What's happening
This bill requires the state to assist and partially reimburse shoreline property owners on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River for approved shoreline hardening to prevent flood damage.
Why it matters
Helps individual property owners afford flood protection. by reimbursing up to 50% of the costs for approved shoreline hardening, potentially making these expensive projects more feasible for families and small businesses.
Creates a standardized, environmentally overseen process. for shoreline hardening, requiring state environmental experts to approve and inspect each project. This could help protect public interests, like natural habitats and neighboring properties, while still allowing property owners to defend against flooding.
Streamlines and supports permitting for shoreline construction. , reducing bureaucratic hurdles for property owners by making the state responsible for assisting with and providing required permits for approved projects.
Targets high-risk areas on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. , focusing state resources on communities repeatedly impacted by flooding, which could help stabilize property values and reduce long-term disaster recovery costs for the state and residents.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Strengthen Flood-Prone Shorelines
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
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
43
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sens. WALCZYK, BORRELLO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to shoreline hardening
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 16-0121 to read as follows: § 16-0121. Shoreline hardening.
1. For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) "Shoreline" shall mean the line along which a large body of water meets the land.
(b) "Shoreline resident" or "resident" shall mean any resident of the state who owns property which is situated on a shoreline on Lake Ontario or the St. Lawrence River which is prone to flooding.
(c) "Shoreline hardening" shall mean the process of adding materials or structures to property located on a shoreline on Lake Ontario or the St. Lawrence River in order to minimize damage caused by flooding.
2. (a) The department shall provide oversight and assist with the implementation of shoreline hardening construction plans for shoreline residents along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence river. Shoreline residents shall work in conjunction with the department to develop a design plan for each property located on a shoreline along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence river. Such design plan shall be subject to final approval by the department prior to any construction work being commenced on a property.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00114-01-5
(b) The department shall be responsible for assisting and providing to shoreline residents all necessary and required permits for all approved shoreline hardening proposals.
3. (a) Each shoreline resident shall be responsible for the costs related to the implementation of their approved shoreline hardening plan.
(b) After a shoreline hardening plan has been implemented and completed, the department shall ensure the completed work complies with the department's approved plan.
(c) If the department determines that the approved plans for shoreline hardening have been satisfied, the department shall provide reimbursement to each resident for up to fifty percent of such resident's shoreline hardening costs.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to shoreline hardening
Purpose or general idea of bill
To implement a shoreline hardening plan for residents with property along the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River, in order to help prevent future damage from flooding.
The Department of Environmental Conservation, working side-by-side with homeowners with damaged shorelines would design a plan that meets shore- line resiliency criteria to rebuild and fortify property shoreline. The measure also requires the state to reimburse up to 50 percent of project costs.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill amends the environmental conservation law to provide for implementation of shoreline hardening procedures to resi- dents who live on a shoreline on Lake Ontario or the St. Lawrence River.
Defines shoreline hardening and the location of targeted flooded shore- lines, requires the department of environmental conservation to work with impacted property owners to design and develop specific-shoreline hardening plans. If property owners meet the department of environmental conservation's guidelines for shoreline hardening, this new section allows such owners to be reimbursed by the state of New York for up to fifty percent of project costs.
Section 2 sets the effective date.
Justification
For the second time in three years, property owners along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River have suffered from record flooding. This legislation tasks the Department of Environmental Conservation with working closely with homeowners along these waterways to develop and execute shoreline hardening projects, to not only rebuild from previous flooding damage, but to also put homeowners in a position to better withstand future flooding events. In addition, this legis- lation will allow property owners to be reimbursed for up t o fifty percent of the costs associated with the hardening of shoreline.
Prior legislative history
A8561/S6741 (2019): Referred to Environmental Conservation
A4371/s1859 (2021)
Referred to Environmental Conservation
S4178 (2023)
Referred to Environmental Conservation
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
To be determined.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.