NYS budget: expansion of green initiatives

by: Sarah Darmanjian

Posted: Apr 3, 2020 / 04:03 PM EDT / Updated: Apr 7, 2020 / 01:30 PM EDT

A rooftop is covered with solar panels at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, in New York. ConEdison Solutions installed 3,152 solar panels on the roof of Building 293 in 2016. The new panels will generate 1.1 million kilowatt hours of energy per year, according to the mayor’s office. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority provided more than $600,000 in incentives for the project. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)- The 2021 New York budget includes multiple avenues to encourage Green initiatives throughout the state. It includes a ban on Styrofoam and legislation for the use of e-bike and e-scooters.

Styrofoam including single-use food containers and packing peanuts will be banned beginning Jan. 1, 2022.

The state also wants to speed up renewable energy projects and renewable transmission delivery. The legislation creates a new Office of Renewable Energy Permitting to assist in approving large-scale renewable energy projects.

A “Green Jobs Tax Credit” will be made available to employers who create green economy positions and a “Green Investment Tax Credit” for qualifying green economy projects. Credits will also be available for company investments in research and qualifying green economy projects. All credits will be dispersed on a discretionary basis.