ALBANY, NY (February 5, 2019) – Senator Anna M. Kaplan, (D-Great Neck) together with the Senate Majority, passed historic legislation to ban oil and natural gas drilling in New York's coastal areas. The legislation (S.2316), will protect Long Island from the federal administration's dangerous efforts to expand offshore drilling on the East Coast.

Senator Anna M. Kaplan said, “With hundreds of miles of beautiful coastline, our beaches and bays are some of Long Island’s most important natural assets. They not only attract millions of visitors to our region each year, driving significant economic activity, but they support the unique way-of-life that attracted so many of us to raise our families here. If we were to allow oil and gas drilling off our shores, we would be putting at risk so many of the things that make Long Island special. That’s why I’m proud to co-sponsor this legislation to prohibit offshore drilling that could threaten our communities.”

The legislation will update New York State's decades-old laws regulating oil and natural gas drilling. Specifically, this legislation prevents conveyances, leases, and acquisitions of land for offshore oil and gas. 

Senator Kaplan concluded, “this is yet another common sense measure supported by Long Islanders that had fallen victim to Albany's dysfunction under the prior majority. I’m proud to say that those days are over, and we got this done so that we can preserve our way of life on Long Island, and protect our communities from such an unacceptable risk of harm."

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