The New York State Senate

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    453
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 6, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of A. PHEFFER AMATO -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Environmental Conservation
 
 AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation  to  the
   filling of borrow pits in Jamaica Bay; and to amend chapter 288 of the
   laws  of  2014 amending the environmental conservation law relating to
   the filling of borrow pits in Jamaica Bay, in relation to  making  the
   provisions of such chapter permanent
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1.  Legislative intent. Due to the increase in vessel size  in
 recent  years, New York State waterways such as channels, berthing areas
 and harbors are being excavated in a process known as dredging to  main-
 tain sufficient depth for safe and efficient vessel operation.
   Dredged  material  is  naturally  accumulated  sediment,  much  of the
 dredged material does  contain  some  contaminants  at  varying  concen-
 trations.
   Jamaica  Bay  was  dredged to supply soil for a number of construction
 projects. This process created borrow pits in the bay. These borrow pits
 have been identified as an attractive alternative for the  disposing  of
 dredge material.
   §  2.  Subdivisions  1 and 3-a of section 15-0505 of the environmental
 conservation law, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 233 of the laws of
 1979 and subdivision 3-a as added by chapter 288 of the  laws  of  2014,
 are amended to read as follows:
   1.  No  person, local public corporation or interstate authority shall
 excavate or place fill below the mean high water level  in  any  of  the
 navigable  waters  of the state, or in marshes, estuaries, tidal marshes
 and wetlands that are adjacent to and contiguous at any point to any  of
 the  navigable  waters  of the state and that are inundated at mean high
 water level or tide, without a permit issued pursuant to  subdivision  3

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04285-01-1

 A. 453                              2
 
 of  this  section. For the purposes of this section, fill shall include,
 but shall not be limited to, earth, clay,  silt,  sand,  gravel,  stone,
 rock,  shale,  concrete  (whole  or  fragmentary), ashes, cinders, slag,
 metal,  DREDGED  MATERIAL  or  any other similar material whether or not
 enclosed or contained by (1) crib work of wood, timber,  logs,  concrete
 or  metal,  (2) bulkheads and cofferdams of timber sheeting, bracing and
 piling or steel sheet piling or steel H piling, separated or in combina-
 tion.  Nothing contained in this section is intended to be, nor shall be
 construed to limit, impair or affect  the  memorandum  of  understanding
 which  any  state department enters into with the Department of Environ-
 mental Conservation or the general powers and duties of  the  Department
 of Transportation relating to canals or the general powers and duties of
 the Department of Environmental Conservation relating to flood control.
   3-a.  [The  department  may  only grant a permit for the filing of the
 Jamaica Bay borrow pits if the proposed sediments and fill materials:
   (1) have been tested and the test results are in accordance  with  the
 requirements  set  forth in the department's technical operational guid-
 ance series 5.1.9 for the in water management  of  sediment  and  dredge
 material; and
   (2) meet the department's class a criteria] IN FILLING THE JAMAICA BAY
 BORROW PITS THE DEPARTMENT MAY ONLY GRANT A PERMIT IF THE PROPOSED SEDI-
 MENTS AND FILL MATERIALS MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:
   (1) COMPLY WITH FEDERAL UNRESTRICTED OCEAN DUMPING CRITERIA;
   (2) HAVE BEEN TESTED AND TEST RESULTS INDICATE NO UNACCEPTABLE TOXICI-
 TY OR BIOACCUMULATION IN BIOLOGICAL TEST SYSTEMS;
   (3) HAS NO POTENTIAL SHORT-TERM (ACUTE) IMPACTS OR LONG-TERM (CHRONIC)
 IMPACTS; AND
   (4)  REQUIRES  NO  SPECIAL  PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES ARE REQUIRED DURING
 DISPOSAL.
   § 3. Section 3 of chapter 288 of the laws of 2014 amending  the  envi-
 ronmental  conservation  law  relating  to the filling of borrow pits in
 Jamaica Bay, as amended by chapter 499 of the laws of 2016,  is  amended
 to read as follows:
   §  3.  This act shall take effect immediately [and shall expire and be
 deemed repealed June 30, 2022].
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.