Bill Text: NY A00974 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Prohibits the idling of certain railroad engines in the state; defines railroad; prohibits a railroad engine to idle for longer than ten minutes while parking, standing or stopping within five hundred feet of a residential property; authorizes the department of transportation to impose a fine for a violation and post signs; directs the department of environmental conservation to regulate train emissions.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-06 - referred to transportation [A00974 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A00974-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                          974
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                    January 8, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M. of A. MILLER -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. MARKEY
         -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
       AN ACT to amend the transportation law, in relation to  authorizing  the
         department  of transportation to prohibit idling railroads in the city
         of New York; and to  amend  the  environmental  conservation  law,  in
         relation to railroad emissions regulations
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. The transportation law is amended by adding a  new  section
    2  14-n to read as follows:
    3    S  14-N.  ADDITIONAL  PURPOSES  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT;  IDLING  RAILROAD
    4  ENGINES. 1. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE TERM "RAILROAD"  SHALL
    5  MEAN  A  PRIVATE  OR  PUBLIC  RAILROAD  OPERATING IN THIS STATE CARRYING
    6  EITHER FREIGHT, PASSENGERS OR FREIGHT  AND  PASSENGERS,  BUT  SHALL  NOT
    7  INCLUDE ANY RAILROAD OPERATED BY THE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHOR-
    8  ITY OR ANY OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES.
    9    2.  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROHIBIT A RAILROAD ENGINE TO IDLE FOR LONGER
   10  THAN TEN MINUTES WHILE PARKING, STANDING, OR STOPPING WHEN  WITHIN  FIVE
   11  HUNDRED FEET OF ANY RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY.
   12    3.  THE  PROVISIONS OF SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY
   13  WHEN THE RAILROAD ENGINE IS PARKING, STOPPING OR STANDING IN A MUNICIPAL
   14  PARKING LOT.
   15    4. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL POST SIGNS RELATING TO PROHIBITED IDLING WHERE
   16  PRACTICABLE AND INCLUDE THE MAXIMUM PENALTY THAT MAY BE  IMPOSED  FOR  A
   17  VIOLATION OF SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION. SUCH SIGNS SHALL BE POSTED
   18  AT  OTHER  APPROPRIATE  LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE STATE, AS DETERMINED BY
   19  THE DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED  TO,  LOCATIONS  FOR  WHICH  A
   20  MUNICIPALITY RECEIVES A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS OF IDLING RAIL-
   21  ROAD ENGINES.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD02719-01-5
       A. 974                              2
    1    5.  IN  ANY  PROCEEDING RELATING TO A VIOLATION OF THE RESTRICTIONS ON
    2  IDLING IT SHALL NOT BE A DEFENSE THAT A SIGN REQUIRED  BY  THIS  SECTION
    3  WAS ABSENT AT THE TIME OF THE VIOLATION.
    4    S  2.  The  environmental  conservation law is amended by adding a new
    5  section 19-0308 to read as follows:
    6  S 19-0308. RAILROAD EMISSIONS REGULATIONS.
    7    ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER FIRST, TWO THOUSAND FIFTEEN, THE  COMMISSIONER,
    8  IN CONSULTATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, SHALL ADOPT RULES
    9  AND  REGULATIONS  SETTING FORTH ACCEPTABLE EMISSIONS STANDARDS FOR RAIL-
   10  ROAD TRAINS OPERATING IN THIS STATE AS WELL AS  A  TIMETABLE  FOR  WHICH
   11  SUCH  RAILROAD  TRAINS  SHALL  BE  REQUIRED TO MEET SUCH STANDARDS. SUCH
   12  REGULATIONS SHALL APPLY TO EVERY RAILROAD TRAIN OPERATING IN THIS STATE.
   13  THE COMMISSIONER SHALL REVIEW AND REVISE SUCH REGULATIONS ANNUALLY AS HE
   14  OR SHE DEEMS NECESSARY.
   15    S 3. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
   16  have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
   17  repeal  of  any  rule  or regulation necessary for the implementation of
   18  this act on its effective date is authorized and directed to be made and
   19  completed on or before such effective date.