S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  8663--A
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               July 1, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. KENNEDY, LITTLE, KAMINSKY, PERSAUD -- read twice and
   ordered  printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
   Rules -- committee discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted  as
   amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to establish the Adirondack road salt reduction task force, pilot
   plan and test program; 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:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as  the  "Randy
 Preston road salt reduction act".
   §  2. 1. There is hereby established an Adirondack road salt reduction
 task force, hereinafter referred to as the "task force",  to  conduct  a
 comprehensive review of road salt contamination and road management best
 practices  within  the Adirondack park. Such task force shall consist of
 fourteen members which shall include the commissioner of  transportation
 or  their  designee,  the  commissioner of environmental conservation or
 their designee, the commissioner of health or their designee, the execu-
 tive director of the Adirondack park agency or their designee,  and  ten
 other  members  to be appointed by the governor as follows: two upon the
 recommendation of the temporary president of the senate,  two  upon  the
 recommendation  of the speaker of the assembly, one upon the recommenda-
 tion of the minority leader of the senate, one upon  the  recommendation
 of  the minority leader of the assembly, and four without recommendation
 from any other person.
   2. Task force members shall receive no compensation for their services
 but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary  expenses  incurred  in
 the  performance  of  their duties, to the extent funds are appropriated
 for such purpose. The commissioner of environmental conservation and the
 commissioner of transportation shall serve as joint chairs of  the  task
 force.    A majority of the members of the task force shall constitute a
 quorum for the transaction of business or the exercise of any  power  or
 function  of  the task force.   Any vacancies on the task force shall be
 filled in the manner provided for in the initial appointment.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
              

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13704-11-0

 S. 8663--A                          2
 
   3.  The task force shall be authorized to  hold  public  hearings  and
 meetings, and to consult with any organization, educational institution,
 or  other  government  entity  or person, to enable it to accomplish its
 duties. To effectuate the purposes of  this  act,  the  task  force  may
 request  and shall receive from any department, division, board, bureau,
 commission or other agency of the state or any  state  public  authority
 such  assistance,  information and data as will enable the task force to
 properly carry out its powers and duties hereunder.
   4. The task force shall undertake a review and assessment of road salt
 contamination within the Adirondack park, assess current  department  of
 transportation  policies  and  practices  with  respect to state roadway
 management in winter weather within the  Adirondack  park,  and  roadway
 management  best practices.   This review and assessment shall take into
 consideration the best available science concerning  road  salt  contam-
 ination  and  the  nature,  scope and magnitude of associated impacts to
 surface and ground  waters,  public  and  private  lands,  property  and
 infrastructure.
   5. The task force shall prepare and submit to the governor, the tempo-
 rary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chairs of
 the  senate committees on transportation, environmental conservation and
 health, and the chairs of the  assembly  committees  on  transportation,
 environmental conservation and health, on or before September first, two
 thousand twenty-one, a report containing:
   (a)  findings of an initial assessment of the nature, scope and magni-
 tude of associated impacts of road salt on surface  and  ground  waters,
 public  and  private  lands,  property, health and infrastructure in the
 Adirondack park;
   (b) a review of current state road management practices and levels  of
 service for state and local roadways in the Adirondack park;
   (c)  recommendations  for  state  and local governments and the public
 with respect to:
   i. enhancement of winter road maintenance levels of service  and  best
 management  practices  and road salt reduction techniques to reduce road
 salt contamination of surface and ground waters in the Adirondack park;
   ii. methods for rapid response  to  surface  and  groundwater  contam-
 ination  in  the Adirondack park with the intent to minimize impacts for
 homeowners;
   iii. establishment of a training program for state  and  local  winter
 road maintenance workers; and
   iv.  advancement  of  a public education campaign to inform the public
 about road salt contamination and how the public can reduce the need for
 road salt;
   (d) a calculation of the average amount of road salt applied on  state
 roadways annually for the years 2008 through 2018 in the Adirondack park
 between October and April of each winter road management season to serve
 as a baseline amount;
   (e)  recommendations for a publicly accessible record-keeping database
 system for road salt purchases and applications  within  the  Adirondack
 park;
   (f) recommendations for road salt reduction targets for the Adirondack
 park  to  guide  the department of transportation, department of health,
 and department of  environmental  conservation  in  measurably  reducing
 sodium and chloride levels in surface and ground waters; and
   (g)  recommendations  for an Adirondack park road salt reduction pilot
 plan and test program including monitoring and operational  plan  goals,

 S. 8663--A                          3
 
 objectives,  and  activities to be implemented pursuant to section three
 of this act.
   §  3.  1.  There  is  hereby  established an Adirondack park road salt
 reduction pilot plan and test program to be conducted by the  department
 of  transportation,  in cooperation with the department of environmental
 conservation, between October 15 and June 30 each  year  beginning  2021
 through  2024,  to  test  best  management  practices, updated levels of
 service, and overall road salt reduction targets within  the  Adirondack
 park.    The pilot plan and test shall be implemented on all state-owned
 roadways within the boundary of the Adirondack park.
   2. For the duration of the pilot plan  and  test,  the  department  of
 transportation and department of environmental conservation shall test a
 variety  of application techniques and road management strategies within
 the Adirondack park, and shall issue a report on  the  effectiveness  of
 such techniques and strategies which shall include the resulting impacts
 on  water quality and state roadway levels of service for each technique
 and strategy. The techniques and strategies employed shall include,  but
 not be limited to:
   (a) varying application methods, rates and frequencies with the intent
 to  measurably  reduce  road  salt  applied to state roadways within the
 Adirondack park. This shall include  test  comparisons  of  applications
 consisting  primarily of abrasives and applications consisting primarily
 of deicers, especially anti-icing and deicing brines;
   (b) implementation of well-established best practices such as  cutting
 back  the  canopy where legal and appropriate, and pre-wetting abrasives
 or solid deicers;
   (c) use of the best available technology and equipment for winter road
 management;
   (d) changes to traffic management when weather events make road condi-
 tions hazardous;
   (e) monitoring of water quality of surface and ground waters on  down-
 hill slopes of state roadways in the Adirondack park;
   (f)  monitoring  of  road  conditions  along state roadways within the
 Adirondack park;
   (g) monitoring of truck operators using post-trip reporting;
   (h) tracking of weather-related crash rates on state  roadways  within
 the Adirondack park; and
   (i)  the  conducting  of  a  public education and outreach campaign to
 inform Adirondack park residents and visitors of changes to winter  road
 maintenance  practices  and engaging the public in changing behaviors to
 support road salt reduction efforts.
   3. Following the completion of the pilot plan and test, the department
 of transportation and department  of  environmental  conservation  shall
 submit  a  summary  report  to  the governor, temporary president of the
 senate, and speaker of the assembly by August 30, 2024, of  the  results
 of  such  pilot plan and test, including the identification of effective
 and ineffective techniques  for  winter  road  maintenance  and  revised
 levels of service in the Adirondack park.
   §  4.  This  act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
 deemed repealed December 31, 2024.