What's happening
The "raptor protection act" requires landfills using gas control flares to add safety features preventing raptor injuries and deaths.
Why it matters
Addresses a specific and documented threat to raptors. By mandating deterrents on landfill gas flares, the bill directly responds to evidence of severe injuries and deaths among hawks, falcons, and owls who use these structures as perches or fly through hazardous areas, supporting wildlife conservation efforts.
Promotes collaboration with industry. The requirement for the environmental department to consult with flare manufacturers encourages the integration of bird safety into the very design of landfill infrastructure, potentially leading to more effective and lasting solutions.
May set a precedent for broader animal safety measures. This targeted intervention could inspire similar safety requirements for other industrial equipment and facilities where wildlife is at risk, shaping future policy on human-wildlife interactions in industrial environments.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Protect Raptors from Landfill Flares
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Referred to environmental conservation
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2404
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 20, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT, COLTON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to regulation of landfill gas control flares
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "raptor protection act".
§ 2. Legislative intent. The legislature hereby finds that landfills are frequently a source of food for hawks, falcons, owls and other raptors. Landfills often utilize landfill gas control flares that consist of tall pipes with automatic igniters that burn the methane gas. Raptors will use these devices as perches or fly over the flares; when they ignite, raptors will suffer severe burns, melted beaks, talons or feathers, or even death. Injured birds have been found throughout the United States.
§ 3. The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new section 27-0709 to read as follows: § 27-0709. Regulation of landfill gas control flares.
1. For the purposes of this section, "landfill" means a solid waste disposal facility at which solid waste, or its residue after treatment, is intentionally placed and at which waste shall remain.
2. Every landfill that utilizes landfill gas control flares to burn methane gas shall be required to install safer and taller perches for raptors and attach spikes to all landfill gas control flares.
3. The department shall cooperate and consult with manufacturers of landfill gas control flares to incorporate bird deterrence into the design of such flares.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately, except that subdivision 2 of section 27-0709 of the environmental conservation law, as added by section three of this act, shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08042-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.