STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 672 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CRUZ, BURDICK, COLTON, OTIS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation AN ACT reconvening the New York state sea level rise task force; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. 1. New York state sea level rise task force. There is here- 2 by reconvened, within the department of environmental conservation, the 3 sea level rise task force ("task force") established by chapter 613 of 4 the laws of 2007, which shall consist of 16 members who shall be 5 appointed as follows: 6 (a) the commissioner of environmental conservation or their designee; 7 (b) the secretary of state or their designee; 8 (c) the commissioner of transportation or their designee; 9 (d) the commissioner of health or their designee; 10 (e) the director of the state emergency management office or their 11 designee; 12 (f) the superintendent of insurance or their designee; 13 (g) two members to be appointed by the temporary president of the 14 senate; 15 (h) two members to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; 16 (i) one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 17 (j) one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly; 18 (k) one member to be appointed by the mayor of the city of New York; 19 (l) one member to be appointed by the county executive of the county 20 of Westchester; 21 (m) one member to be appointed by the county executive of the county 22 of Nassau; and 23 (n) one member to be appointed by the county executive of the county 24 of Suffolk. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01694-01-5 A. 672 2 1 2. The at large members shall have expertise in one or more of the 2 following areas: climatology; hydrology; economics; marine fisheries; 3 law enforcement and emergency management; estuary programs; oceanography 4 or coastal ocean science; ecology or environmental biology; resilient 5 infrastructure; geographic mapping and spatial analysis; urban planning 6 and sustainable development; and environmental justice. 7 3. Task force members shall receive no compensation for their services 8 but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in 9 the performance of their duties. 10 4. The chairperson of the task force shall be the commissioner of the 11 department of environmental conservation or their designee. The task 12 force shall meet no less than four times and at other times at the call 13 of the chairperson. 14 5. Any vacancies on the task force shall be filled in the manner 15 provided for in the initial appointment. 16 6. The task force shall be authorized to hold public hearings and 17 meetings to enable it to accomplish its duties. 18 7. The task force may consult with any organization, educational 19 institution, other government entity or agency or person in the develop- 20 ment of its report required by subdivision 10 of this section. 21 8. The department of environmental conservation shall provide the task 22 force with such facilities, assistance and data as will enable the task 23 force to carry out its powers and duties. Additionally, all other agen- 24 cies of the state or subdivisions thereof may, at the request of the 25 chairperson, provide the task force with such facilities, assistance, 26 and data as will enable the task force to carry out its powers and 27 duties. 28 9. The purpose of the New York state sea level rise task force shall 29 be to: 30 (a) review the report and recommendations previously issued by the 31 task force, and to determine the progress made in effectuating such 32 recommendations and what recommendations require additional efforts; 33 (b) develop an updated evaluation of ways of protecting New York's 34 remaining coastal ecosystems and natural habitats and increasing coastal 35 community resilience in the face of sea level rise, applying the best 36 available science as to sea level rise and its anticipated impacts; and 37 (c) updating previous recommendations and, if appropriate, making new 38 recommendations on sea level rise resiliency. 39 10. No later than December 31, 2027, the task force shall transmit to 40 the governor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of 41 the assembly a report containing the following: 42 (a) an assessment of present and anticipated impacts related to sea 43 level rise; 44 (b) an evaluation of previous recommendations of the task force, and 45 any new recommendations, related to mechanisms New York could establish 46 or improve to provide stronger, more protective standards, and the 47 implementation and enforcement of such standards for coastal develop- 48 ment, wetlands protection, shoreline erosion and damage mitigation, and 49 post-storm approaches for New York state in the context of sea level 50 rise, including an evaluation of current policies of the department of 51 environmental conservation and the department of state and whether they 52 reflect the recommendations of the task force; 53 (c) an evaluation of previous recommendations of the task force, and 54 any new recommendations, regarding adaptive measures which may be taken 55 to respond to sea level rise, including measures to:
A. 672 3 1 (i) protect and connect terrestrial and aquatic habitats to allow 2 animal and plant species to migrate as temperatures change, especially 3 in already fragmented habitats; 4 (ii) protect and restore habitat on which already stressed animal and 5 plant species depend to maintain the integrity of natural communities 6 and to protect ecological services they provide including flood control, 7 drinking water supply protection, clean water and clean air; 8 (iii) identify and monitor effects of climate change on animals, 9 plants and natural communities; 10 (iv) integrate climate change adaptation strategies into state envi- 11 ronmental plans, including but not limited to those related to the 12 community risk and resiliency act, as established by chapter 355 of the 13 laws of 2014, and the climate leadership and community protection act, 14 as established by chapter 106 of the laws of 2019; and 15 (v) ensure insurance industry resiliency and understanding among 16 insureds regarding flooding risk. 17 (d) an evaluation of previous recommendations, and any new recommenda- 18 tions, on state and local regulatory and/or statutory alterations to 19 respond to the impacts of sea level rise; 20 (e) (i) a review of the current flood zone designations of shoreline 21 and waterfront communities; 22 (ii) a review of critical infrastructure such as water and waste 23 filtration systems, chemical and fuel storage facilities, energy produc- 24 ing facilities and equipment in FEMA designated flood zones prone to 25 flooding due to sea level rise; and 26 (iii) the need for a public awareness campaign to inform residents 27 in flood zones prone to flooding due to sea level rise on how to prepare 28 for sea level rise impacts; 29 (f) consideration in such recommendations for: 30 (i) differences between areas of varying developmental density, 31 including densely populated areas such as the city of New York; and 32 (ii) findings and recommendations of other relevant governmental 33 studies and reports, including but not limited to those of the NYS 2100 34 Commission, the One NYC 2050 Strategic Plan, guidance developed pursuant 35 to the community risk and resiliency act, and the Scoping Plan required 36 by section 75-0103 of the environmental conservation law; and 37 (g) estimates of costs to residents, businesses, and governments of 38 sea level rise impacts and adaptation and mitigation measures. 39 11. No later than December 31, 2027, the secretary of state shall 40 transmit to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and the 41 speaker of the assembly a report detailing how the state will implement 42 the task force recommendations, including timelines for implementation. 43 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be 44 deemed repealed January 1, 2028.