Establishes time periods for the stages of determining and approving environmental impact statements

1 Co-sponsor

• Terrence P. Murphy

Title of bill

An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to determinations upon the need for an environmental impact statement, and completion of draft environmental impact statements and environmental impact statements

Purpose

This legislation establishes time periods for the stages of determining and approving environmental impact statements.

Summary of provisions

Section 1: Amends subdivision 3 of section 8-0109 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 252 of the law of 1977.

Section 2: Adds a new subdivision 4-a to section 8-0109 of the environmental conservation law.

Section 3: Amends subdivision 8 of section 8-0109 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 252 of the laws of 1977.

Section 4: Sets the effective date.

Justification

The State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) was enacted to help provide environmental justice. However, in practice, SEQR can be burdensome and confusing because there is no clear timeline for the lead agency to adhere to.

This legislation will enact changes to make SEQR more efficient. It establishes a clear timeline that must be followed by the project sponsor and lead agency. It also states that no environmental impact may be added once scoping is complete unless the impact, if it had been discovered during the scoping process, was significant enough to have prevented the project from moving forward. Finally, the legislation deems that the impairment of existing community or neighborhood character shall not be a relevant consideration on whether or not a project is able to move forward.

Legislative history

This is a new bill.

Fiscal implications

None to the state.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.