NY A03117

Amends executive law to require uniform standards and conditions for major renewable energy facilities to avoid, minimize, and mitigate agricultural impacts to active agricultural lands to the maximum extent practicable.

Requires the Office of Renewable Energy Siting to consult with the Department of Agriculture and Markets to ensure a critical mass of farmland within designated regions is not threatened and that solar development does not greatly hinder New York's farmland or food security.

Establishes new rules and regulations requiring applicants to submit reports on impacts to prime agricultural land and prime soils, cumulative impact studies on regional food economies, and decommissioning plans with surety bonds for projects on agricultural land.

Mandates a one percent farmland conservation fee on the price per acre of prime soil or prime farmland used for solar development, deposited into the farmland preservation fund subaccount.

Grants expedited approval for solar development on brownfields, landfills, parking lots, rooftops, gravel pits, and other sites with minimal ecosystem disturbance; requires reevaluation of agricultural protections two years after enactment.