Bill Text: NY A04849 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the marine electric propulsion health and environmental impact program to provide education, advocacy and increased awareness of the environmental and health impacts of marine electric propulsion systems.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 9-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to transportation [A04849 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A04849-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4849

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 23, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  PALMESANO,  ANGELINO, BLANKENBUSH, K. BROWN,
          BYRNES, GALLAHAN, J. M. GIGLIO, McDONOUGH,  TAGUE  --  read  once  and
          referred to the Committee on Transportation

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  navigation law, in relation to establishing the
          marine electric propulsion health and environmental impact program

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

     1    Section  1. The navigation law is amended by adding a new section 76-a
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 76-a. Marine electric propulsion  health  and  environmental  impact
     4  program.  1.  For  the purposes of this section "marine electric propul-
     5  sion" shall mean all mechanical, electrical and physical  aspects  of  a
     6  powertrain  consisting  of  an  electric  motor powered by a lithium-ion
     7  battery or bank of batteries, which functions as the primary  propulsion
     8  system of a boat or personal watercraft.
     9    2.  The commissioner, in consultation with the national transportation
    10  safety board, the commissioner of  environmental  conservation  and  the
    11  commissioner  of health, shall establish and implement a marine electric
    12  propulsion environmental and health impact program within the office.
    13    3. Such program shall provide education, advocacy and increased aware-
    14  ness of the environmental and health impacts of marine electric  propul-
    15  sion  systems.  Such environmental and health impacts shall include, but
    16  shall not be limited to:
    17    (a) the release of environmental contaminants from marine-rated lithi-
    18  um-ion battery cells in the event of a loss of  battery  integrity,  and
    19  their environmental and health effects;
    20    (b)  impacts  associated with the decomposition of lithium-ion battery
    21  components, particularly in cases of battery immersion in both salt  and
    22  fresh water;
    23    (c)  various  risks of electrocution, especially electric shock drown-
    24  ing;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08494-01-3
        A. 4849                             2

     1    (d) safety requirements for the mooring, launch and recovery of  elec-
     2  tric boats at New York state parks, shorelines, inland waterways and any
     3  other locations where boats and personal watercraft are commonly handled
     4  or moored;
     5    (e) specific fire risks associated with lithium-ion battery combustion
     6  in  the  event  of  water-borne  collisions,  vehicular collisions while
     7  trailering, or short-circuits; and
     8    (f) any other event which might result in a  negative  impact  to  the
     9  battery  within  three  hundred feet of a shoreline, dock, ramp, pier or
    10  any other mooring point where swimmers might be present.
    11    4. The office shall create a fact sheet containing information regard-
    12  ing the environmental and health impacts of marine  electric  propulsion
    13  systems  pursuant  to subdivision three of this section. Such fact sheet
    14  shall be distributed upon the successful completion of an approved boat-
    15  ing safety course pursuant to section seventy-five of this  part.  Addi-
    16  tionally, the office shall distribute or otherwise make such information
    17  available at any other locations and in any such manner the commissioner
    18  deems necessary or advisable.
    19    5.  The  office  shall  promulgate  such  rules and regulations as are
    20  necessary to implement the provisions of this section.
    21    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.