BILL NUMBER: S4954

SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
prohibiting the use of lead ammunition in the taking of wildlife on
state-owned land and land contributing surface water to the New York
city water supply

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

Prohibits the use of lead ammunition in the taking of wildlife on state-
owned land and on land contributing surface water to the New York city
water supply

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends section 11-0901 of the environmental conservation law
so that ammunition that contains one or more percent of lead by weight
may not be used to take wildlife on state-owned land that is open for
hunting, or land contributing surface water to the New York City water
              

supply.

Section 2 amends section 11-0323 of the environmental conservation law
to require that information about lead ammunition prohibitions be
included in the syllabus provided to every person whom a hunting, trap-
ping or fishing license is issued.

Section 3 states the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The naturally occurring metal lead has been known for some time to be
highly toxic to the human body. Lead poisoning is especially dangerous
to children, whose bodies absorb lead more readily than adults. Accord-
ing to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) children's
exposure to lead increases the risk for brain and nervous system damage,
and can lead to many learning and behavioral problems, including a
lowering of IQ. Extreme levels of exposure can lead to seizures, coma,
and death. Although lead has been taken out of many products over the
past few decades most notably paint and gasoline - lead is still the
most common material used for hunting ammunition. When a lead bullet
strikes an animal, the round fragments into many small pieces, not all
of which are easily detectable by the naked eye. These lead fragments
can then be consumed by humans who eat the meat of the hunted animal.
Additionally, fragments from lead bullets are also a danger to eagles
and other animals who consume the gut-piles left behind by hunters after
they've stripped a hunted animal of desirable meat.

The dangers of using lead ammunition are not limited to the fragments
that are left behind in meat. Small mammals and terrestrial birds that
forage for seeds are in danger of ingesting spent lead shot, as are
birds that ingest small stones for grit. Simply discharging lead ammuni-
tion increases environmental lead levels, posing a risk to the person
discharging the ammunition.  Prohibiting the use of ammunition made from
lead in state-owned land where hunting is allowed will further diminish
the dangerous presence of lead in humans and wildlife alike.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.goviniosn/topics/lead/health.html

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs379/en/

http://escholarship.orgiuditem/6dq3h64x page-1

https://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/fact sheets/pdfs/leadpoisoning
wildbirds2009.pdf

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-2024: S4976A/A2084 - Died in Environmental Conservation

2021-2022: S5058/A5728 - Died in Environmental Conservation/Passed
Assembly

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect January 1, 2025. Effective immediately, the
addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized
to be made and completed on or before such effective date.