New York State Senate Passes Legislation to Strengthen Climate and Environmental Protections

Establishing an Indirect Source Review for Warehouse Operations: This bill, S.1180B, sponsored by Senate Deputy Leader Gianaris, would require qualifying heavy distribution warehouses to obtain a permit ensuring that they reduce hazardous air pollution for local communities, and demonstrating that their operations do not contribute to violations of National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Enacting the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act: This bill, S.9072A, sponsored by Senator Harckham, would protect against greenwashing by requiring businesses with a yearly revenue above $1 billion to annually disclose their direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions.

Prohibiting the Sale of Products Containing PFAS: This bill, S.9073A, sponsored by Senator Harckham, would prohibit and penalize the sale of certain consumer and household products containing PFAS.

Enacting the Emission Tampering Act: This bill, S.9074, sponsored by Senator Harckham, would codify prohibitions against disabling, removing, or interfering with emission control devices, or selling, distributing, or installing emission tampering devices.

Proposing Stricter Lead Contamination Standards: This bill, S.122A, sponsored by Senator Cleare, would direct the Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health to propose stricter standards for lead contamination in air, in soil, on floors, and on windowsills.

Limiting Toxic Air Contaminant Emissions: This bill, S.4030A, sponsored by Senator Fernandez, would direct the Department of Environmental Conservation to establish new ambient air quality standards for certain toxic air contaminants, and fenceline monitoring to ensure those standards are met.

Providing Funding for Municipal Environmental Remediation: This bill, S.672A, sponsored by Senator Hinchey, would allow municipalities to use funding obtained through the Environmental Restoration Program to remediate contaminated drinking water sites, would expand the program to make PFAS contamination eligible for remediation, and would earmark $20 million from the Environmental Bond Act of 1996 for municipal environmental remediation.

Enacting the PFAS Discharge Disclosure Act: This bill, S.4574B, sponsored by Senator May, would require certain industrial dischargers of wastewater likely to contain PFAS and publicly owned wastewater treatment plants to conduct testing for PFAS and report the results.

Ensuring Permits Issued by The DEC Meet Environmental Standards: This bill, S.4513 , sponsored by Senator Ramos, would require applicants for all major permits from the Department of Environmental Conservation to comply with environmental justice community engagement standards and would prevent such permits from being issued until the applicant satisfies those environmental requirements.