S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  6191--A
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              April 14, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced   by   Sens.  KAMINSKY,  ADDABBO,  BIAGGI,  BOYLE,  GAUGHRAN,
   GOUNARDES,  HARCKHAM,  HELMING,  HINCHEY,  HOYLMAN,  JACKSON,  KAPLAN,
   KAVANAGH,  KRUEGER,  LIU,  MANNION, MARTUCCI, MATTERA, MAY, OBERACKER,
   ORTT, REICHLIN-MELNICK, SEPULVEDA, STAVISKY, THOMAS -- read twice  and
   ordered  printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
   Environmental Conservation -- recommitted to the Committee on Environ-
   mental Conservation in accordance  with  Senate  Rule  6,  sec.  8  --
   committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
   recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the  environmental  conservation  law,  in  relation  to
   setting  conservation  goals  for  the  state and including efforts to
   combat the biodiversity and climate crises in the state's land  acqui-
   sition  policy;  and  providing for the repeal of such provisions upon
   the expiration thereof
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a
 new section 49-0113 to read as follows:
 § 49-0113. THIRTY BY THIRTY CONSERVATION GOAL.
   1. IT SHALL BE THE GOAL OF THE STATE  TO  SUPPORT  AND  CONTRIBUTE  TO
 NATIONAL  EFFORTS  TO  CONSERVE AT LEAST THIRTY PERCENT OF UNITED STATES
 LANDS AND INLAND WATERS AND AT LEAST THIRTY  PERCENT  OF  UNITED  STATES
 OCEAN AREAS BY THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND THIRTY.
   2.  THE DEPARTMENT IN CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF THE OFFICE
 OF PARKS, RECREATION AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION, SHALL DEVELOP STRATEGIES
 AND A METHODOLOGY TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
   (A) COORDINATION WITH THE STATE LAND ACQUISITION PLAN;
   (B) PRIORITIZING PROTECTIONS FOR WATER SOURCES AND SOLE  SOURCE  AQUI-
 FERS, INCLUDING WETLANDS PROTECTIONS;
   (C) PROTECTIONS AND RESTORATION PROJECTS FOR PRESERVING AND INCREASING
 BIODIVERSITY, INCLUDING HABITAT RESTORATION, WITH A FOCUS ON HABITATS OF
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10880-03-1
              

 S. 6191--A                          2
 
 ENDANGERED  AND  THREATENED  SPECIES  INCLUDING  RESILIENT AND CONNECTED
 LANDS AND CORRIDORS PROVIDING MEANS FOR WILDLIFE MIGRATION  AND  HABITA-
 TION;
   (D)  EXPANDING  ACCESS  TO  NATURE AND NATURE'S BENEFITS AND EQUITABLE
 OUTDOOR ACCESS IN COMMUNITIES IN EVERY REGION;
   (E) CONSIDERATION OF A BROAD  RANGE  OF  LANDSCAPES  INCLUDING  URBAN,
 SUBURBAN AND RURAL NATURAL AREAS, WETLANDS, FORESTS, AND WATERSHEDS;
   (F)  CONSIDERATION  OF  THE STATE'S ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY, INCLUDING
 PRESERVATION OF FOOD SECURITY AND CONSULTATION WITH  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF
 AGRICULTURE  AND  MARKETS  ON ISSUES RELATED TO FARMLAND PRESERVATION OF
 WORKING LANDS;
   (G)  INCREASING  CLIMATE  RESILIENCE,  INCLUDING  REDUCING  RISK  FROM
 EXTREME  WEATHER  EVENTS  INCLUDING COOLING URBAN LANDSCAPES AND NATURAL
 SOLUTIONS TO PREVENT EROSION AND FLOODING;
   (H) COLLABORATION WITH FEDERAL  AND  STATE  RESEARCH  INSTITUTIONS  TO
 UTILIZE  INNOVATIVE  SCIENTIFIC  OBSERVATION TECHNOLOGY TO BETTER UNDER-
 STAND THE STATE'S CONSERVATION NEEDS AND BIODIVERSITY AND THREATS THERE-
 TO;
   (I) IMPLEMENTING ACTIONS IN A MANNER THAT  INCLUDES  CONSIDERATION  OF
 THE  URGENCY OF MEETING THE GOAL WHILE STILL PRESERVING PUBLIC INPUT AND
 INVOLVEMENT;
   (J) COLLABORATION WITH TRIBAL PARTNERS TO INCORPORATE TRIBAL EXPERTISE
 AND TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE TO BETTER  UNDERSTAND  THE  STATE'S
 CONSERVATION NEEDS AND BIODIVERSITY AND THREATS THERETO; AND
   (K)  PARTICIPATING IN REGIONAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS TO
 ADVANCE BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION, INCLUDING PREVENTING EXTINCTIONS.
   3. CONSERVATION MEASURES SHALL BE UNDERTAKEN IN WAYS  THAT  SERVE  ALL
 COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING LOW-INCOME, DISADVANTAGED AND VULNERABLE COMMUNI-
 TIES.
   4.  THE  DEPARTMENT  AND  OFFICE  SHALL PREPARE A DRAFT PLAN AND SHALL
 PROPOSE NO LATER THAN JULY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-TWO, A SCHEDULE OF
 PUBLIC HEARINGS THEREON.
   5. ON OR BEFORE JULY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-THREE AND EVERY  THREE
 YEARS  THEREAFTER,  THE  DEPARTMENT AND OFFICE SHALL SUBMIT THE PLAN AND
 ANY RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE.
   § 2. Section 49-0207 of the environmental conservation law,  as  added
 by chapter 146 of the laws of 1990, is amended to read as follows:
 § 49-0207. State land acquisition plan.
   1.  The  department and the office shall prepare a state land acquisi-
 tion plan to guide selection of projects for  state  acquisition  taking
 into account regional advisory committee priorities and the department's
 and office's assessment of need for land acquisition projects. SUCH PLAN
 SHALL  ALSO  TAKE  INTO  ACCOUNT THE GOAL OF THE STATE TO FACILITATE THE
 CONSERVATION OF AT LEAST THIRTY PERCENT OF LAND IN NEW YORK STATE BY THE
 YEAR TWO THOUSAND THIRTY PURSUANT TO SECTION 49-0113  OF  THIS  ARTICLE.
 Such plan shall include an identification of:
   a.  lands,  by region and category, for which acquisition is of a high
 priority in order to carry out the purposes of this title;
   b. lands, by  region,  having  statewide  or  regional  environmental,
 historic, cultural or recreational significance that are threatened with
 diminishment of resource value;
   c.  the department's and office's priorities of categories of land, by
 region, for future acquisition; and
   d. lands, by  region,  having  statewide  or  regional  environmental,
 historic,  cultural or recreational significance which should be consid-
 S. 6191--A                          3

 ered for state acquisition, but which do  not  qualify  for  acquisition
 under present law.
   2.  Such  plan  shall  include consideration of the inventory prepared
 pursuant to section 49-0205 of this title and shall identify those areas
 within the state which are not adequately protected in such categories.
   3. In preparing such plan, the department and office shall:
   a. conduct one or more public hearings in  each  of  the  department's
 administrative regions.
   b. consult with:
   (i) the regional advisory committees;
   (ii)  officials of departments and agencies of the state having duties
 and  responsibilities  concerning  the  protection  of  open  space  and
 natural, environmental, historic, cultural or recreational resources;
   (iii) officials and representatives of local governments in the state;
 and
   (iv) persons, organizations and groups interested in the protection of
 open space and natural, environmental, historic, cultural or recreation-
 al resources of the state.
   c.  request  and receive from any department, division, board, bureau,
 commission or any other agency of the state or any political subdivision
 thereof or any public authority such  assistance  and  data  as  may  be
 necessary to enable the department and office to carry out its responsi-
 bilities under this section.
   4.  The  department  and  office  shall prepare a draft plan and shall
 propose, no later than January thirty-first,  nineteen  hundred  ninety-
 one, a schedule of public hearings thereon.
   5.  On or before January thirty-first, nineteen hundred ninety-two and
 every three years thereafter, the department and office shall submit the
 plan to the governor, the majority leader of the senate and the  speaker
 of  the assembly. Upon approval by the governor such plan shall become a
 guide for the implementation of the acquisition programs of the  depart-
 ment and office.
   §  3.  This  act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
 deemed repealed January 1, 2031.