Relates to permits and financial security for reclamation for mining on state-owned lands occurring below or beneath navigable waters; repealer
Summary
A11051 would tighten New York’s permitting, review, and financial assurance rules for mining on state-owned lands located below or beneath navigable waterways. It amends the Environmental Conservation Law to require permits for such mining activities, adds special application and renewal requirements, and mandates a 30-year monitoring plan for projects on state-owned submerged lands. The bill also requires updated reclamation planning, expands the circumstances under which permit renewals and transfers are treated as new permits, and directs the Department of Environmental Conservation to conduct a comprehensive environmental study for these mining operations if no environmental impact statement has been prepared in the prior 20 years.
The bill further strengthens reclamation security by requiring financial security not only for reclamation costs but also for potential damages from collapse, water contamination, and other direct or indirect harms associated with mining below navigable waterways. It authorizes the department to use independent third-party expertise in setting or reviewing those security amounts and allows the state to seek recovery of unrecovered costs and damages. The bill also limits the duration of any related permit, consent, or lease under the Public Lands Law to the duration of the DEC mining permit.
Impact
The bill would amend the Environmental Conservation Law and the Public Lands Law to create a more stringent regulatory framework for mining on state-owned lands beneath navigable waters. It adds new environmental review, monitoring, public participation, and financial security requirements, repeals one existing subdivision of ECL section 23-2711, and ties public lands authorizations to the duration of DEC mining permits. Affected parties would include mining operators, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and local political subdivisions that receive notice and can weigh in on certain permit conditions.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript and no recorded votes, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to gauge support or opposition. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to reflect a precautionary, environmental-protection-oriented approach, emphasizing long-term monitoring, public review, and stronger financial safeguards for mining beneath navigable waterways.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are the bill’s added regulatory burden on mining operators and the expanded role of environmental review for projects on state-owned submerged lands. Operators may object to the 30-year monitoring requirement, the possibility that renewals and transfers are treated as new permits, and the broader financial security obligations covering indirect damages. Environmental advocates and communities concerned about water quality, public drinking water, recreation, and long-term ecological impacts would likely support these provisions, while mining interests may view them as restrictive and costly.
Same As
Relates to permits and financial security for reclamation for mining on state-owned lands occurring below or beneath navigable waters; requires such permits to be subject to environmental quality review procedures; requires financial security to cover any damages directly or indirectly resulting from mining activities on state-owned lands occurring below or beneath navigable waterways, including, but not limited to, those resulting from collapse or water contamination.
Relates to permits and financial security for reclamation for mining on state-owned lands occurring below or beneath navigable waters; requires such permits to be subject to environmental quality review procedures; requires financial security to cover any damages directly or indirectly resulting from mining activities on state-owned lands occurring below or beneath navigable waterways, including, but not limited to, those resulting from collapse or water contamination.
Relates to permits and financial security for reclamation for salt mining beneath a lake; requires such permits to be subject to environmental quality review procedures; requires financial security to cover any damages directly or indirectly resulting from salt mining activities beneath a lake, including, but not limited to, those resulting from collapse or water contamination.
Relates to permits and financial security for reclamation for salt mining beneath a lake; requires such permits to be subject to environmental quality review procedures; requires financial security to cover any damages directly or indirectly resulting from salt mining activities beneath a lake, including, but not limited to, those resulting from collapse or water contamination.
Relates to the annual statement of financial disclosure and the posting of financial disclosure filings for candidates for statewide elected office or candidates for a member of the legislature.
Permits certified handicapped individuals and senior citizens to use all-terrain vehicles on state land for certain hunting purposes; directs the department of environmental conservation to establish a senior game recovery permit program to allow use of all-terrain vehicles on state lands by senior hunters for the purpose of retrieving big game.