§ 1-0101. Declaration of policy.

1. The quality of our environment is fundamental to our concern for
the quality of life. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the State
of New York to conserve, improve and protect its natural resources and
environment and to prevent, abate and control water, land and air
pollution, in order to enhance the health, safety and welfare of the
people of the state and their overall economic and social well being.

2. It shall further be the policy of the state to improve and
coordinate the environmental plans, functions, powers and programs of
the state, in cooperation with the federal government, regions, local
governments, other public and private organizations and the concerned
individual, and to develop and manage the basic resources of water,
land, and air to the end that the state may fulfill its responsibility
as trustee of the environment for the present and future generations.

3. It shall further be the policy of the state to foster, promote,
create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can thrive in
harmony with each other, and achieve social, economic and technological
progress for present and future generations by:

a. Assuring surroundings which are healthful and aesthetically
pleasing;

b. Guaranteeing that the widest range of beneficial uses of the
environment is attained without risk to health or safety, unnecessary
degradation or other undesirable or unintended consequences;

c. Promoting patterns of development and technology which minimize
adverse impact on the environment;

d. Preserving the unique qualities of special resources such as the
Adirondack and Catskill forest preserves;

e. Providing that care is taken for the air, water and other resources
that are shared with the other states of the United States and with
Canada in the manner of a good neighbor.