Senate passes package of environmental and energy bills; PFAS disclosure measure clears floor

The New York State Senate on April 20 moved a cluster of environmental and energy measures through final action and approved a separate bill requiring disclosure of PFAS discharges by certain industrial and municipal wastewater sources.

Several measures described as amendments to the Environmental Conservation Law were reported from the rules committee and read on the supplemental and regular calendars. The floor record shows multiple calendar items (senate prints including, among others, S.1733, S.51611 and several bills introduced by Senators Hartman, Holman/Hoylman-Sigal, Hinchey, Fernandez and others) were called, read in their final section and recorded as passed on voice and roll-call votes.

Senator Parker’s Just Energy Transition Act (Senate print 51 11) was reported and placed on the calendar and subsequently passed. The floor transcript records a roll-call with several senators recorded in the negative; the passage is recorded in the floor minutes.

Senator May spoke at length in favor of a bill to require PFAS discharge disclosure (identified on the calendar as Senate print 45 74b). May described PFAS as “forever chemicals,” detailed health concerns and said the bill would require disclosure of PFAS discharge by industrial producers, industrial waste treatment facilities and publicly owned treatment works. The transcript records Senator May voting "I" and the bill recorded as passing with 52 affirmative votes.

A procedural controversy arose during consideration of a Public Authorities Law item (Senate print 16 68). Senator Matera appealed the chair’s ruling about the germaneness of an amendment that sought to repeal the All Electric Building Act; Matera argued the amendment was germane because both relate to costs and energy policy. The appeal was heard on the floor and put to a vote; the transcript records named negative votes on the procedure and then continues with passage of the calendar item. The floor record in this excerpt does not state a textual change to the underlying Public Authorities Law bill as a result of the appeal.

Why it matters: The measures reported and passed affect land use and environmental permitting under the Environmental Conservation Law, set policy relating to energy transition, and require industry and municipal wastewater sources to disclose PFAS discharges — a regulatory step advocates say will inform drinking-water protections.

What the transcript records and what it does not: The floor transcript lists the senate print numbers and frequently records the names of senators voting in the negative on certain calendars; where the transcript gives a counted total (for example, 52 ayes on the PFAS disclosure bill), that tally is noted. For multiple calendar items the transcript only records “bills passed” or provides partial roll-call detail; the excerpt does not include enrolled bill text, fiscal notes, or final statutory language.