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Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Print number 4970a
- Amend and recommit to environmental conservation
- Referred to environmental conservation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Authorizes certified prescribed burning in the Long Island central pine barrens
In Assembly Committee · Environmental Conservation · Sponsor Steven Englebright
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to prescribed burning in the Long Island central pine barrens
Purpose
This legislation authorizes certified prescribed burning in the Long Island central pine barrens.
Summary of provisions
Section 1. Legislative Findings Section 2 amends the Environmental Conservation Law by adding a new Section 57-0124 relating to prescribed burnings authorized by the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Justification
Prescribed burning is a land-management tool that benefits the safety of the public, the environment and the economy of the State of New York. Prescribed burning reduces vegetative fuels within wild land areas which the risk and severity of wildfires.
The Long Island pine Barrens maritime reserve requires periodic fire for maintenance of their ecological integrity. Prescribed burning is essential to the perpetuation, restoration, and management of many plant and animal communities. Significant loss of the Central pine Barrens biological diversity will occur if fire is excluded from fire-dependent systems.
The maritime reserve constitutes significant economic, biological, and aesthetic resources of statewide importance. Prescribed burning provides for reforestation, removes undesirable competing vegetation, expedites nutrient cycling, and controls or eliminates certain forest pathogens.
The State and local government have preserved thousands of acres of land within the reserve for parks, preserves, wildlife management areas, groundwater recharge, and other public purposes. The use of prescribed burning or management of public lands is essential to maintain the specific resource values for which these lands were acquired.
Public education is necessary to make citizens and visitors are of the public safety, resource and economic benefits of prescribed burning. Proper training in accordance with the Department of Environmental Conservation standards in the use of prescribed burning is necessary to ensure maximum benefits and protection for the public.
As Long Island's population continues to grow, pressures from liability issues and nuisance complaints inhibit the use of prescribed burning.
Therefore, the Department of Environmental Conservation is urged to maximize the opportunities for prescribed burning.
Legislative history
New Legislation, 2009.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.