Int. No. 1658
By Council Member Cabrera
A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to creation of a harbor restoration commission
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 1 of the New York city charter is amended by adding a new section 20-h to read as follows:
§ 20-h. Office of Harbor Restoration. a. Definitions. As used in this section:
Harbor. The term “harbor” shall mean any channel or harbor capable of being utilized in the transportation of commercial cargo in domestic or foreign waterborne commerce by commercial vessels.
Restoration. The term “restoration” shall mean identification of waterfront areas currently experiencing damage from environmental spills and contamination from hazardous substances, supporting effective containment and cleanup facilities for such spills or contamination, and cooperating with the federal, state and local officials in the planning, development and redevelopment of navigation channels.
b. The harbor restoration commission shall include 5 representatives appointed by the mayor from the office of the waterfront, office of the waterfront advisory board, the department of environmental protection, the office of recovery and resiliency, and the office of environmental remediation and 4 representatives appointed by the speaker of the council with expertise in environmental protection, `sanitation, economic development and environmental justice.
c. The harbor restoration commission shall support and encourage the restoration of the harbor from environmental damage and contamination.
d. The harbor restoration commission shall consult with appropriate state and federal partners who are trustees for purposes of natural resource damage assessments at federally designated Superfund sites within the city that impact the health of the harbor to identify and propose restoration projects suitable for development.
e. Commission activities shall include outreach to the public in planning restorations, recommending flood control and storm water management measures and encouraging environmental remediation and stewardship.
f. The commission shall also participate in providing public outreach for the New York and New Jersey Harbor deepening channel improvements study by the federal Army Corp of Engineers. The commission shall also consult with the federal Army Corps of Engineers on barriers and waterway diversions proposed throughout the New York Harbor and impacting along the shorelines.
g. The commission may choose to participate in wetlands restorations throughout the city’s shoreline where and when appropriate.
h. The commission shall be designated by the mayor or such person as determined by the mayor to receive notification of any spill or dumping in or around the New York shoreline from the state department of environmental conservation and from any other federal, state or local agency with suitable jurisdiction.
§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.
SS
LS #3339
4/29/19 10:39 p.m.