What's happening
This bill requires air quality monitoring and public reporting for major mass transportation project excavations in large New York cities.
Why it matters
Targets large-scale transit projects. By focusing on projects costing $75 million or more in cities of over one million residents, the bill addresses construction activities likely to have significant environmental and public health impacts in densely populated areas.
Prioritizes health-related air quality concerns. The required monitoring specifically includes federal criteria pollutants, especially fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular risks—reflecting growing recognition of health dangers from construction dust and emissions.
Mandates public transparency and accountability. The law compels the Department of Environmental Conservation to publish both the raw air quality data and analysis reports online within 90 days, empowering residents, advocates, and policymakers with timely, actionable information about local air pollution during major excavations.
May influence project planning and mitigation. By requiring air quality monitoring and reporting, the bill could push transit agencies and contractors to adopt better dust control, emission reduction, and community engagement practices, potentially reducing environmental harm and public opposition to major infrastructure work.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Monitor Air Quality at Digs
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred 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.
Monitor Transit Project Air Quality
In Senate Committee · Environmental Conservation · Sponsor Leroy Comrie
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1289
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. QUART -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to requiring air quality monitoring for certain major mass transportation projects
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new section 19-0322 to read as follows: § 19-0322. Air quality monitoring required for major mass transportation
projects.
1. For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) "Major mass transportation project" means the construction or reconstruction of any rapid transit, railroad, omnibus, marine transportation or other mass transportation facility with a cost of seventy-five million or more dollars.
(b) "Excavation" means the movement or removal of earth, rock or other materials in or on the ground by use of mechanized equipment or by blasting, and includes, but is not limited to, auguring, backfilling, boring, drilling, grading, plowing in, pulling in, trenching and tunneling; provided, however, that the movement of earth by tools manipulated only by human or animal power and the tilling of soil for agricultural purposes shall not be deemed excavation.
2. The department shall conduct an air quality analysis of the area surrounding the excavation of any major mass transportation project within a city having a population of one million or more, which analysis shall, be conducted in a manner that is protective of human health and at a minimum include, federal criteria pollutants including particulate matter of 2.5 microns or smaller and other emissions as the commissioner may specify.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01329-01-9
A. 1289 2
3. Once completed, the department shall make all such air quality analysis, including raw data and reports available on its website within ninety days.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.
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.