Below you will find information on legislation from 2020.
| Bill Information & Summary | Riverkeeper position | Status | Information | Take Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York State 2020 budget | Finalized and passed both Assembly and Senate on 4/3/2020. See Riverkeeper blog post providing an overview of the environmental investments in the budget. | Read Riverkeeper Budget Memorandum Read Riverkeeper Environmental Conservation SFY-21 Budget Testimony | ||
| Clean Water Protection | ||||
| Wetlands Protection Act A.3658/S.7366(Englebright/Harckham) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and on on Assembly third reading (floor calendar). 1/16/2020. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | Send a message to your representative! |
| Protect NY's Streams A.8349/S.5612A (Ryan/Harckham) | Riverkeeper Supports | Passed in the Senate and passed in the Assembly. Vetoed by the Governor. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | Send a message to Governor Cuomo to sign this bill into law! |
| Oyster Shell Tax Credit A.0655/S.4718 (Rosenthal L/Metzger) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Budget and Revenue Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee. 1/16/2020. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | |
| Private Well Water Testing A.1103a/S.1854a (Jaffee/Hoylman) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee. 1/16/2020. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | |
| Adirondack Road Salt S.8663/A8767A (Kennedy/Jones) | Riverkeeper Supports | Passed in the Senate and Assembly. Signed by the Governor. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | |
| Chemicals and Pesticides | ||||
| Coal Tar Sealant Ban A.1304/S.6308 (Rosenthal L./Metzger) | Riverkeeper Supports | Passed in the Senate and on Assembly third reading (floor calendar). 7/23/2020. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum USGS Fact Sheet on Coal Tar | |
| Birds and Bees Protection Act/Neonicotinoid pesticide moratorium S5816/A7639 (Hoylman/Englebright) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee. 1/16/2020. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum NY Neonic Fact Sheet Recent Neonic Research | |
| Prohibition on sale of glyphosate (Roundup) S.225/A.6899 (Hoylman/Steck) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee. 1/16/2020. | Riverkeeper Memorandum forthcoming. | |
| Ban of use of trichloroethylene (TCE) in certain products S.6829B/A.8829A (Kaminsky/Englebright) | Riverkeeper Supports | Passed in the Senate and Assembly. 7/22/2020. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum um | |
| Oil & Gas Waste Loophole Closure S.3392/A.2655 (May/Englebright) | Riverkeeper Supports | Signed by Governor into law. 8/3/2020. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | Send a message to your representative! |
| Environmental Law and Litigation | ||||
| Citizen Suits for Environmental Conservation Laws S.5013/A.1424 (Parker/Simon) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and on Assembly third reading (floor calendar). 3/6/2020. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | |
| Fixing SEQRA Standing A.07971/S.7548 (O'Donnell/Kavanagh) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Environmental Conservation Committee. (1/16/2020) and on Assembly third reading (floor calendar). 3/6/20. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum SEQRA Standing Timeline and Summary of Cases SEQRA Standing Reform FAQ | |
| Increase Illegal Dumping Penalties S.6758B/A10803A (Kaminsky/Englebright) | Riverkeeper Supports | Passed in the Senate and Assembly. Signed into law . 12/15/2020 | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | |
| Plastics, Recycling, and Promoting a Circular Economy | ||||
| Single Use Hotel Bottle Ban S5282A/A7662A (Kaminsky/Englebright) | Riverkeeper Supports | Passed the Senate and in Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee. 8/20/2020. | Riverkeeper Memorandum forthcoming. | |
| Straws By Request S.1477/A.90 (Hoylman/Rosenthal L.) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and Assembly Codes Committee. 1/16/2020. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | |
| Expansion of Bottle Deposit Law (Bottle Bill) A.5028a/S.2129a (Englebright/Kaminsky) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee. 1/16/2020. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | |
| Requires single-use plastic water bottles be made with 100% recycled material by 2025 to grow the recycling market. A.9121 (Fahy) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee and no Senate same-as. 1/22/2020. | Riverkeeper Memorandum forthcoming. | |
| Requires single-use beverage containers be manufactured with 75% recycled material. A.8664 (Fahy) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee and no Senate same-as. 1/8/2020. | Riverkeeper Memorandum forthcoming. | |
| Enacts the “Environmentally Conscious Purchasing Act” to prohibit state agencies and political subdivisions from purchasing single-use plastic products; defines terms; provides exceptions for medical and sanitation reasons. A.8772/S.6749 (Fahy/Parker) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Governmental Operations. 1/8/2020. | Riverkeeper Memorandum forthcoming. | |
| Regulates the sale of plastic trash bags and requires plastic trash bags be made of 30% post-consumer materials. A.8878/S.6814 (Fahy/Metzger) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee. 1/8/2020. | Riverkeeper Memorandum forthcoming. | |
| Establishes a “right to refill” by requiring food service establishments permit the use of reusable/refillable beverage containers, such as coffee and water, and food containers, provided by customers. S.8613/A.8722 (Metzger/Fahy) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Health Committee and Assembly Health Committee. 1/8/2020. | Riverkeeper Memorandum forthcoming. | |
| Prohibition of the use of plastic beverage container packaging | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently in Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and Assembly Rules Committee. 7/17/20. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | |
| Energy | ||||
| Ban of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing S.6906/A.9678 (Metzger/Englebright) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently on third reading (floor calendar) in Senate and in Assembly. 7/22/2020. A version of this bill was completed in the budget bill which included a ban on high volume hydraulic fracturing. But the budget left out a complete ban of gelled propane hydraulic fracturing. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | |
| New York State Decommissioning Oversight Board S.8158/A.10236 (Harckham/Galef) | Riverkeeper Supports | Currently on third reading (floor calendar) in Senate and Assembly. 7/22/2020. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | |
| Legislation Riverkeeper Opposes | ||||
| Uber Trout Stocking S.5021/A.7135 (Metzger/Woerner) | Riverkeeper Opposes | Currently in Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee. 1/16/2020. | Read Riverkeeper Policy Memorandum | |