Environment (Water Quality)

This bill (S 1433) allows Cattaraugus County to stop using specific reforested lands (about 64 acres in Perrysburg) as parklands and lease them for up to 30 years. The lease must support oil/gas exploration, watershed protection, timber production, and recreation, with revenues funding county park improvements or new park acquisitions. If the land is no longer used for these purposes, it reverts to the county. The bill also requires that any federal funding conditions for the land be met before leasing, and public access to facilities must remain available.

S 3656 exempts certain inland lakes from wetlands designations under environmental law. Specifically, it removes the requirement for wetlands classification for lakes that are used for navigation and cover at least 150 acres, excluding the Great Lakes. This change directly affects property owners and developers near qualifying lakes by eliminating wetlands-related permitting requirements for those bodies of water. The exemption applies whenever wetlands boundaries are being defined by environmental authorities.