Proposed Legislation To Combat Environmental Crimes Announced

HAUPPAUGE, NY — Proposed legislation that would strengthen law enforcement’s ability to protect New York State and its residents from environmental crimes was announced on Wednesday by Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini.

The legislation would enact recommendations from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office’s Special Grand Jury Report.

"New York State needs laws that are clearer and laws that have more severe penalties for people who are polluting our environment and risking contaminating our aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for Long Island," Sini said.

The new criminal statutes, which will be sponsored by New York State Senator Todd Kaminsky in the New York State Senate as bill S6758, that will be added to the Penal Law are:

• Criminal Disposal
• Aggravated Criminal Disposal
• Scheme to Defraud by Disposal of Solid Waste
• Scheme to Defraud by Sand Mining
• Criminal Possession of Solid Waste
• Criminal Acceptance of Solid Waste or Construction & Demolition Material
• Criminal Acceptance of a Hazardous Substance
• Criminal Acceptance of an Acutely Hazardous Substance
• Criminal Sand Mining
• Criminal Disposal Incident to Sand Mining

The new legislation would amend the criminal statute of fourth-degree conspiracy to include conspiracies to commit criminal disposal.

"This proposed legislation will give prosecutors the tools they need to investigate and prosecute environmental crimes and hold those individuals accountable who would pollute our communities to line their pockets," Sini said. "We have been working together across levels of government as well as with environmentalists, law enforcement, and scientists to determine and enact the necessary changes in order to protect our residents and the environment."

The new legislation would also require documentation of all movement of solid waste, construction and demolition material, limited use fill, and restricted use fill from its starting point to its destination.

State and local officials and environmental leaders were also on-hand at the announcement of the proposed legislation.