New York Proposes SEQRA Amendments To Implement Environmental Justice Siting Law Provisions

Highlights

• While the Trump Administration has rolled back federal environmental justice initiatives and taken efforts toward expediting federal environmental review processes, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has proposed amendments to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) to incorporate provisions from the Environmental Justice Siting Law (Proposed Amendments).
• SEQRA generally requires local, regional and state governments, including their agencies, to evaluate the environmental impacts of proposed development projects and similar actions during the planning, review and approval process. The Proposed Amendments seek to expand the scope of this review by requiring state agencies to evaluate whether actions may cause or increase disproportionate pollution burdens on disadvantaged communities (DACs).