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Who cares
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Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- 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.
Prohibits the use of atrazine
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 prohibiting the use of the herbicide atrazine
Purpose
To ban the use of the chemical atrazine, making it unlawful to distribute, sell, offer for sale or use within the state or deliver for transportation or transport in intrastate commerce.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: amends the environmental conservation law to add a new section 37-0331 making it unlawful for any person to distribute, sell, offer for sale or use the chemical atrazine within this state or deliver for transportation or transport in intrastate commerce or between points within this state through any point outside this state. Section 2: effective date
Existing law
None.
Justification
According to a USA Today article dated Tuesday, March 2, 2010, entitled: Weed killer upsets frogs' hormones, An herbicide that contaminates tap water consumed by millions of Americans has been found to produce gender-bending effects in male frogs, turning some into females and chemically causing them unable to reproduce in others. According to a study released on Monday, March 2, 2010 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, frogs an experiment were exposed to amounts of the weed killer atrazine that are comparable to the levels allowed in drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency, causing male frogs to begin growing eggs in their tests. In this experiment, 10% of the males exposed to atrazine - one of the most commonly used herbicides in the world - actually changed sez; some were able to breed and lay eggs. Nearly all the other males had low testosterone and sperm levels, which made them unable to reproduce. Even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in October, that it planned to reassess atrazine's safety, including its cancer risk. The European Union has banned the chemical.
About 75% of stream water samples and 40% of groundwater samples contain atrazine, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, detected atrazine in 90% of tap water samples from 139 water systems. Inexpensive faucet-top water filters can remove the chemical.
Legislative history
New Legislation.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
January 1, 2012, provided, however, that effective immediately, the addition and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.