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A1884Assembly2019-2020 Session

Allow Counties Lease Land for Gas

Official title

“Authorizes counties to lease county land for natural gas exploration, development and production for 5 years or as long as gas is produced”

Sponsor Clifford CrouchAD-122+1 co-sponsorAffects Environment & Energy
Status
In Assembly Committee
Environmental Conservation
Impact
4/10
Low
Passage
0%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Environmental Conservation

What's happening

This bill allows county governments in New York to lease county land for natural gas and liquefied natural gas exploration and extraction.

Why it matters

  1. Empowers counties to generate new revenue. By allowing counties to lease their land for natural gas activities, local governments could gain new income streams, potentially reducing pressure on property taxes or funding new projects.

  2. Could impact local environments and communities. The introduction of natural gas extraction on county lands may have environmental consequences (e.g., risks to water, air, or local wildlife) and could change the character of rural or protected areas.

  3. Shifts local control over natural resources. The bill gives county legislative bodies the authority to set their own terms for leases, potentially increasing local say in how natural resources are managed compared to broader state restrictions.

  4. Creates long-term commitments. If gas is found and produced in “paying quantities,” leases could automatically extend far beyond the initial five-year term, locking in land use decisions for years or decades and limiting future flexibility.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Allow Counties Lease Land for Gas

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Clifford Crouch

Assembly Member · Assembly District 122

1 Multi-sponsor

History

  1. Referred to environmental conservation
  2. Held for consideration in environmental conservation
  3. Referred to environmental conservation

Full text

1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

1884

2019-2020 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

January 17, 2019

Introduced by M. of A. CROUCH, MORINELLO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. HAWLEY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation

AN ACT to amend the county law, in relation to leases for the exploration and drilling for and extraction of natural gas and liquefied natural gas

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. Section 215 of the county law is amended by adding a new subdivision 4-a to read as follows:

4-a. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions three and four of this section, a board of supervisors or other county legislative body may lease, upon such terms and conditions as the board or body shall determine, county land for the purposes of the exploration, development and production of natural gas and liquefied natural gas, as such terms are defined in section 23-1705 of the environmental conservation law, for not more than five years and, if any such gas is produced upon the county land prior to the expiration of such five year lease, the lease shall be extended for as long as natural gas or liquefied natural gas is produced in paying quantities.

§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD02758-01-9

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.