* § 1912. Powers and duties. The authority is hereby authorized and
directed to undertake such actions it deems necessary or convenient to
establish, augment, or expand existing renewable energy outreach and
community planning programs to provide information, resources and
technical assistance to support the siting, development, and acceptance
of renewable energy technologies, including:

1. Developing and enhancing a community education and engagement
program to inform New Yorkers about the climate crisis and the benefits
of shifting to a clean energy economy and conducting outreach, providing
information and education, and building consensus on the environmental
and local benefits of renewable energy technologies. Such strategic
education and outreach shall include:

(a) Effective communication, engagement and public outreach to
communities, including disadvantaged communities, to provide education
and information on maximizing the benefits that renewable energy
technologies can provide while demonstrating strategies and solutions
that are available to ensure that community benefits are meaningful and
negative impacts are avoided, reduced, or mitigated;

(b) Comprehensive education and outreach to local governments that may
host renewable energy technologies to provide objective information
about the impacts of renewable energy development and mitigation
opportunities; and

(c) Facilitation of forums for communities, regions, renewable energy
developers, and other stakeholders to exchange information and ensure
that all have access to the factual information necessary to support the
appropriate siting of facilities and acceptance of renewable energy
technologies.

2. Collaborating with community stakeholders, the agriculture and
forestry sectors, and the renewable energy industry to develop,
facilitate, and provide centralized access to renewable energy planning
resources and assistance for local governments. Such resources shall
include publicly available data resources, including a mapping tool,
related to renewable energy development to help municipal
representatives and local communities make informed land use decisions
and communicate local priorities to developers.

(a) The renewable energy development data resources, including a
mapping tool, shall be available on the authority's website and shall
provide sufficient information and guidance to allow communities to
undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the potential for renewable
energy development and to plan proactively for deployment that maximizes
local benefit and avoids, reduces, or mitigates negative impact on lands
with agricultural soils, farming, forests, and other competing uses.

(b) The renewable energy development data resources may use publicly
available information and shall be designed to facilitate participation
by local governments, renewable energy developers and other stakeholders
in existing renewable energy siting and planning processes.

(c) The renewable energy development data resources shall provide, to
the extent available information on agricultural, environmental, energy
system and other resources relevant to renewable energy technology
siting, such as: land use cover data; disadvantaged communities;
brownfields; previously disturbed and developed sites such as large
rooftops, parking lots, landfills, etc.; agricultural soils and
agricultural districts; forests; wetlands, floodplains, and waterbodies;
historic, cultural, and archaeological resources; public parks,
preserves and recreational resources; conserved and protected lands;
hosting capacity; distribution, and transmission lines; and topography
as relevant to siting renewable energy technology.

3. Providing technical assistance and training to local governments
and other stakeholders on the use of such information and resources,
including the renewable energy development data resources.

4. Consulting, collaborating with, and/or procuring the services of
service providers, including, but not limited to: regional planning
associations, non-profits, and community-based organizations, to conduct
outreach and education about renewable energy benefits, develop new
renewable energy planning tools and resources, including renewable
energy development data resources, and to provide technical assistance
and training to municipalities to support the authority's
responsibilities under this section.

5. Managing, allocating, and spending any monies made available to the
authority in furtherance of this title as the authority determines to be
appropriate for the proper administration of the program created
pursuant to this title.

6. Requesting and receiving the assistance of the departments or any
other state agency or authority, within their respective relevant
subject matter expertise, to support the administration of the program
created pursuant to this title.

* NB Repealed December 31, 2031