Bill > A01686

This bill enacts the Healthy, Safe, and Energy Efficient Outdoor Lighting Act, which aims to reduce harmful outdoor lighting by establishing comprehensive standards and guidelines for outdoor lighting in New York State. The legislation recognizes that excessive, misdirected, or unshielded outdoor lighting can have negative impacts on energy consumption, human health, wildlife, and astronomical observations. The bill introduces several key provisions, including the establishment of dark-sky preserves in areas suitable for astronomical observations or ecological benefits, the development of a model comprehensive outdoor lighting ordinance to be distributed to cities and towns, and the creation of an informational pamphlet about outdoor lighting that will be distributed by electric corporations and municipalities. The bill defines technical terms like "glare," "sky glow," and "light pollution" and requires the development of fixture efficiency and lamp luminous efficacy standards to minimize unnecessary light emissions. Electric corporations will be required to include the informational pamphlet in customer utility bills, and the Department of Environmental Conservation will be tasked with ongoing research and reporting about new lighting technologies. The legislation is designed to be flexible, allowing municipalities to adopt more stringent light pollution restrictions, and will not apply to projects that have already received final design approval before the act's effective date.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A1686