BILL NUMBER: S7288
SPONSOR: BYNOE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to permitting
industrial development agencies to accept applications for consideration
of financial incentives for projects which will include environmental
pollution mitigation
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To include the implementation of environmental pollution mitigation in
the purpose of Industrial Development Agencies across New York State to
specify that applicant projects or proposals that would abate, control,
or prevent pollution would be eligible for financial incentives.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 provides the legislative intent of this bill.
Section 2 amends Section 858 of Article 18-A of the General Municipal
Law as to add Implementing Environmental Pollution Mitigation to the
list of purposes of an Industrial Development Agency and to clarify that
improving environmental quality shall be one of the goals advanced by
Industrial Development Agencies across the State.
Section 3 adds a new subdivision 22, defining "Environmental Pollution
Mitigation" to Article 18-A, Section 854 of the General Municipal Law.
Section 4 provides the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
In 2020, the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency implemented a
policy directed towards ending systemic environmental injustices and
improving the County's environmental and economic health by allowing
financial incentives to be utilized for qualified environmental
pollution mitigation and conservation projects that commit to providing
equipment, improvements, structures or facilities with the goal of
promoting environmental protection and helping environmentally harmed
communities.
When introduced, this policy was the first among any Industrial Develop-
ment Agency in the State, and has enabled financial incentives to be
provided, including supporting the development of community solar panels
on a former brownfield industrial site within Westbury and New Cassel;
two communities that have been disproportionately harmed by air and
water pollution from nearby industries.
As such, this legislation would affirmatively provide all Industrial
Development Agencies within the State the ability to grant projects and
proposals that would implement environmental pollution mitigation meas-
ures at industrial, manufacturing, warehousing, waste treatment plants,
commercial, recreation and research facilities in order to make remedi-
ations to environmental damages and to abate and minimize further
pollution.
This legislation would further complement other grant programs that have
been made available through the New York State Department of Environ-
mental Conservation, including the Environmental Justice Grant and the
Low-and-Zero Emission Vehicle Grant. By implementing a similar policy
for financial incentives provided by Industrial Development Agencies,
this would allow applicant projects to have another option for funding
that could support further environmental mitigation and remediation
efforts.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Legislation
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None directly to the State.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S7288: 858 general municipal law, 854 general municipal law