Actions

Meetings

Environmental Conservation: May 17, 2011, Environmental Conservation: Apr 26, 2012

Calendars

Active List: May 7, 2012 , Active List: Jun 13, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Apr 30, 2012 , Floor Calendar: May 1, 2012 , Floor Calendar: May 2, 2012 , Floor Calendar: May 7, 2012 , Floor Calendar: May 18, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 23, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 24, 2011 , Floor Calendar: May 25, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 1, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 2, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 6, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 7, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 13, 2011

Votes

Memo

BILL NUMBER:S2500

TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to authorizing a study of animal life in the vicinity of the Dewey Loeffel Hazardous Waste Site

PURPOSE: This legislation will provide for a study of the marine, amphibians and mammals inhabiting the area known as the Dewey Loeffel Hazardous Waste Site and the surrounding environs.

PROVISIONS: Section 1: The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new subdivision (i) to provide for the study of the impact of contamination.

JUSTIFICATION: The Dewey Loeffel State Hazardous Waste Site is located in southern Rensselaer County and contains more than twice the contamination than the infamous Love Canal waste site. It is estimated that more than 46,000 tons of toxic waste are buried in a failed capped landfill.

Remediation of this site has been ongoing for decades with no progress made in preventing the contamination from seeping from the site and contaminating additional properties. This contamination has also impacted Nassau Lake and the surrounding watershed.

This toxic contamination has been documented to be present in area fish which have been ingested by New Yorkers. There is currently a "eat no fish" advisory in place for this area. It is believed that this significant contamination has penetrated other aspects of the food chain.

This bill would provide for a scientific analysis of the presence of toxic substances in wildlife and would provide for a report to the legislature and the governor of the specific findings of the study by 2011. This research would also assess the viability of further study of the contamination.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New bill.

FISCAL IMPACT: This legislation provides the opportunity for the Department of Environmental Conservation to conduct the study with existing staff.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.

Text

STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________

2500

2011-2012 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

January 24, 2011
___________

Introduced  by Sen. McDONALD -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation

AN ACT to amend the  environmental  conservation  law,  in  relation  to
  authorizing  a study of animal life in the vicinity of the Dewey Loef-
  fel Hazardous Waste Site

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Section  49-0103 of the environmental conservation law is
amended by adding a new subdivision 7 to read as follows:
  7. SUPERVISE AND/OR CONDUCT A  STUDY  OF  THE  MARINE,  AMPHIBIAN  AND
MAMMALS  INHABITING  THE AREA KNOWN AS THE DEWEY LOEFFEL HAZARDOUS WASTE
SITE AND THE ENVIRONS OF NASSAU LAKE, RENSSELAER COUNTY, FOR THE PURPOSE
OF SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF THE PRESENCE OF TOXIC SUBSTANCES INCLUDING BUT
NOT LIMITED TO POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS AND  VOLATILE  ORGANIC  CONTAM-
INANTS  IN  SUCH  WILDLIFE.  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL, ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY
FIRST, TWO THOUSAND THIRTEEN, PREPARE A REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR  AND  THE
LEGISLATURE  OUTLINING THE SPECIFIC FINDINGS OF SUCH STUDY AND ASSESSING
THE VIABILITY OF IMPLEMENTATION OF A SIMILAR STUDY WHICH  SHALL  INCLUDE
THE RESIDENTS OF THAT AREA.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD01433-01-1