Authority would offer rebates for battery-powered landscaping equipment

The authority awards rebates at the point of sale. Eligible applicants are commercial landscaping businesses and listed public, educational, and nonprofit organizations. Rebates cover new battery-powered lawn care devices bought or leased from a retailer; corded equipment, reel mowers, and tractors that pull other devices are excluded. The program must operate within existing appropriations. The authority sets rebate amounts and decides eligibility under its rules. Funding is capped at what is available for the fiscal year. Applications are handled in the order received, and the authority may lower rebate amounts if funds would otherwise run out early. The program takes effect immediately and expires January 1, 2036.

The authority makes rules, shares program information, tracks available funds, and reports on the program. The duties apply to the authority administering the electric landscaping equipment rebate program. The authority must consult landscaping businesses and equipment retailers while developing its rules. Outreach materials must be available in English and the three most common non-English languages spoken by people with limited English proficiency in New York, as needed to inform potential applicants, manufacturers, and retailers. Rules are due within 270 days after the section takes effect. The first report is due within two years, with annual reports due each January 1 after that.