S4352-2011 - NY Senate Open Legislation - Requires additional 10% funding of agricultural environmental programs implemented in watersheds deemed critical to recreational fishing

Requires additional 10% matching grant funding of agricultural environmental programs implemented in watersheds deemed, by the commissioner of environmental conservation, to be critical to recreational fishing.

Sponsor: RANZENHOFER / Committee: FINANCE
Law Section: Agriculture and Markets Law / Law: Amd S151, Ag & Mkts L

S4352-2011 Actions

Jan 19, 2012: REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE
Jan 4, 2012: REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE
Jun 24, 2011: COMMITTED TO RULES
Jun 7, 2011: ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
Jun 6, 2011: 2ND REPORT CAL.
Jun 2, 2011: 1ST REPORT CAL.935
Mar 30, 2011: REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE

S4352-2011 Meetings

Agriculture: Jan 19, 2012, Agriculture: Jun 1, 2011

S4352-2011 Calendars

Floor Calendar: Jun 6, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 7, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 13, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 14, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 15, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 16, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 17, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 21, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 22, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 23, 2011 , Floor Calendar: Jun 24, 2011

S4352-2011 Votes

VOTE: COMMITTEE VOTE: - Agriculture - Jun 1, 2011

Ayes (10): Ritchie, Gallivan, O'Mara, Ranzenhofer, Seward, Young, Kennedy, Avella, Huntley, Valesky

VOTE: COMMITTEE VOTE: - Agriculture - Jan 19, 2012

Ayes (10): Ritchie, Gallivan, O'Mara, Ranzenhofer, Seward, Young, Kennedy, Avella, Huntley, Valesky

S4352-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S4352

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to funding of
agricultural environmental management programs implemented in watersheds
deemed critical to recreational fishing

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To increase the matching funds to
farmers from 75% to at least 85% when those farmers are investing in
non-point source pollution control measures in watersheds deemed to
be critical to New York State's fisheries.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one provides for increased
matching funding of at least ten percent to farms in watersheds
deemed critical by the Commissioner of the Department of
Environmental Conservation.

Section two is the effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:
The Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) program
helps farmers develop and implement plans to comply with federal,
state and local regulations relating to water quality and other
environmental concerns. The program helps farmers protect New York's
lakes, streams and rivers from agricultural runoff. New York invests
heavily in recreational fishery and should also invest in protecting
the water quality that is being stocked and promoted as a tourism
attraction. Each year DEC releases over one million pounds offish
into more than 1,200 public streams, rivers, lakes and ponds across
the state. These fish are stocked for two main purposes: (1) to
enhance recreational fishing; and (2) to restore native species to
waters they formerly occupied. Raising these fish is a big task that
requires precise methods and specialized equipment and facilities.
The DEC runs 12 fish hatcheries, each specializing in raising one or
more species of fish, including brook trout, brown trout, rainbow
trout, lake trout, steelhead, Chinook salmon, coho salmon, landlocked
salmon, walleye, muskellunge and tiger muskellunge. The additional
matching funding is needed to encourage those farmers who may not be
able to afford the 25% required match
to implement water pollution protection. Already in watersheds
critical to drinking water (New York City and Syracuse), the
benefiting community offers an additional incentive to farmers to
build the structures and implement standards necessary to protect the
watershed from non-point source pollution.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2005:    - A.1914 -- Agriculture
2006:    - A.11123 -- Agriculture

2007-08: - A.2424 -- Agriculture
2009-10: - S.7299/A.1083 -- AGRICULTURE/Agriculture

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

S4352-2011 Text

 S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 
                                          4352
 2011-2012 Regular Sessions
 I N  SENATE
 March 30, 2011
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  RANZENHOFER -- read twice and ordered printed, and
 when printed to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture
 

AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to  funding
 of  agricultural  environmental  management  programs  implemented  in
 watersheds deemed critical to recreational fishing
 THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

Section  1.

Section 151 of the agriculture and markets law, as amended
 by chapter 375 of the laws of 2008, is amended to read as follows:

 

S 151. Agricultural environmental management program. There is  hereby
 established  within the department an agricultural environmental manage
 ment program to assist farmers in maintaining the economic viability  of
 their  farm operations while addressing environmental impacts from those
 operations, including, but not limited to, soil, air and water pollution
 and greenhouse gas emissions. The program may also include assistance to
 farmers for the development of agriculturally-derived  renewable  energy
 sources.  The  program  may  consist of planner certification to qualify
 persons to prepare AEM plans; technical assistance  to  farmers  partic
 ipating in the program; financial assistance, within funds available, to
 soil  and water conservation districts and farmers to prepare and imple
 ment plans PROVIDED THAT FOR  PLANS  IMPLEMENTED  IN  WATERSHEDS  DEEMED
 CRITICAL  TO  RECREATIONAL FISHING, AS DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF
 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, SHALL RECEIVE  NOT  LESS  THAN  TEN  PERCENT
 ADDITIONAL  FINANCIAL  ASSISTANCE  WHEN  SUCH  ASSISTANCE IS DISTRIBUTED
 THROUGH A MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM; other incentives for  program  partic
 ipation;  and  evaluation  of  program procedures and projects to assess
 effectiveness.
 

S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD02428-01-1

S4352-2011: Requires additional 10% funding of agricultural environmental programs implemented in watersheds deemed critical to recreational fishing