Legislation will streamline approvals for environmentally beneficial technologies and productsCity Hall – At today’s Stated Council meeting the members of the City Council will vote on legislation designed to encourage the development and approval of green technologies and products. By streamlining the approval process and facilitating interagency cooperation, the City will support environmentally beneficial development. Additionally, the Council will vote on legislation to establish rules for determining the cost of tree replacement on public property and to increase fines for illegal dumping along the city’s waterfront.GREEN TECHNOLOGIESFirst mentioned in the Speaker’s State of the City speech last month, today’s legislation will streamline the process by which businesses get approval to sell, install or utilize new green technologies, design and construction techniques, materials and products.“For a tech startup, selling a new product to a 50 story building could be just the boost you need to stay in business. But the business can’t make that sale until the product is approved by various city agencies. The Innovation Review Board will ensure that new technologies get approved quickly, so that building owners can install them, and create hundreds of green collar jobs.”The legislation creates an Interagency Green Team, which will assist in addressing City agency regulatory requirements. The bill also creates an Innovation Review Board within the Department of Buildings, which will review specific projects that propose to employ new technologies.“New technologies should not die a slow death as they meander through the system,” said Council Member Garodnick, Chair of the Committee on Technology in Government and sponsor of the legislation. “We want to act fast and be a leader in environmental technologies. The Green Team created by this bill will cut through the bureaucracy and help us meet those goals.”“New York City already leads the country in the development of environmentally sustainable policies and now, through the “greentech” bill being voted on today, the Council will pave the way for the development and deployment of emerging green technologies on a grand scale and make New York City the national leader in fostering green technology. This bill removes the major bureaucratic and regulatory obstacles encountered by greentech innovators and makes NYC government a committed facilitator of green technology, not an impediment to it,” said Council Member James Gennaro, Chair of the Environmental Protection Committee and sponsor of the legislation.TREE REPLACEMENTThe Council will also establish practical rules for determining the cost of replacing trees on public property. Current law is both unclear and lacking in a standard protocol.For example, a property owner who needs to remove a tree to make a driveway could be presented with a replacement tree fee of $100,000, based on no written criteria. Furthermore, there is currently no requirement for city agencies to replace trees at all. This legislation would ensure that any trees removed would be replaced in an appropriate time and manner.The legislation establishes a procedure whereby an individual will receive a permit and information about removal and replacement before removing a tree from public property. In order to receive a permit, an individual must pay a fee to the Department of Parks and Recreation sufficient to cover the cost of replacing any tree removed.
If the individual replaces a tree instead themselves, the Parks Department will return the fee.Council Member Foster, the sponsor of the legislation, stated, “I am delighted that we have found a way to stop the killing of trees. Now the trees can continue to filter and cool the air, fight the disease of asthma, and continue to spread their wonder and beauty on the streets of our communities, especially in communities that have been historically underserved and underrepresented when it comes to trees.”“I am pleased to be passing today’s legislation. What makes the bill particularly strong is how well it balances protecting our city’s trees and maintaining our tree canopy while also ensuring important projects are able to move forward,” said Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, Chair of the Committee on Parks and Recreation.ILLEGAL WATERFRONT DUMPINGThe Council will also vote to increase fines for violations of the law prohibiting dumping along New York City’s waterfront. The legislation also expands jurisdiction over waterfront and waterway dumping to allow enforcement by the Department of Sanitation, the Department of Small Business Services and the Department of Environmental Protection.The bill creates a civil penalty for dumping into the waterways where none currently exists, and sets a civil penalty equal to the civil penalty for dumping from a vehicle on land. The penalties for the violations are: not less than $1,500 or more than $10,000 for the first violation, and not less $5,000 or more than $20,000 for each subsequent violation.“With over 570 miles of waterfront it is imperative that we keep this precious resource clean for all New Yorkers. Int. 54 will help us do just that by substantially increasing the penalty for illegal dumping into our waterways as well as giving several other city agencies a key role in ensuring our waterways are kept clean.”