Bill Text: NY A02573 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to extending the effectiveness of the New York state ocean acidification task force from January 1, 2019 to January 1, 2023 and to requiring an interim report and hearing by the task force.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1)
Status: (Passed) 2019-10-23 - SIGNED CHAP.398 [A02573 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A02573-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2573 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 23, 2019 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation AN ACT to amend chapter 464 of the laws of 2016 relating to creating the New York state ocean acidification task force, in relation to reports by the New York state ocean acidification task force and to the effec- tiveness thereof The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 2 of chapter 464 of the laws of 2016, relating to 2 creating the New York state ocean acidification task force, is amended 3 to read as follows: 4 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be 5 deemed repealed January 1, [2019] 2023. 6 § 2. Section 1 of chapter 464 of the laws of 2016, relating to creat- 7 ing the New York state ocean acidification task force, is amended to 8 read as follows: 9 Section 1. New York state ocean acidification task force. 1. There is 10 hereby established, within the department of environmental conservation, 11 an ocean acidification task force ("task force") which shall consist of 12 14 members who shall be appointed as follows: 13 (a) the commissioner of environmental conservation or his or her 14 designee; 15 (b) the secretary of state or his or her designee; 16 (c) the commissioner of the office of general services or his or her 17 designee; 18 (d) two members appointed by the governor; 19 (e) two members to be appointed by the temporary president of the 20 senate; 21 (f) two members to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; 22 (g) one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 23 (h) one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD08649-02-9A. 2573 2 1 (i) one member to be appointed by the mayor of the city of New York; 2 (j) one member to be appointed by the county executive of the county 3 of Nassau; and 4 (k) one member to be appointed by the county executive of the county 5 of Suffolk. 6 2. The at large members should include individuals with expertise in 7 one or more of the following areas: climatology; hydrology; economics; 8 marine fisheries including commercial and/or recreational fishing; envi- 9 ronmental; aquaculture; oceanography or coastal ocean science; ocean 10 acidification; and ecology or environmental biology. 11 3. Task force members shall receive no compensation for their services 12 but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in 13 the performance of their duties. 14 4. The chairperson of the task force shall be the commissioner of 15 environmental conservation or his or her designee. The task force shall 16 meet no less than four times and at other times at the call of the 17 chairperson. 18 5. Any vacancies on the task force shall be filled in the manner 19 provided for in the initial appointment. 20 6. The task force shall be authorized to hold public hearings and 21 meetings to enable it to accomplish its duties and shall at a minimum 22 hold at least one hearing on the interim report. 23 7. The task force may consult with any organization, educational 24 institution, other government entity or agency or person including, but 25 not limited to, the national [ocean] oceanic and atmospheric adminis- 26 tration, in the development of its report required by subdivision 10 of 27 this section. 28 8. The department of environmental conservation shall provide the task 29 force with such facilities, assistance and data as will enable the task 30 force to carry out its powers and duties. Additionally, all other agen- 31 cies of the state or subdivisions thereof may, at the request of the 32 chairperson, provide the task force with such facilities, assistance, 33 and data as will enable the task force to carry out its powers and 34 duties. 35 9. The purpose of the New York state ocean acidification task force 36 shall be to identify the causes and factors contributing to ocean acidi- 37 fication and evaluating ways of addressing the problem by applying the 38 best available science as to ocean acidification and its anticipated 39 impacts. 40 10. No later than December 31, 2021, the task force will prepare an 41 interim report containing the criteria identified in subdivision eleven 42 of this section. 43 11. No later than December 31, [2018] 2022, the task force shall tran- 44 smit to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and the 45 speaker of the assembly a final report containing the following: 46 (a) an assessment of the anticipated impacts related to ocean acidifi- 47 cation; 48 (b) recommendations related to mechanisms New York could establish to 49 provide stronger, more protective standards, and the implementation and 50 enforcement of such standards in the context of ocean acidification; 51 (c) recommendations regarding adaptive measures which may be taken to 52 respond to ocean acidification, including measures to: 53 (i) identify and monitor early effects of ocean acidification on 54 marine life, animals, plants and natural communities; and 55 (ii) integrate ocean acidification mitigation and adaptation strate- 56 gies into state environmental plans;A. 2573 3 1 (d) recommendations on state and local regulatory and/or statutory 2 alterations to respond to the impacts of ocean acidification; 3 (e) review existing scientific literature and data on ocean acidifica- 4 tion and how it has directly or indirectly affected or may potentially 5 affect commercially harvested and grown species along the coast; 6 (f) identify and monitor the factors contributing to ocean acidifica- 7 tion; [and] 8 (g) recommendations to increase public awareness of ocean acidifica- 9 tion[.]; and 10 (h) an assessment of the public comments received at any hearing. 11 § 3. Notwithstanding the provisions of article 5 of the general 12 construction law, the provisions of chapter 464 of the laws of 2016, 13 relating to creating the New York state ocean acidification task force, 14 as amended by sections one and two of this act, are hereby revived and 15 shall continue in full force and effect as such provisions existed on 16 January 1, 2019. 17 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the amend- 18 ments to section 1 of chapter 464 of the laws of 2016 relating to creat- 19 ing the New York state ocean acidification task force made by section 20 two of this act shall not affect the repeal of such section and shall be 21 deemed repealed therewith.