Assembly Observes Earth Day With Legislation
To Preserve And Protect The Environment

Measures to Address Global Warming, Electronic Waste Among
Assembly's Bills Passed Today

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Robert Sweeney today announced the Assembly will commemorate the 40th Earth Day with the anticipated passage of 11 bills aimed at preserving New York's natural resources by limiting greenhouse gas emissions, mandating the recycling of consumer electronic products, encouraging smart growth and expanding the state's role in protecting wetland areas.

"New York must always lead the way in preserving natural resources, encouraging sustainability and finding new and better methods for creating growth while being mindful of the state's unique environment," Silver said. "It is not only to create cleaner and healthier communities that we seek to protect our ecological landscape, but also to ensure that New York can both preserve its natural resources while encouraging economic growth."

"From our health to the economy, every aspect of our life is affected by the quality of our environment," Sweeney said. "Gone are the days when solutions to these problems could be put off or forgotten. The time for action is now. We need to pass laws to limit the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere and to regulate the proper disposal of electronics devices. We must recycle these products to protect our groundwater, our air and our natural resources. The Assembly today is committed to celebrating this important day. New York should lead by example in protecting the environment for future generations while affording economic opportunities that encourage smarter energy usage, less waste and more economic development."

As a part of its dedication to address the challenges of global climate change, the Assembly marked Earth Day with the passage of legislation (A.10303/Sweeney) that would authorize the state Department of Environmental Conservation to place restrictions on the levels of greenhouse gases that can be emitted statewide. The Nobel prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projected that temperatures would rise more rapidly if greenhouse gases are not abated. The panel concluded that reducing emissions 80 percent below current levels by mid-century would prevent the worst impacts of global warming. This legislation seeks to accomplish that goal.

"On this important day, we in the Assembly recommit to increasing New York's role in addressing the challenge of climate change," Silver said. "This legislation helps the DEC to set reasonable goals to curb emissions, while defining the scope of substances known to contribute to global warming. By passing this bill, New York can be at the forefront of dealing with a global dilemma."

The Assembly is also expected to pass other measures to protect the environment including legislation (A.8444-B) requiring the manufacturers of electronic devices including computers, televisions, printers and other technologies to develop equipment recycling programs. Recycling helps to prevent the release of toxic substances used in the production of electronic devices when they are discarded. The bill would protect consumers by preventing manufacturers from imposing recycling fees on their products.

"Electronic devices such as computers have become a necessary daily feature for millions of New Yorkers," Sweeney said. "Unfortunately, when these devices are discarded their chemical components present a threat to the environment. This bill develops clear guidelines that will increase recycling and keep electronic equipment out of our landfills where they do not belong."

As a part of the Earth Day observation the Assembly is also expected to approve the following legislation:

• The New York State Healthy and Green Procurement Act, to ensure that state agencies purchase environmentally-friendly products and improve environmental and energy efficiency in state buildings (A.7483-A/Sweeney).

• Legislation seeking to reduce the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags and require large retail stores to establish recycling programs for plastic bags (A.8810-C/Sweeney).

• A bill requiring New York City to place an adequate number of solid waste receptacles in commercial, business and public recreational areas will also be considered (A.1629/Peralta).

• Legislation that would reduce the minimum acreage of wetlands the DEC can regulate from 12.4 acres to one acre and require permits for the subdivision of wetland areas as well as regulating the agricultural use of these important ecological lands(A.7133/Sweeney).

• A bill requiring testing of private wells upon the sale or transfer of real property and mandate periodic testing on leased properties (A.7231/Jaffee).

• A bill to ban the use of Decabromodiphenyl (DecaBDE), a flame retardant chemical used in the production of many electronics, textiles and mattresses (A.7977-B/Sweeney).

• Legislation that would create a Climate Change Solutions Program (A.7365-A, Sweeney) and a Climate Change Solutions Fund (A.7366-A, Gianaris) to permit the state to use revenues raised from emissions-reduction incentive programs such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to develop and promote clean and renewable energy sources through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

• A bill that would encourage state agencies to use smart growth principles when awarding funding to existing public infrastructure, rather than encouraging the creation of new infrastructure (A.7335/Hoyt).