Bill > A09598

This bill amends state finance law to prohibit the state and its agencies from purchasing or obtaining tropical hardwoods or products made from them, unless they are "secondary materials" (recycled or from the waste stream), with specific definitions provided for "tropical hardwood" and "tropical forests" to encompass a broad range of wood types and forest ecosystems, including human-managed or degraded forests and areas with high conservation value or high carbon stock. The bill also mandates that the list of tropical hardwood species be updated regularly by the Department of Environmental Conservation to reflect current commercial availability and trade, and it includes exceptions for existing contracts, certain federal grant requirements, and specific, time-limited exemptions for the use of "ekki" wood by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for railroad ties and "greenheart" wood by a city ferry service and for bridges managed by a city's transportation department, provided these entities develop and implement transition plans to phase out their use of these woods, with potential extensions under specific circumstances.

Government Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A9598