Bill > A03091

This bill amends environmental conservation law to allow for the funding of environmental restoration projects through available appropriations, and it clarifies the definitions of "contaminant" to include various hazardous substances and emerging contaminants like PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of fluorinated organic chemicals), and "contamination" to mean the presence of such substances in the environment. It also modifies the definition of "municipality" to exclude those that caused contamination through gross negligence or willful misconduct, and it changes how settlements from responsible parties are handled, requiring municipalities to use settlement funds to cover their share of project costs before any excess is returned to the state. The bill also prioritizes projects that benefit public health and the environment, are located in disadvantaged communities or brownfield opportunity areas, or address drinking water contamination, and it expands the state's indemnification of municipalities for actions related to environmental restoration projects. Finally, it makes $20 million from the Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act of 1996 available for environmental remediation without requiring a memorandum of understanding.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3091