What's happening
This bill extends the moratorium on certain liquefied natural or petroleum gas facility and route certifications in large cities until April 1, 2021.
Why it matters
Public Safety Concerns. Extending the moratorium means continued caution regarding the siting and transportation of liquefied natural or petroleum gas facilities and routes in New York City, reflecting ongoing concerns about potential safety risks in highly populated areas.
Impact on Energy Infrastructure Projects. Companies seeking to develop or expand gas infrastructure in NYC will face further delays, potentially affecting energy supply planning, private investment timelines, and local construction or jobs related to such projects.
Environmental and Community Advocacy. The extension provides additional time for environmental and community groups to advocate for stricter regulations, alternative energy solutions, or further research into the risks associated with these facilities and transport routes.
Policy Consistency and Legislative Priorities. By prolonging the moratorium, the state signals a continued prioritization of urban safety and environmental oversight over rapid infrastructure expansion—highlighting a cautious, measured approach to urban energy policy.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Liquefied natural and petroleum gas facility developers
The bill would extend the moratorium on environmental safety certificates for facility siting in cities with at least one million residents from April 1, 2019, to April 1, 2021.
Liquefied natural and petroleum gas transporters
The bill would keep the moratorium on certification of transportation routes in those cities in effect until April 1, 2021.
Residents of cities with at least one million people
The bill would extend restrictions on certification of liquefied natural and petroleum gas facilities and transportation routes in their cities for two years.
Headline styles
Extend Gas Transport Moratorium
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Substituted by A4959
- Ordered to third reading cal.348
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- 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.
Extend Gas Transport Moratorium
Signed by Governor · Sponsor Michael Cusick
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3855
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 20, 2019
Introduced by Sen. LANZA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend chapter 395 of the laws of 1978, relating to moratoriums on the issuance of certificates of environmental safety for the siting of facilities and certification of routes for the transportation of liquefied natural or petroleum gas, in relation to extending the effectiveness of the provisions of such chapter
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 6 of chapter 395 of the laws of 1978, relating to moratoriums on the issuance of certificates of environmental safety for the siting of facilities and certification of routes for the transportation of liquefied natural or petroleum gas, as amended by chapter 188 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
§ 6. This act shall take effect immediately and remain in full force and effect only to and including April 1, 1999 provided, however that the provisions of this act shall remain in full force and effect in cities with a population of one million or more until April 1, [2019] 2021.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09415-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend chapter 395 of the laws of 1978, relating to moratoriums on the issuance of certificates of environmental safety for the siting of facilities and certification of routes for the transportation of liquefied natural or petroleum gas, in relation to extending the effectiveness of the provisions of such chapter
Purpose or general idea of bill
Extends effectiveness of Chapter 395 of the Laws of 1978 relating to moratoriums on the issuance of certificates of environmental safety for the siting of facilities and certification of routes to transport lique- fied natural or petroleum gas in cities with a population of one million or more until April 1, 2021.
Summary of specific provisions
This legislation would continue, until April 1, 2021, the current ban on the licensing of liquefied natural gas and petroleum facilities in cities with a population of one million or more in the interest of public safety.
Justification
The potential for a large-scale human catastrophe inherent in the stor- age of highly volatile, liquefied natural gas in densely populated areas makes it mandatory that governmental agencies, federal and state, exer- cise extreme caution in dealing with proposals for activation of LNG facilities.
Experiences such as the 1973 explosion in an empty LNG tank on Staten Island, in which 40 persons lost their lives, underline the potential for tragedy involved in the operation of such storage facilities.
The object of this bill is to assure a calm, deliberate and reasoned evaluation of such proposals and to assure the application of strict public safety standards.
Prior legislative history
2017: A.7082 (Cusick) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 188 2015: A.1308 (Cusick) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 275 2013: A.0216 (Cusick) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 27 2011: A.0108 (Cusick) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 10 2009: A.6914 (Cusick) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 84 2007: A.6319 (Cusick) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 31 2005: A.5475 (Lavelle) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 66 2003: A.5282 (Lavelle) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 33 2001: A.6816 (Vitaliano) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 18 1999: A.4856-B (Connelly) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 25 1997: A.1201-A (Connelly) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 235
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.