The New York State Assembly has passed legislation (A.7013) that closes a loophole in Department of Environmental Conservation regulations that exempts fracking waste from treatment as hazardous waste — even though much of the waste meets the current definition of hazardous.
This legislation is one of NYLCV’s four top priorities for Albany this year, and lawmakers’ support for it will factor into NYLCV’s environmental endorsements and political campaign decisions later this year.
“One of the most pressing concerns about allowing hydrofracking in New York is the potential to contaminate our natural resources and drinking water. The legislation passed by the Assembly closes a loophole in the state’s environmental regulations, and requires fracking waste that is hazardous to actually be treated as hazardous waste,” said Marcia Bystryn, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. “This is a significant victory for New York’s environment and we applaud Assembly Member Bob Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for their leadership. We also look forward to working with the State Senate to pass this legislation as quickly as possible.
For more ideas about how New York’s elected leaders can improve the environment and transition to a clean-energy future in 2012, check out NYLCV’s State Policy Agenda.
