Senator Saland’s Legislation Extending the Hudson Valley Greenway Indemnification Passes the Senate

Senator Steve Saland (R,I,C – Poughkeepsie) today announced his legislation to provide a five year extension of the existing indemnity provision included in the Greenway Act of 1991 (S.7106) has passed the Senate. This legislation extends the sunset date of December 31, 2012 for five additional years, until December 31, 2017.

“The Hudson River Valley Greenway, created in 1991 under legislation I authored, was designed to create a voluntary regional strategy to preserve the many scenic, natural, historic, cultural and recreational resources of the Hudson Valley,” stated Senator Saland. “When writing the original law creating the Greenway, I met with numerous municipal leaders throughout the mid-Hudson region. It was clear then, as it is today, that an indemnification clause was essential to providing a level of comfort necessary to encourage communities to join the Greenway Compact.”

The indemnification clause provides indemnity from the state, protecting local taxpayers from costly lawsuits as a result of acquisition of land as part of their regional plan or any land use zoning laws.

This bill has passed in the Senate and the Assembly and will be delivered to the Governor for his consideration.

The Greenway Area includes communities in 14 counties along the Hudson River. The Hudson River Valley Greenway respects New York State's tradition of municipal home rule and gives all eligible communities the option of whether or not to participate in the Greenway and take advantage of funding and free technical assistance.

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