S4408 • 2025

Relates to agreements and easements related to renewable energy interconnection across reforestation areas

Energy

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Rachel May
Last action: 2026-06-05
Official status: In Senate Committee
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Relates to agreements and easements related to renewable energy interconnection across reforestation areas

Relates to agreements and easements related to renewable energy interconnection across reforestation areas Authorizes the department of environmental conservation to enter into agreements or easements for the sole purpose of interconnection of renewable energy installations across reforestation areas where such installations are located outside such reforestation areas; provides that such agreements or easements shall not interfere with the operation of such reforestation areas for the purposes for which they were acquired.

What This Bill Does

Relates to agreements and easements related to renewable energy interconnection across reforestation areas Authorizes the department of environmental conservation to enter into agreements or easements for the sole purpose of interconnection of renewable energy installations across reforestation areas where such installations are located outside such reforestation areas; provides that such agreements or easements shall not interfere with the operation of such reforestation areas for the purposes for which they were acquired.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-06-05 Senate
COMMITTED TO RULES
2026-04-01 Senate
RECALLED FROM ASSEMBLY
2026-04-01 Assembly
RETURNED TO SENATE
2026-04-01 Senate
VOTE RECONSIDERED - RESTORED TO THIRD READING
2026-04-01 Senate
AMENDED ON THIRD READING (T) 4408A
2026-02-26 Senate
PASSED SENATE
2026-02-26 Senate
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
2026-02-26 Assembly
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
2026-02-09 Senate
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
2026-02-05 Senate
2ND REPORT CAL.
2026-02-04 Senate
1ST REPORT CAL.261
2026-01-07 Assembly
DIED IN ASSEMBLY
2026-01-07 Assembly
RETURNED TO SENATE
2026-01-07 Senate
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
2025-06-11 Senate
PASSED SENATE
2025-06-11 Senate
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
2025-06-11 Assembly
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
2025-05-01 Senate
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
2025-04-30 Senate
2ND REPORT CAL.
2025-04-29 Senate
1ST REPORT CAL.769
2025-02-04 Senate
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Official Summary Text

Relates to agreements and easements related to renewable energy interconnection across reforestation areas
Authorizes the department of environmental conservation to enter into agreements or easements for the sole purpose of interconnection of renewable energy installations across reforestation areas where such installations are located outside such reforestation areas; provides that such agreements or easements shall not interfere with the operation of such reforestation areas for the purposes for which they were acquired.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4408

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                                    I N  S E N A T E

                                    February 4, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  MAY  --  read  twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation

        AN ACT to amend the  environmental  conservation  law,  in  relation  to
          agreements  related to renewable energy development rights on refores-
          tation areas

          THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
        BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

     1    Section  1.  The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a
     2  new section 9-0508 to read as follows:
     3  § 9-0508. AGREEMENTS RELATED TO RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT  RIGHTS  ON
     4              REFORESTATION AREAS.
     5    NOTWITHSTANDING  ANY  PROVISIONS  OF ARTICLE SEVEN OF THE PUBLIC LANDS
     6  LAW TO THE CONTRARY, THE DEPARTMENT MAY, IN ANY LANDS  ACQUIRED  BY  THE
     7  STATE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 9-0501 OF THIS TITLE, ENTER INTO AGREE-
     8  MENTS,  SUCH  AS  LEASES  OR EASEMENTS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF AIDING IN THE
     9  SITING AND CONNECTIVITY OF RENEWABLE ENERGY INSTALLATIONS AND THE TRANS-
    10  MISSION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRICITY  THEREFROM.  SUCH  INSTALLATIONS
    11  SHALL  INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, SOLAR POWER AND WIND POWER, UNDER
    12  SUCH TERMS AS MAY BE PRESCRIBED BY THE DEPARTMENT, AND UPON SUCH  CONDI-
    13  TIONS  THAT  THE  EXERCISE  OF SUCH AGREEMENT RIGHTS SHALL NOT INTERFERE
    14  WITH THE OPERATION OF SUCH REFORESTATION  AREAS  FOR  THE  PURPOSES  FOR
    15  WHICH  THEY  WERE  ACQUIRED  AND  AS DEFINED IN SECTION THREE OF ARTICLE
    16  FOURTEEN OF THE NEW YORK STATE  CONSTITUTION.  ANY  AGREEMENT  MADE  AND
    17  ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION SHALL BE RECORDED IN THE OFFICE OF
    18  GENERAL  SERVICES  AND  BE  MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC ON THE OFFICIAL
    19  WEBSITE OF SUCH OFFICE.
    20    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.


         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08654-01-5