previously disturbed and developed sites such as large

rooftops, parking lots, landfills, etc.; agricultural soils and

agricultural districts; forests; wetlands, floodplains, and waterbodies;

historic, cultural, and archaeological resources; public parks,

preserves and recreational resources; conserved and protected lands;

hosting capacity; distribution, and transmission lines; and topography

as relevant to siting renewable energy technology.

3. Providing technical assistance and training to local governments

and other stakeholders on the use of such information and resources,

including the renewable energy development data resources.

4. Consulting, collaborating with, and/or procuring the services of

service providers, including, but not limited to: regional planning

associations, non-profits, and community-based organizations, to conduct

outreach and education about renewable energy benefits, develop new

renewable energy planning tools and resources, including renewable

energy development data resources, and to provide technical assistance

and training to municipalities to support the authority's

responsibilities under this section.

5. Managing, allocating, and spending any monies made available to the

authority in furtherance of this title as the authority determines to be

appropriate for the proper administration of the program created

pursuant to this title.

6. Requesting and receiving the assistance of the departments or any

other state agency or authority, within their respective relevant

subject matter expertise, to support the administration of the program

created pursuant to this title.

* NB Repealed December 31, 2031