In late July, the two houses of the New York legislature passed a number of environmental bills covering a wide range of topics.
These included a bill to add protected status for streams that support fisheries and non-contact recreation. A second bill bans the use of PFAS in food packaging. A third bill classifies all wastes resulting from oil and gas exploration, development, extraction or production as hazardous waste, closing a previous loophole in the law.
A fourth bill requires water works corporations with more than 1,000 service connections to post their annual water supply statements online, thereby providing transparency and openness to water quality data. A fifth bill expands protections for endangered species to protect them from environmental rollbacks by the federal government.
A sixth bill prohibits non-electric vehicles from parking in spaces designated for electric vehicle charging, thereby establishing penalties for this practice that is often done for spite. A seventh bill bans the use of glyphosate – the herbicide found in Roundup and other products – on state property.
An eighth bill reduces the use of road salt in the Adirondacks. A ninth bill requires supermarkets to make good faith efforts to donate edible excess food to qualifying entities such as food pantries, food banks, or similar entities. A tenth bill bans certain uses of trichloroethylene or TCE, including as a vapor degreaser, an intermediate chemical to produce other chemicals, a refrigerant, or an extraction solvent.
When signed by the governor, these ten pieces of legislation will help protect New York’s environment, water, and health. It was a busy session for green legislation.
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Several Green Bills Pass in State Legislature
Photo, posted September 12, 2018, courtesy of Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
