BILL NUMBER:S4352

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to funding of
agricultural environmental management programs implemented in watersheds
deemed critical to recreational fishing

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To increase the matching funds to
farmers from 75% to at least 85% when those farmers are investing in
non-point source pollution control measures in watersheds deemed to
be critical to New York State's fisheries.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one provides for increased
matching funding of at least ten percent to farms in watersheds
deemed critical by the Commissioner of the Department of
Environmental Conservation.

Section two is the effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:
The Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) program
helps farmers develop and implement plans to comply with federal,
state and local regulations relating to water quality and other
              

environmental concerns. The program helps farmers protect New York's
lakes, streams and rivers from agricultural runoff. New York invests
heavily in recreational fishery and should also invest in protecting
the water quality that is being stocked and promoted as a tourism
attraction. Each year DEC releases over one million pounds offish
into more than 1,200 public streams, rivers, lakes and ponds across
the state. These fish are stocked for two main purposes: (1) to
enhance recreational fishing; and (2) to restore native species to
waters they formerly occupied. Raising these fish is a big task that
requires precise methods and specialized equipment and facilities.
The DEC runs 12 fish hatcheries, each specializing in raising one or
more species of fish, including brook trout, brown trout, rainbow
trout, lake trout, steelhead, Chinook salmon, coho salmon, landlocked
salmon, walleye, muskellunge and tiger muskellunge. The additional
matching funding is needed to encourage those farmers who may not be
able to afford the 25% required match
to implement water pollution protection. Already in watersheds
critical to drinking water (New York City and Syracuse), the
benefiting community offers an additional incentive to farmers to
build the structures and implement standards necessary to protect the
watershed from non-point source pollution.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2005:    - A.1914 -- Agriculture
2006:    - A.11123 -- Agriculture

2007-08: - A.2424 -- Agriculture
2009-10: - S.7299/A.1083 -- AGRICULTURE/Agriculture

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.