Environment (Hazardous Materials)

Establishes the New York state renewable reclamation projects program to stimulate the development of renewable energy on certain brownfield sites, dormant electric generating sites, and real property.

Bill S 7964 aims to encourage the cleanup and redevelopment of certain contaminated "Brownfield" sites by offering enhanced tax credits. It increases the maximum tangible property tax credit for projects on these sites, especially for a new category called "qualified project sites." To qualify for these higher incentives, a project must meet several criteria, including being in a city with a population under 100,000, located near public transportation, and incorporating a minimum percentage of affordable housing units. Additionally, these "qualified project sites" must have a total value exceeding $250 million, and remediation construction work on them will be subject to prevailing wage requirements, with an allowance for project labor agreements.

Creates the toxic information clearinghouse; provides substances hazardous to public health, safety or the environment that have been identified or listed as a hazardous waste in regulations promulgated pursuant to section 27-0903 or 37-0103 of the environmental conservation law; provides chemical hazard traits and environmental and toxicological end-point data.

This bill requires New York state agencies to consider health and environmental impacts when purchasing goods and services. It amends procurement rules to include long-term costs like toxic chemical exposure (e.g., in office equipment, building supplies) and environmental damage in budget decisions. The policy mandates that agencies prioritize products with minimal adverse health and environmental effects, such as avoiding mercury or lead in common items. This affects all state agencies making purchases, including schools, hospitals, and government offices, by changing how they evaluate "cost" to include public health and environmental factors.

Enacts "private environmental law enforcement act"; authorizes any private citizen who has an interest which is or may be adversely affected to commence civil judicial actions for injunctive or declaratory relief to remedy environmental harms under certain circumstances; provides that such action may be commenced against any person for any violation of an administrative or court order compelling an investigation or remediation of an inactive hazardous waste disposal site.

This bill modifies New York's environmental conservation law to clarify funding and definitions for cleanup projects. It requires that environmental restoration projects (starting in 2025-2026) be funded within available state appropriations and adds detailed definitions for terms like "contaminant" (including PFAS substances) and "municipality." Key provisions allow municipalities to use settlements from responsible parties to cover their share of project costs without triggering state fund recalculations, and prioritize projects in disadvantaged communities or brownfield areas. It also mandates that remediation standards meet existing public health and environmental protections, while providing state indemnification for municipalities that follow cleanup agreements.