Extends the moratorium on the issuance of certificates of environmental safety for the siting of facilities and certification of routes for the transportation of liquefied natural or petroleum gas.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1308
SPONSOR: Cusick (MS) TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend chapter 395 of the laws of 1978,
relating to moratoriums on the issuance of certificates of environmental
safety for the siting of facilities and certification of routes for the
transportation of liquefied natural or petroleum gas, in relation to
extending the effectiveness of the provisions of such chapter
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Extends effectiveness of Chapter 395 of the Laws of 1978 relating to
moratoriums on the issuance of certificates of environmental safety for
the siting of facilities and certification of routes to transport lique-
fied natural or petroleum gas in cities with a population of one million
or more until April 1, 2017.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
This legislation would continue, until April 1, 2017, the current ban on
the licensing of liquefied natural gas and petroleum facilities in
cities with a population of one million or more in the interest of
public safety.
JUSTIFICATION:
The potential for a large-scale human catastrophe inherent in the stor-
age of highly volatile, liquefied natural gas in densely populated areas
makes it mandatory that governmental agencies, federal and state, exer-
cise extreme caution in dealing with proposals for activation of LNG
facilities.
Experiences such as the 1973 explosion in an empty LNG tank on Staten
Island, in which 40 persons lost their lives, underline the potential
for tragedy involved in the operation of such storage facilities.
The object of this bill is to assure a calm, deliberate and reasoned
evaluation of such proposals and to assure the application of strict
public safety standards.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2013: A.0216 (Cusick) - Passed Both Houses, Chapter 27
2011: A.0108 (Cusick) - Passed Both Houses, Chapter 10
2009: A.6914 (Cusick) - Passed Both Houses, Chapter 84
2007: A.6319 (Cusick) - Passed Both Houses, Chapter 31
2005: A.5475 (Lavelle) -- Passed Both Houses, Chapter 66
2003: A.5282 (Lavelle) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 33
2001: A.6816 (Vitaliano) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 18
1999: A.4856-B (Connelly) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 25
1997: A.1201-A (Connelly) - Passed Both Houses; Chapter 235
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
