New York Environmental Law
NY Office of Renewable Energy Siting Issues Draft Regulations to Facilitate Swift Development of Large-Scale Renewable Energy Projects
On September 16, 2020, the newly formed Office of Renewable Energy Siting (“ORES”) issued draft regulations intended to streamline permitting and development of large-scale renewable energy projects in New York State. The draft regulations, which are now available for public comment, reflect New York’s ongoing effort to achieve the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s…
New York State Proposes Specific Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets for 2030 and 2050
The New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 (CLCPA) requires statewide reductions of greenhouse gas emissions of 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050, as compared to 1990 levels, in order to help slow the rate of global climate change. The CLCPA directed the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation…
New York State Adopts Drinking Water Standards for Three Emerging Contaminants
New York State has considered the imposition of Maximum Contaminant Levels (“MCLs”) for the emerging contaminants 1,4-dioxane, perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA”) and perfluorooctanoic sulfonate (“PFOS”) for almost three years, since September 2017 when the Governor announced the creation of a Drinking Water Quality Council to make recommendations. Following the publication of proposed rules and a later…
Appellate Division Confirms That Brooklyn Heights Library Redevelopment May Proceed
On May 8, 2019, the Appellate Division, Second Department unanimously affirmed a lower court ruling dismissing a petition challenging the sale and redevelopment of the Brooklyn Public Library’s (“BPL”) Brooklyn Heights Branch. This ruling clears the way for a proposal by the developer Cadman Associates LLC (an affiliate of The Hudson Companies) to construct a…
Appellate Division Affirms Dismissal of Challenge to the American Museum of Natural History’s Gilder Center Project
In a decision dated April 18, 2019, the Appellate Division, First Department unanimously and emphatically affirmed a lower court ruling dismissing the lawsuit challenging the legality of the American Museum of Natural History’s Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation. The Gilder Center will, inter alia, expand and modernize the Museum’s educational facilities, create…
NY Supreme Court Dismisses ULURP/SEQR Challenge to American Museum of Natural History’s Gilder Center Project
In a decision dated December 10, 2018, Hon. Lynn Kotler of the New York Supreme Court, New York County, dismissed in its entirety litigation challenging the legality of the American Museum of Natural History’s Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation for failure to comply with New York City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure…