Bill Text: NY A03194 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Relates to prohibiting the sale or manufacture of single-use plastic water bottles not comprised of one hundred percent recycled material; establishes penalties for violations; requires food service establishments to provide customers with tap water in reusable beverage containers provided by a customer.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to environmental conservation [A03194 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A03194-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          3194

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 22, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M. of A. FAHY, ENGLEBRIGHT, GLICK, STECK, BARRETT, SIMON
          -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental  Conserva-
          tion

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  environmental  conservation law, in relation to
          prohibiting the  sale  or  manufacture  of  single-use  plastic  water
          bottles comprised of less than one hundred percent recycled materials;
          and  to  amend  the  public  health law, in relation to requiring food
          service establishments to provide tap water to customers  in  reusable
          beverage containers, upon request

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Article 27 of the environmental conservation law is amended
     2  by adding a new title 32 to read as follows:
     3                                  TITLE 32
     4                            PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES
     5  Section 27-3201. Infrastructure assessment.
     6          27-3203. State funds for single-use plastic water bottles.
     7          27-3205. Single-use  plastic  water  bottles  comprised  of  one
     8                     hundred percent recycled material.
     9          27-3207. Enforcement.
    10  § 27-3201. Infrastructure assessment.
    11    1.  The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of health,
    12  is hereby authorized  and  directed  to  conduct  a  study  relating  to
    13  single-use plastic water bottles, including but not limited to:
    14    (a) the availability and distribution of public drinking water filling
    15  stations and water fountains across the state; and
    16    (b)  the environmental and public health impacts of single-use plastic
    17  bottled  water  in  New  York  state,  including  environmental  justice
    18  impacts.
    19    2.  The  commissioner  shall submit a report including recommendations
    20  and findings based on this study to the governor, the  temporary  presi-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07000-01-1

        A. 3194                             2

     1  dent  of  the  senate, the speaker of the assembly and the chairs of the
     2  senate and assembly standing committees on health and the chairs of  the
     3  senate and assembly standing committees on environmental conservation no
     4  later than one year from the effective date of this section.
     5  § 27-3203. State funds for single-use plastic water bottles.
     6    Beginning one year from the effective date of this section, the use of
     7  state  funds  for the purchase of single-use plastic water bottles shall
     8  be prohibited.  Water bottles, including those comprised  of  less  than
     9  one hundred percent recycled material, may be purchased when:
    10    1.  necessary to address health requirements under the following emer-
    11  gencies:
    12    (a) a state of emergency has been declared;
    13    (b) a boil water advisory has been issued;
    14    (c) access to drinking water is being impeded  due  to  a  failure  of
    15  related  infrastructure  or  an ongoing water infrastructure improvement
    16  project;
    17    (d) a water utility has reported emergency conditions or other  public
    18  health hazards; or
    19    (e)  there  has  been  an exceedance of a maximum contaminant level or
    20  advisory level for a contaminant or an emerging contaminant; and
    21    2. compliance with this title would conflict  with  contract  require-
    22  ments in existence as of the effective date of this title.
    23  § 27-3205. Single-use  plastic  water  bottles  comprised of one hundred
    24               percent recycled material.
    25    1. Beginning four years from the effective date of  this  section,  no
    26  person,  firm,  partnership,  association,  limited liability company or
    27  corporation shall manufacture, sell, or offer for  sale  any  single-use
    28  plastic  water  bottles  to  any  person  in the state unless such water
    29  bottles are comprised of one hundred percent recycled materials.
    30    2. A person, firm, partnership, association, limited liability company
    31  or corporation which manufactures  or  sells  single-use  plastic  water
    32  bottles  may  apply  to  the  department  for a one-year waiver from the
    33  requirements of this section, upon such proof that such person or entity
    34  is unable to comply with the requirements of this  section.  Thereafter,
    35  such person or entity may apply for additional one-year waivers upon the
    36  satisfaction of such similar proof.
    37    3.  The requirements of this section shall be suspended in any county,
    38  city, town or village where:
    39    (a) a state of emergency has been declared;
    40    (b) a boil water advisory has been issued;
    41    (c) access to drinking water is being impeded  due  to  a  failure  of
    42  related  infrastructure  or  an ongoing water infrastructure improvement
    43  project;
    44    (d) a water utility has reported emergency conditions or other  public
    45  health hazards; or
    46    (e)  there  has  been  an exceedance of a maximum contaminant level or
    47  advisory level for a contaminant or an emerging contaminant.
    48  § 27-3207. Enforcement.
    49    Any person or entity who violates section 27-3205 of this title  shall
    50  be  liable  for a civil penalty in the amount of one hundred dollars for
    51  the first violation,  two  hundred  dollars  for  the  second  violation
    52  committed  on a different day within a period of twelve months, and four
    53  hundred dollars for the third and each subsequent violation committed on
    54  different days within a period of twelve months, except that the depart-
    55  ment shall not issue a notice of violation, but shall  issue  a  warning
    56  and  provide  information  on  compliance  with  this title, for a first

        A. 3194                             3

     1  violation that occurs prior to ten years from the effective date of this
     2  title.
     3    §  2.  The public health law is amended by adding a new section 1352-f
     4  to read as follows:
     5    § 1352-f. Provision of tap water to customers. 1. For purposes of this
     6  section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
     7    (a) "food service establishment" shall mean a public place engaged  in
     8  the  preparation  and service on the premises of food and to the general
     9  public.
    10    (b) "reusable beverage container" shall mean a  bottle,  mug,  cup  or
    11  other  container that is designed and manufactured to hold beverages and
    12  is capable of multiple reuse.
    13    2. All food service establishments in the state shall serve tap  water
    14  to customers, upon request, in a reusable beverage container provided by
    15  the customer; provided that:
    16    (a) such reusable beverage container is capable of and appropriate for
    17  serving  such  tap  water, as determined based on the size, cleanliness,
    18  material, and any other  relevant  factors,  of  the  reusable  beverage
    19  container; and
    20    (b)  such  tap  water  shall  be  dispensed  in a manner that prevents
    21  contact with, or contamination of,  the  food-contact  surfaces  of  the
    22  beverage dispensing equipment.
    23    §  3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
    24  law.
feedback