Bill Text: NY A09036 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the department of environmental conservation to conduct a study of ecological restoration needs of Jamaica Bay; imposes a five-year moratorium on placing sediment or fill in the borrow pits in Jamaica Bay.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2024-11-22 - tabled [A09036 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A09036-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9036

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 5, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of A. PHEFFER AMATO -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Environmental Conservation

        AN ACT directing the department of environmental conservation to conduct
          a study on ecological restoration needs of Jamaica Bay

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

     1    Section  1.  (a)  The  department  of environmental conservation shall
     2  conduct a beneficial use study to determine ecological restoration needs
     3  in Jamaica Bay. Such study shall include, but not be limited to:
     4    (i) a description of the bathymetry of target areas of Jamaica Bay and
     5  a map of the borrow pits;
     6    (ii) the ecological service quality of the borrow pits  over  multiple
     7  weather  seasons  at multiple depths, including in-depth analysis of the
     8  populations of fin fish species that utilize such areas during different
     9  seasons;
    10    (iii) the geotechnical conditions of all pit bottoms;
    11    (iv) the significance of the borrow pits regarding the  absorption  of
    12  heat  during  summer  months when adjacent shallow areas experience ulva
    13  sulfide conditions; and
    14    (v) any other policy recommendations regarding the ecological restora-
    15  tion of Jamaica Bay.
    16    (b) The department of environmental conservation shall:
    17    (i) issue a report on the findings of such study to the governor,  the
    18  temporary  president  of  the  senate and the speaker of the assembly no
    19  later than March 30, 2029; and
    20    (ii) publish such report on the department of environmental  conserva-
    21  tion's website.
    22    (c)  There shall be a moratorium of any placement of any type of sedi-
    23  ment or fill into the borrow pits in Jamaica Bay for a  period  of  five
    24  years  commencing  on the effective date of this act, or until the study
    25  is completed and published, whichever is later.
    26    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14266-01-4