Bill Text: NY S00944 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires environmental impact statements to consider cumulative effects of an action for projects in communities already experiencing the impact by polluting facilities; defines "cumulative environmental impacts".
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-06 - REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION [S00944 Detail]
Download: New_York-2015-S00944-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 944 2015-2016 Regular Sessions I N S E N A T E January 7, 2015 ___________ Introduced by Sens. AVELLA, MONTGOMERY -- read twice and ordered print- ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to the requirement for an environmental impact statement THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Paragraphs (b) and (f) of subdivision 2 of section 8-0109 2 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 219 of the 3 laws of 1990, are amended and a new paragraph (e-1) is added to read as 4 follows: 5 (b) the environmental impact of the proposed action including short- 6 term [and], long-term AND CUMULATIVE effects; 7 (E-1) AN ANALYSIS OF THE CUMULATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE 8 PROPOSED PROJECT; 9 (f) mitigation measures proposed to minimize the environmental impact, 10 INCLUDING CUMULATIVE EFFECTS; 11 S 2. Section 8-0105 of the environmental conservation law is amended 12 by adding a new subdivision 9 to read as follows: 13 9. "CUMULATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS" MEANS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS THAT 14 MAY OCCUR WHEN A PROPOSED ACTION OR ACTIONS: 15 (I) MAY RESULT IN CHANGES IN TWO OR MORE ELEMENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT; 16 (II) WHEN CONSIDERED TOGETHER WITH ONE OR MORE PENDING OR PROPOSED 17 ACTIONS, MAY RESULT IN CHANGES IN ONE OR MORE COMMON ELEMENTS OF THE 18 ENVIRONMENT; 19 (III) WILL RESULT IN ONE OR MORE OTHER ACTIONS LIKELY TO BE UNDERTAKEN 20 AS A RESULT THEREOF; 21 (IV) IS A PART OF A PROPOSAL OR PLAN THAT INCLUDES OR CONTEMPLATES ONE 22 OR MORE OTHER SIMULTANEOUS OR SUBSEQUENT ACTIONS; 23 (V) IS DEPENDENT UPON APPROVAL OR COMPLETION OF ONE OR MORE OTHER 24 ACTIONS; EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00310-01-5 S. 944 2 1 (VI) IS A PROGRAM OR PLAN HAVING WIDE APPLICATION OR IS A PART THERE- 2 OF; 3 (VII) IS A PLAN, PROGRAM, OR SERIES OF ACTIONS THAT WILL RESTRICT THE 4 RANGE OF FUTURE ALTERNATIVES, POLICIES, OR ACTIONS; 5 (VIII) WHEN CONSIDERED TOGETHER WITH EXISTING OR BACKGROUND LEVELS OF 6 CONTAMINATION OR POLLUTION OR ACTIONS WHICH HAVE HAD AN ADVERSE EFFECT 7 ON THE ENVIRONMENT, MAY RESULT IN COMBINED OR SYNERGISTIC IMPACTS ON THE 8 ENVIRONMENT; OR 9 (IX) A COMBINATION OF ONE OR MORE OF THE ABOVE. 10 CUMULATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS SHALL BE CONSIDERED WITHOUT REGARD TO 11 WHETHER THE ACTION OR ACTIONS ARE PROPOSED BY THE SAME INDIVIDUAL, 12 PERSON, OR AGENCY, OR WHETHER THE ACTION IS PENDING FOR APPROVAL BY ONE 13 OR MORE AGENCIES. 14 S 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day 15 after it shall have become a law; provided, however that effective imme- 16 diately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation 17 necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are 18 authorized and directed to be made and completed on or before such 19 effective date.