What's happening
This bill sets mercury limits for certain lamps, defines related terms, and updates penalties for violations to reduce mercury pollution.
Why it matters
Expands definitions to clarify which lamps and producers are regulated. By adding precise definitions for terms like "mercury-added lamp," "producer," "general purpose lights," and "special purpose lights," the bill aims to close loopholes, making it easier to enforce mercury restrictions and ensure all relevant products and manufacturers are covered.
Sets specific mercury content limits for common lamp types. The bill establishes clear, measurable mercury limits for different categories of fluorescent lamps, creating a standard that manufacturers must meet. This can drive innovation in safer lighting products and reduce the amount of mercury entering the waste stream.
Delays regulation for specialty lighting. The law exempts "special purpose lights" from mercury limits until at least the end of 2019, acknowledging the current technical or market challenges in replacing these specialized products, while signaling future regulation.
Updates penalty structure with an educational approach for first violations. By requiring educational outreach and warnings before imposing fines for initial violations of mercury limits, the law emphasizes compliance and awareness over immediate punishment, aiming to foster better environmental practices among producers and sellers.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Reduce Mercury in Light Bulbs
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Advanced to third reading cal.761
- Reported
- Reported referred to codes
- 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.
Limit Mercury in Light Bulbs
In Senate Committee · Environmental Conservation · Sponsor Jesse Hamilton
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
9740
IN ASSEMBLY
February 5, 2018
Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to the reduction of mercury in mercury-added lamps
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 27-2101 of the environmental conservation law is amended by adding five new subdivisions 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34 to read as follows:
30. "Mercury-added lamp" means an electric lamp to which mercury or mercury compounds are intentionally added during the manufacturing process, including, but not limited to, compact fluorescent lamps, fluorescent lamps and tubular fluorescent lamps with normal or long lifetime.
31. "Producer of mercury-added lamps" means any person who:
(a) manufactures and sells mercury-added lamps under its own brand;
(b) resells under its own brand equipment produced by other suppliers, a reseller not being regarded as the producer of mercury-added lamps if the brand of the producer of mercury-added lamps appears on the equipment, as provided for in paragraph (a) of this subdivision; or
(c) serves as the importer or domestic distributor of a mercury-added lamp if the brand name owner is located outside of the United States.
32. "General purpose lights" means lamps, bulbs, tubes, or other electric devices that provide functional illumination for indoor residential, indoor commercial, and outdoor use. General purpose lights shall not include special purpose lights.
33. "Special purpose lights" means the following specialty lighting: appliance, black light, germicidal, bug, colored, infrared, left-hand thread, marine, marine's signal service, mine service, plant light, reflector, reprographic, rough service, shatter-resistant, cold temperature, sign service, silver bowl, showcase, three-way, traffic signal, and vibration service.
34. "Long lifetime" means more than twenty-four thousand hours when tested on a T8 instant start ballast, a T12 rapid start ballast, or a T5
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01411-03-8
A. 9740 2
programmed start ballast, and turned on and off every three hours ("three hour starts").
§ 2. Section 27-2107 of the environmental conservation law is amended by adding two new subdivisions 11 and 12 to read as follows:
11. On and after January first, two thousand nineteen, no producer of mercury-added lamps shall sell, offer for sale, or distribute such lamps that fail to meet mercury content standards adopted by the department, and for the following general purpose lights, mercury content shall be no higher than:
(a) 2.5 milligrams for compact fluorescent lamps less than thirty watts;
(b) 3.5 milligrams for straight fluorescent T8 lamps with a normal lifetime (excluding 8-foot models) and 3.0 milligrams for straight fluorescent T5 lamps with a normal lifetime;
(c) 5.0 milligrams for straight fluorescent T8 and T5 lamps with a long lifetime;
(d) 15.0 milligrams for non-linear fluorescent T8, T5, and T12 lamps and 8-foot linear fluorescent lamps (excluding very high output models);
12. On or before December thirty-first, two thousand nineteen, mercury content standards established in accordance with this section shall not apply to special purpose lights.
§ 3. Subdivision 1 of section 71-2724 of the environmental conservation law, as added by chapter 145 of the laws of 2004, is amended to read as follows:
1. Any person who knowingly or intentionally violates any provision of or fails to perform any duty pursuant to title twenty-one of article twenty-seven of this chapter, except subdivision one of section 27-2105 and subdivision eleven of section 27-2107 of this chapter, shall upon the first finding of such a violation be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed one hundred dollars. Any person convicted of a second or subsequent violation shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed five hundred dollars for each violation.
§ 4. Subdivision 2 of section 71-2724 of the environmental conservation law, as added by chapter 145 of the laws of 2004, is amended to read as follows:
2. Any person who knowingly or intentionally violates or fails to perform any duty imposed by subdivision one of section 27-2105 or subdivision eleven of section 27-2107 of this chapter shall upon the first finding of such a violation be provided with educational materials describing the requirements for mercury disposal and the effects of improper mercury disposal, and be warned that future violations shall result in the imposition of a fine. Any person convicted of a second violation shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed fifty dollars. Any person convicted of a third violation shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed seventy-five dollars. Any person convicted of a fourth or subsequent violation shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed one hundred dollars for each violation.
§ 5. This act shall take effect immediately. Effective immediately, the department of environmental conservation shall promulgate any regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
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.