Declares the waters of the state to be public trust resources; declares that the waters of the state are valuable public natural resources and the state has a duty to conserve and manage its waters effectively.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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883
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. MAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
declaring the waters of the state as public trust resources
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 13 of section 15-0103 of the environmental
2 conservation law is amended to read as follows:
3 13. All the waters of this state are deemed to be public trust
4 resources. The waters of the state are valuable public natural resources
5 and this state has a duty as trustee to conserve and manage its waters
6 effectively for the use and enjoyment of present and future inhabitants
7 and for the protection of the environment. It is in the best interest of
8 the state that provision be made for the regulation and supervision of
9 activities that deplete, defile, damage or otherwise adversely affect
10 the waters of the state and land resources associated therewith.
11 § 2. The opening paragraph of section 15-0105 of the environmental
12 conservation law is amended to read as follows:
13 In recognition that the waters of the state are public trust
14 resources, and in recognition of its sovereign duty to conserve and
15 control its water resources for the benefit of all inhabitants of the
16 state, it is hereby declared to be the public policy of the state of New
17 York that:
18 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03189-01-5
