Bill > A03398

This bill directs the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to conduct a comprehensive ecological restoration study of Jamaica Bay, focusing on the area's borrow pits—underwater excavation sites typically used for obtaining sand, gravel, or other materials. The study must include detailed assessments of the bay's bathymetry (underwater topography), mapping of borrow pits, analysis of ecological service quality across different seasons and depths, examination of fish populations, evaluation of geotechnical conditions of pit bottoms, and investigation of heat absorption characteristics during summer months. The DEC is required to submit a report of its findings to the governor, senate president, and assembly speaker by March 30, 2030, and publish the report on its website. Additionally, the bill imposes a five-year moratorium on placing any sediment or fill into the borrow pits, which will remain in effect either until the five-year period ends or until the study is completed and published, whichever occurs later. This legislation aims to better understand and potentially protect the ecological environment of Jamaica Bay by pausing human interventions and conducting a thorough scientific assessment.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3398