Bill > A03959

This bill amends the New York Public Service Law to establish specific mitigation requirements for electric transmission facility siting permits in areas designated as grassland bird conservation centers. Under the proposed legislation, if a major electric transmission facility is proposed in areas with grassland bird habitats, the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) must require a mitigation ratio of three acres of replacement habitat for every acre of occupied grassland bird breeding habitat, and one acre of replacement habitat for every acre of grassland bird wintering habitat that would be impacted by the transmission facility. This means that developers seeking to build electric transmission infrastructure in these ecologically sensitive areas will need to compensate for habitat loss by creating or preserving equivalent areas of bird habitat. The bill aims to protect grassland bird populations by ensuring that any development in their breeding or wintering grounds is balanced by the creation of new, comparable habitats. The law would take effect immediately upon passage, though it is subject to future potential repeals or modifications.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3959