Senate Environmental Conservation Committee advances nine environmental bills to finance or calendar

“Good morning, everyone. I'm New York State Senator Pete Harckham. Welcome to the Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation,” Chair Pete Harckham said at the start of the brief session.

The New York State Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation voted to advance nine bills covering a range of environmental measures, referring most to the Finance Committee and moving two to the Senate calendar during a short meeting chaired by Sen. Pete Harckham. The meeting transcript lists nine active bills and records routine motions, seconds and committee referrals; limited debate or amendment discussion was recorded.

Why it matters: collectively the measures address emissions and air-quality review for warehouses, public water data access, a 2025 clean-fuel standard, ingredient regulation in personal-care products, corporate climate and emissions disclosure, PFAS discharge reporting, changes to treatment and permit rules, mercury-thermostat collection and financial responsibility rules for major facilities or vessels. Many of the bills, if enacted, would change or amend the Environmental Conservation Law or related state statutes.

Votes and committee actions at a glance:

- S.1180A (sponsor: Senator Gineris). Purpose: Amend the Environmental Conservation Law to establish an indirect source review for certain warehouse operations. Committee action: Advanced and referred to Finance. Meeting record notes one member recorded “without recommendation” and two members opposed; no named mover or detailed roll-call tally is recorded in the transcript.

- S.1211 (sponsor: Senator May). Purpose: Enact the New York Open Water Data Act. Committee action: Advanced and referred to Finance. The transcript records one member “without recommendation”; no full roll-call tally is given.

- S.1343A (sponsor: Senator Parker). Purpose: Amend the Environmental Conservation Law in relation to establishing the Clean Fuel Standard of 2025. Committee action: Advanced and referred to Finance. The transcript records one member “without recommendation” and one recorded “nay”; no full roll-call tally is recorded.

- 02/1957 (sponsor: Senator Webb). Purpose: Amend the Environmental Conservation Law to regulate ingredients in personal-care products and cosmetics. Committee action: Advanced to the Senate calendar. The transcript notes one member “without recommendation” and one member voted “in the negative”; no full roll-call is recorded.

- S.3456 (sponsor: Senator Hoyleman Siegel). Purpose: Amend the Environmental Conservation Law for climate corporate data accountability and create a Climate Accountability and Emissions Disclosure Fund in the State Finance Law. Committee action: Advanced and referred to Finance. Transcript notes one member “without recommendation.”

- S.4574A (sponsor: Senator May). Purpose: Enact the PFAS Discharge Disclosure Act (amend Environmental Conservation Law). Committee action: Advanced to the Senate calendar. The transcript records committee members noting one or two “without recommendation” votes; no full roll-call tally is recorded.

- S.5936 (sponsor: Senator Harkin). Purpose: Amend the Environmental Conservation Law regarding new treatment and active application permits. Committee action: Advanced and referred to Finance. Transcript notes one member “without recommendation.”

- S.6765 (sponsor: Senator Harkin). Purpose: Amend the Environmental Conservation Law and State Finance Law regarding collection and disposal of mercury thermostats and to affect Chapter 550 of the Laws of 2013 (Mercury Thermostat Collection Act). Committee action: Advanced and referred to Finance. The transcript records one or two members “without recommendation”; no full roll-call tally is recorded.

- S.6831 (sponsor: Senator Hinchey). Purpose: Amend Navigation Law related to financial responsibility for liability of a major facility or vessel. Committee action: Advanced to the Senate calendar. The transcript records that the chair noted the governor vetoed a prior version of this measure; this version had no amendments this year per a senator’s question. The transcript records one “nay.”

Committee procedure and debate: The meeting was largely procedural. For each bill the transcript shows a short sponsor read-in or title read, a prompt for questions or comments, a motion and a second. There is minimal recorded debate; where a senator asked about amendments to S.6831, committee staff or members replied there were none this year and that a prior version had been vetoed by the governor. The meeting concluded after the ninth item with no additional substantive deliberation recorded.

Context and next steps: Bills referred to Finance will be considered by the Senate Finance Committee before any floor action; bills advanced to the calendar are eligible for placement on the Senate floor calendar for consideration. The transcript does not include full roll-call vote tallies or named movers/seconders for motions. When the transcript lists a vote detail only as “without recommendation” or “in the negative,” the record is reported here as described in the transcript rather than converted to a numerical roll-call.

The committee adjourned after completing the listed items; no date for the next meeting was specified in the transcript.