Environment

passed · New York · Senate Mar 17, 2026

S 879: Establishes the garden protection act

Establishes the "garden protection act", protecting the rights of individuals to cultivate home vegetable gardens, native plant gardens, and/or pollinator gardens.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentProtects pollinator gardens and native plants, supporting biodiversity and ecosystem health through individual gardening rights.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

passed · New York · Senate Mar 9, 2026

S 4369: Provides for memorial land facilities

This bill establishes a new permit requirement for "memorial lands facilities," which are areas primarily used for the respectful disposition of cremated and naturally organically reduced human remains. Operators of these facilities must be not-for-profit corporations and obtain a permit from the cemetery board. To receive a permit, they must file an operation plan that includes evidence of a perpetual conservation easement or that the lands are cemetery lands, and commit to not constructing crematories or columbariums on the site. The bill ensures these facilities conform to local zoning and are subject to regulatory oversight by the cemetery board.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill mandates perpetual conservation easements for memorial land facilities, directly requiring land preservation and conservation, aligning with environmental protection and natural resource conservation.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

passed · New York · Senate Mar 9, 2026

S 4995: Designates water development representatives for each environmental region of the state

Directs DEC to designate a representative for each environmental conservation region of the state to serve as the point of contact for municipalities to aid in the acquisition of resources and funding for water projects.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill designates DEC representatives to aid municipalities in securing resources/funding for water projects within environmental conservation regions, facilitating environmental resource management and conservation efforts.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

died · New York · Senate Mar 5, 2026

S 2292: Enacts the whale awareness act

Enacts the whale awareness act directing the department of environmental conservation to establish recommendations and educational materials for reduction of marine mammal interactions.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill directs environmental department to reduce marine mammal interactions via education, directly advancing conservation of protected species per environmental protection indicators.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

passed · New York · Senate Mar 4, 2026

S 3590: Enacts the climate resilient New York act of 2026; establishes the office of resilience to assess and identify climate related threats

Enacts the climate resilient New York act; establishes the office of resilience and a resilience task force to assess and identify climate related threats and develop a statewide resilience plan.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill establishes Office of Resilience and task force to assess climate threats and develop statewide resilience plan, directly strengthening climate adaptation efforts per title and summary.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

passed · New York · Senate Feb 25, 2026

S 659: Relates to the general civil penalty of the environmental conservation law

Relates to the general civil penalty of the environmental conservation law; provides that in addition to the fines, such person may be enjoined from continuing such violation and any permit or certificate issued to such person may be revoked or suspended, or a pending renewal application may be denied.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentStrengthens environmental enforcement by adding injunctions and permit revocation for violations under conservation law.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

died · New York · Senate Feb 25, 2026

S 1529: Establishes a carbon farming tax credit for farmers

Establishes the carbon farming certification committee for the purpose of developing a certification framework, determining qualified carbon removal practices eligible for the carbon farming tax credit, and promulgating certification standards for qualified carbon removal practices; provides for the development of educational materials to encourage carbon farming by promoting farming practices which reduce, sequester and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions on land used in support of a farm operation; establishes carbon farming tax credits.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill creates tax credit for carbon farming, providing direct tax relief to farmers, explicitly impacting state tax policy and revenue.95% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill provides tax credit for carbon farming to increase sequestration, directly reducing emissions and advancing climate goals through agricultural practices.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

died · New York · Senate Feb 24, 2026

S 1733: Creates a program to assist municipalities with water quality improvement of water bodies within the municipality managed by lake associations

Bill S 1733 creates a new program to help municipalities improve water quality in water bodies managed by lake associations within their jurisdiction. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will establish this program to identify water quality concerns, determine effective remediation strategies, and assist with best practices for maintaining water quality. Additionally, the DEC will create a grant program to provide financial assistance to municipalities for remedial actions. The department is authorized to develop rules and regulations to implement these provisions.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates DEC grant program for municipal water quality remediation, directly funding state budget allocation for environmental programs.90% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill creates DEC program with grants to improve municipal water quality through remediation strategies, directly advancing environmental protection of water bodies.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

Track

signed · New York · Senate Feb 13, 2026

S 8823: Relates to the department of environmental conservation's regulation of crabs

Extends DEC's authority to regulate management of crabs; authorizes the department of environmental conservation to take any actions necessary to ensure any quota limiting the taking of horseshoe crabs does not exceed certain thresholds.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill extends DEC authority to regulate horseshoe crab quotas, preventing overharvesting to conserve species and maintain ecosystem balance, aligning with conservation protections.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment

signed · New York · Senate Feb 13, 2026

S 8832: Relates to rechargeable battery recycling

This bill amends New York's environmental conservation law to establish requirements for recycling rechargeable batteries. It directly affects battery manufacturers (who must create approved recycling plans), retailers (who must accept used batteries), and consumers (who must return batteries instead of discarding them). Key provisions require retailers to accept up to 10 batteries daily (5 for e-scooter/bike batteries), display clear signage about battery recycling, and provide return options for online purchases. Manufacturers must operate under commissioner-approved collection and recycling plans, which retailers must verify before selling batteries. The law aims to keep batteries out of landfills by creating a structured take-back system.

Topics ✓ EnergySupports EnergyRecycling rechargeable batteries supports sustainable energy infrastructure by enabling material reuse critical for renewable energy storage systems like EVs and grid storage.85% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentMandates battery recycling requirements for manufacturers, retailers, and consumers to prevent hazardous waste pollution, directly protecting environment through waste reduction and pollution control.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Environment