STAFF CONTACT :
BILL
SUBJECT
DATE
The Business Council of New York State has reviewed the aforementioned
legislation
relating to liquefied natural and petroleum gas and supports its enactment.
The legislation
would establishes standards for the production, storage, transport
and dispensing of
liquefied natural gas in New York State by amending Article 23, Title
17 of the
Environmental Conservation Law.
Specifically, this legislation would provide a framework for regulating
liquified natural gas
(LNG) facilities in New York State. By amending the current law, this
statute would bring
New York State into conformance with nationally accepted safety standards
and protocols
based on over thirty (30) years of regulatory experience. The legislative
framework would
assure the highest level of safety through the implementation of standards
in a myriad of
areas including hardware, site plans, and maintenance/operational procedures.
It should be noted that the legislation does NOT impact the current
moratorium on the
siting or operation of LNG facilities in cities with a population of
one million or more.
This legislation will provide greater flexibility in the servicing
of New York's energy
consumers, particularly businesses that utilize LNG as a source fuel.
The legislation will
provide the necessary regulatory structure to insure the registration
of LNG facilities and
the adoption of federal reference standards and uniform personnel training.
For the above stated reasons, The Business Council supports the legislation
and urges its
passage by the Legislature.