BILL NUMBER: S5685
SPONSOR: LANZA
 
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 effec-
tiveness of the provisions of such chapter
 
PURPOSE:
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, 2027.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This legislation would continue, until April 1, 2027, 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 facili-
ties. 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.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023: S.4827 Lanza/A.6569 Fall - Chapter 150
2021: S.6173 Lanza/A.6910 Cusick - Chapter 174
2019: S.3855 Lanza/A.4959 Cusick - Chapter 48
2017: A7082 Cusick/S.5470 Lanza - 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 FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.