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Senate Bill S8694

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Requires the metropolitan transportation authority to install solar canopies on its parking facilities

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

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2025-S8694 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Transportation
Law Section:
Public Authorities Law
Laws Affected:
Add §1266-n, Pub Auth L

2025-S8694 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the metropolitan transportation authority to install solar canopies on its parking facilities.

2025-S8694 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8694 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8694
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 7, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to requiring the
   metropolitan transportation authority to install solar canopies on its
   parking facilities
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  public  authorities  law  is amended by adding a new
 section 1266-n to read as follows:
   § 1266-N. SOLAR CANOPIES. 1. AS USED IN THIS  SECTION,  THE  FOLLOWING
 TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   (A)  "PARKING  FACILITY" SHALL MEAN A PARKING GARAGE, OPEN PARKING LOT
 OR OTHER PARKING FACILITY OWNED AND/OR OPERATED BY THE  AUTHORITY,  THAT
 OFFERS  PARKING  SPACES  FOR  THE  PURPOSES OF PUBLIC USE, EMPLOYEE USE,
 AND/OR PAY-PER-USAGE.
   (B) "SOLAR CANOPY" SHALL MEAN A SYSTEM DESIGNED TO CAPTURE SOLAR RADI-
 ATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRODUCING USABLE ENERGY.
   2. THE AUTHORITY SHALL CALCULATE, IN A MANNER DEVELOPED BY THE AUTHOR-
 ITY, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF SQUARE KILOMETERS OCCUPIED BY  PARKING  FACILI-
 TIES SUITABLE FOR SOLAR CANOPY DEVELOPMENT WITHIN ONE YEAR OF THE EFFEC-
 TIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION.
   3.  THE AUTHORITY SHALL UTILIZE THE DATA CALCULATED PURSUANT TO SUBDI-
 VISION TWO OF THIS SECTION TO CREATE A DISTRIBUTED SOLAR ENERGY GOAL  TO
 USE NO LESS THAN SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF ELIGIBLE PARKING FACILITY SPACE
 AUTHORITY-WIDE FOR SOLAR CANOPIES BY TWO THOUSAND FORTY.
   4.  BEGINNING  ONE  YEAR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, ANY
 CONSTRUCTION PROJECT UNDERTAKEN BY THE AUTHORITY WHERE THE SCOPE OF SUCH
 PROJECT INCLUDES A PARKING GARAGE, OPEN PARKING  LOT  OR  OTHER  PARKING
 FACILITY  THAT  OFFERS  PARKING  SPACES  FOR THE PURPOSES OF PUBLIC USE,
 EMPLOYEE USE OR PAY-PER-USAGE OR INCLUDES A PARKING GARAGE, OPEN PARKING
 LOT OR OTHER PARKING FACILITY CONSTRUCTED  BY  A  PRIVATE  ENTITY  USING
 STATE  CAPITAL  FUNDING SHALL INSTALL SOLAR CANOPIES IN SUCH FACILITIES,
 UNLESS THE AUTHORITY HAS ALREADY REACHED THE SEVENTY-FIVE  PERCENT  GOAL
 ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION THREE OF THIS SECTION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
              

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