Senate Bill S1951

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Creates a religious exemption to the ban on fossil fuel equipment and systems

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Energy And Telecommunications Committee

  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2025-S1951 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Energy And Telecommunications
Law Section:
Energy Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §11-104, Energy L; amd §378, Exec L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:
S7653

2025-S1951 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides an exemption for the purposes of allowing the installation and use of fossil-fuel equipment and building systems where such are installed and used in a building or part of a building that is owned or occupied by a person who holds genuine and sincere religious beliefs and whose health and safety will be jeopardized due to the prohibition of the installation of fossil-fuel equipment and building systems because of such genuine and sincere religious beliefs.

2025-S1951 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S1951 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1951
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 14, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  WEBER,  MATTERA, RHOADS -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Energy
   and Telecommunications
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the energy law and the executive law, in relation to
   creating a religious exemption to the ban on fossil fuel equipment and
   systems

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Paragraph  (b)  of subdivision 7 of section 11-104 of the
 energy law, as added by section 1 of part RR of chapter 56 of  the  laws
 of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
   (b) In addition, in effectuating the provisions set forth in paragraph
 (b) of subdivision six of this section the code shall include exemptions
 for  the  purposes  of  allowing the installation and use of fossil-fuel
 equipment and building systems where such are installed and used:
   (i) for generation  of  emergency  back-up  power  and  standby  power
 systems;
   (ii) in a manufactured home as defined in subdivision seven of section
 six hundred one of the executive law; [or]
   (iii)  in  a building or part of a building that is used as a manufac-
 turing facility, commercial food establishment,  laboratory,  car  wash,
 laundromat,  hospital,  other medical facility, critical infrastructure,
 including but not limited to emergency management facilities, wastewater
 treatment facilities, and water treatment and pumping facilities,  agri-
 cultural  building,  fuel cell system, or crematorium, as such terms are
 defined by the code council; OR
   (IV) IN A BUILDING OR PART OF A BUILDING THAT IS OWNED OR OCCUPIED  BY
 A  PERSON  WHO  HOLDS  GENUINE  AND  SINCERE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND WHOSE
 HEALTH AND SAFETY WILL BE JEOPARDIZED DUE  TO  THE  PROHIBITION  OF  THE
 INSTALLATION  OF  FOSSIL-FUEL  EQUIPMENT AND BUILDING SYSTEMS BECAUSE OF
 SUCH GENUINE AND SINCERE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03479-01-5

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