Relates to required notices to inform of superfund or brownfield site proximity

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Kristen Gonzalez says this is needed

In 1980 Congress established the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, informally called the Superfund, that allows the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up contaminated sites. These Superfund sites are often manufacturing facilities, proc- essing plants, landfills, and mining sites where hazardous waste was dumped, left out in the open, or improperly managed. Similarly, Brown- field sites are previously developed land that has been left abandoned or underused and pose a pollution risk. One such location in New York is the Meeker Avenue Plume, which was named a Superfund site in March 2022. The Meeker Plume was created due to decades of dumping drycleaning chemicals and metalwork manufacturing that created hazardous vapors which have been intruding into residential properties. These hazardous vapors have been found in the soil and groundwater beneath Greenpoint and East Williamsburg. As the EPA works to remedy and test in the area, the public has a right to know if there is a superfund or Brownfield site near their area of residence. Exposure to these sites can have potential harmful health effects which include cancer, tumor, and can have harmful effects on the central nervous system, immune system, male reproductive system and developing fetuses. This bill seeks to ensure that residents across the state, located near hazardous sites are aware of their proximity and potential effects.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.