The Governor Kathy signed a legislative package of bills designed to strengthen New York’s commitment to clean energy development and energy efficiency, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Advanced Building Codes (A.10439/S.9405) – Requires the New York State Energy Conservation Construction Code to be updated to achieve energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reductions in support of the Climate Act. Additionally, this legislation authorizes the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), in consultation with the Department of State, to adopt efficiency standards for appliances and equipment that reduce energy usage.

The legislation also authorizes the Governor to designate the President of NYSERDA and the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation as members of the State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council (Codes Council), to align the work of the Climate Action Council with the Codes Council to achieve the goals of the Climate Act through advances in the building energy code.

Utility Thermal Energy Network and Jobs Act (A.10493/S.9422) – Allows utilities to own, operate, and manage thermal energy networks, as well as supply distributed thermal energy, with PSC oversight. By leveraging multiple sources of existing waste heat (such as water, wastewater, and geothermal, among others) and connecting a diverse set of building types on a shared loop, thermal energy networks can provide operating and energy cost savings when compared to more traditional heating and cooling methods, while also reducing demand on the electric grid.

The bill directs the PSC to initiate a proceeding to support the development of thermal energy networks for the purpose of meeting the greenhouse gas emissions and equity goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The commission is required to consider the various ownership, market, and rate structures for thermal energy networks and whether the provision of thermal energy services by gas and/or electric utilities is in the public interest. The bill sets a process by which the seven largest utility corporations are required to propose thermal energy network pilot projects for the PSC to consider for approval.

Prevailing Wage for Renewable Energy Projects (A.9598/S.8648) – Requires prevailing wage for renewable energy projects one megawatt and larger that involve the procurement of renewable energy credits from a public entity. Previously, the prevailing wage for renewable projects was only required for projects that were greater than five megawatts.

The Governor said:

Governor Announces First Nominations for New Ethics Panel

The Governor announced two of the Executive Chamber’s three nominees to the Commission on Ethics in Lobbying and Government. In accordance with the Independent Review Committee’s procedures adopted in June, the public will have seven business days to comment on the nominees and then be presented to the Independent Review Committee of New York’s law school deans for review and approval or denial to serve on the Commission.

Michael A. Cardozo – Mr. Cardozo is a former New York City Corporation Counsel and currently is Litigation Partner at Proskauer. As New York City’s longest-tenured Corporation Counsel, Mr. Cardozo led the City’s 700-lawyer law department from 2002 through 2013, serving as legal counsel to the Mayor, the City and all its agencies. He has leadership roles on the boards of many civic organizations including Citizens Union, the Fund for Modern Courts and the Advisory Board of Legal Outreach; he was also appointed by the New York State Chief Judge to chair the New York State Commission on Legislative, Judicial and Executive Compensation.

Frederick A. Davie – Mr. Davie currently serves Senior Strategic Advisor to the President at Union Theological Seminary and holds several external leadership roles related to public policy and social issues, including with the Racial Justice/Charter Reform Commission of the City of New York, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board. Previously, Mr. Davie served in the nonprofit sector at Public/Private Ventures and the Ford Foundation. He also has experience in municipal government as Deputy Borough President of Manhattan, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Community and Public Affairs, and Chief of Staff to the President of the NYC Board of Education.

Governor Hochul said:

Governor Announces the Opening of Restore New York Application Period

The Governor announced that the Restore New York grant program will open for applications on July 11. This $250 million program encourages community development and neighborhood growth through the elimination and redevelopment of blighted structures. Restore New York is open to municipalities to support projects that focus on demolishing, rehabilitating and restoring residential, commercial and mixed-use buildings. Grants will be awarded in two rounds this year, with $100 million available in the first round and $150 million available in round two.

Funding can be used for vacant, abandoned, condemned or surplus buildings and these properties can be demolished, deconstructed, rehabilitated or reconstructed. Emphasis will be placed on projects in economically distressed communities, projects that leverage other state or federal redevelopment funds and the project’s feasibility and readiness. Eligible applicants include counties, cities, towns, and villages within New York State based on the following criteria:

• Cities over 100,000 in population may apply for up to $5 million for one project. However, cities of over 1 million in population and counties therein must apply for projects in a distressed area of the city
• Cities and villages with populations between 40,000 and 99,999 may apply for one project up to $3 million
• All other municipalities may apply for one project up to $2 million

An intent to apply form must be received by ESD by August 11th, 2022. For more detailed information on the program and requirements visit https://esd.ny.gov/restore-new-york . The RFP and full guidelines will be available on July 11.

Governor Announces Open Applications for Child Care Provider Grants

The Governor announced that applications will be accepted for $343 million in federal funding that will directly benefit child care providers and continue to help stabilize the industry. The New York State Office of Children and Family Services is administering the funds.

Eligible providers must be OCFS-licensed or -registered child care programs, New York City- permitted group day cares or enrolled legally exempt group child care programs (enrolled with an enrollment agency). There will be two application windows depending on the provider type: July 5 for those who received the first round of Stabilization Grants and August 22 for all school-age child care programs and new providers who were licensed after the first round of Stabilization Grants were launched.

To support the child care workforce and to assist with recruitment and retention efforts, at least 75% of this funding must be used for the below, among additional items:

• Bonuses or increases in wages
• Contributions towards health insurance costs that reduce these costs for staff
• Contributions to staff retirement plans that supplement any employer contribution
• Supplemental educational advancement or tuition reimbursement
• Mental health supports and services for staff

The remaining 25% can be used on other eligible expenses. More information on the grant can be found here.

Governor Hochul said: