The New York League of Conservation Voters is calling for the passage of Senate Bill S1031C, which makes provisions regarding the siting of environmental facilities in minority communities, economically distressed areas or disadvantaged communities. This legislation directs the Department of Environmental Conservation to modify its permitting process, monitoring, and enforcement standards to address high concentrations of environmental facilities in economically distressed and disadvantaged communities. The bill requires all agencies and applicants who plan to construct and manage environmental facilities in such communities to submit an existing burden report to determine whether such action may cause or increase a disproportionate inequitable burden on those communities. A permit may not be allocated if disproportionate harm would occur.
In 2020, a similar bill (NJ 232) passed in New Jersey making it the first of its kind in the United States to evaluate the environmental and public health stressors of certain facilities on overburdened communities when reviewing certain permit applications and denying permits.
