Rep. Chris Burdick

Maddy summaryThis bill updates the legal definition of tidal wetlands to explicitly include areas within the marine and coastal district. By amending the Environmental Conservation Law, it clarifies that these wetlands encompass specific features like banks, salt marshes, and swamps that border or lie beneath tidal waters. The change ensures that lands currently or formerly connected to tidal action in this district are recognized under the existing wetland protections. This adjustment affects how environmental regulations are applied to these specific coastal areas without altering other parts of the law.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows the state to issue special deer management permits in the northern zone, enabling hunters to take one additional deer beyond their regular license limit until December 31, 2027. The legislation authorizes the environmental conservation department to create rules defining specific areas within the northern zone where these permits apply. It also repeals an existing provision that previously restricted similar permit issuance in that region. Hunters in the northern zone would be directly affected by this change, while the department gains flexibility to manage deer populations in balance with available habitat.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires gas and electric utilities to accept and credit public assistance payments directly for residential customers. It specifically mandates that utilities treat payments from programs like the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and emergency funding as full payment, regardless of a customer's account status. Utilities must use these payments to restore service or stop collections activity. The law directly affects low-income residential utility customers who receive public assistance and the utilities serving them. It takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Requires the commissioner of the department of transportation, in consultation with the commissioner of environmental conservation to establish a set of comprehensive road salt reduction policies and to design a road salt applicator training program; requires the department, every state agency and state contractor which uses road salt to use such training materials to train and inform employees on the best practices of using such materials.

Establishes a Mohawk River Basin district and Mohawk River Basin management program for management of such district to preserve, protect, restore and enhance the environmental quality of the Mohawk River.

Establishes the homeowner protection program; provides that the department of law shall establish the homeowner protection program to ensure the availability of free housing counseling and legal services to homeowners for the purposes of mitigating threats to homeownership; provides that the department of law shall provide grants to eligible not-for-profit housing counseling organizations and legal services organizations to provide services under the program.

Establishes maximum contaminant levels in drinking water for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); sets such levels at no higher than 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and no higher than 10 parts per trillion (ppt) for perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA).

Establishes an indirect source review for heavy distribution warehouse operations; requires the department of environmental conservation to conduct a study regarding zero-emissions zones.

Establishes the cesarean births review board; provides such board shall be comprised of multidisciplinary experts to review the rate of cesarean births at hospitals in the state; provides reporting requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New York's Energy Research and Development Authority to develop recommendations for establishing microgrids - local power networks that can operate independently during outages - at critical facilities like hospitals, fire stations, schools, water plants, and emergency shelters. It mandates the Authority to evaluate which facilities should prioritize microgrids, identify geographic areas needing them (based on past storm damage and disadvantaged communities), and propose funding solutions. The Authority must submit these recommendations to state leaders within one year of the bill's effective date. The bill focuses on enhancing grid resilience for essential services without specifying funding sources or implementation timelines.