Sec. 25-138. *(See end of section for amended version and effective date.) Purpose of committee. In order to provide for the maximum enhancement of the marine
resources of Long Island Sound, the legislature hereby finds that the best interest of the
people of the state and the communities involved will be served by the establishment
of a Connecticut-New York Bi-State Long Island Sound Marine Resources Committee
to make specific recommendations concerning the maintenance, protection and restoration of such marine resources.
(P.A. 73-629, S. 1, 5.)
*Note: Effective upon the enactment by the state of New York of legislation having
like effect, this section, as amended by section 1 of public act 05-137, is to read as
follows:
"Sec. 25-138. Purpose of committee. In order to provide for maximum public
enjoyment and to protect the natural resources of Long Island Sound, which is threatened
by proposed industrialization and negative uses, including, but not limited to, proposed
private projects, the legislature hereby finds that the best interest of the people of the
state and the communities involved will be served by the establishment of a Connecticut-New York Bi-State Long Island Sound Committee to make specific recommendations
concerning the maintenance, protection and restoration of such natural resources."
(P.A. 73-629, S. 1, 5; P.A. 05-137, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 73-629 effective upon the enactment by the state of New York of legislation having like effect, i.e.
September 1, 1988; P.A. 05-137 changed name of committee and added provisions re public enjoyment, protection of
natural resources and proposed industrialization and negative uses, including, but not limited to, proposed private projects,
effective upon the enactment by the state of New York of legislation having like effect.
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Sec. 25-139. *(See end of section for amended version and effective date.) Establishment of committee. Membership. There is hereby established a Bi-State Long
Island Sound Marine Resources Committee. Such committee shall consist of eighteen
members, nine of whom shall be residents of Connecticut and nine of whom shall be
residents of New York. The Connecticut members shall be as follows: Three members
of the Senate representing districts that include coastal municipalities, one appointed
by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one appointed by the majority leader of the
Senate and one appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; three members of the
House of Representatives, one appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives,
one appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives and one appointed
by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; and the Governor, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the director of the Connecticut coastal zone
management program, or their designees.
(P.A. 73-629, S. 2, 5; P.A. 88-336, S. 1, 5.)
*Note: Effective upon the enactment by the state of New York of legislation having
like effect, this section, as amended by section 2 of public act 05-137, is to read as
follows:
"Sec. 25-139. Establishment of committee. Membership. There is hereby established a Bi-State Long Island Sound Committee. Such committee shall consist of eighteen members, nine of whom shall be residents of Connecticut and nine of whom shall
be residents of New York. The Connecticut members shall be as follows: Three members
of the Senate representing districts that include coastal municipalities, one appointed
by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one appointed by the majority leader of the
Senate and one appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; three members of the
House of Representatives, one appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives,
one appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives and one appointed
by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; and the Governor, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the director of the Connecticut coastal zone
management program, or their designees."
(P.A. 73-629, S. 2, 5; P.A. 88-336, S. 1, 5; P.A. 05-137, S. 2.)
History: P.A. 73-629 effective upon the enactment by the state of New York of legislation having like effect, i.e.
September 1, 1988; P.A. 88-336 increased membership on the committee from each participating state from four to nine
and designated the governor, commissioner of environmental protection and the director of the coastal zone management
program as members of the committee; P.A. 05-137 changed name of committee, effective upon the enactment by the
state of New York of legislation having like effect.
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Sec. 25-140. *(See end of section for amended version and effective date.) Duties of committee. Exceptions. Report. The committee may make such recommendations as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this part, except for any major
environmental, ecological or energy issue involving Long Island Sound and the lower
Hudson River Valley that is under review by the Bi-State Long Island Sound Commission established pursuant to section 25-143. In furtherance of its responsibilities under
this part, the committee shall coordinate and recommend standardization of all laws
relative to Long Island Sound including, but not limited to, standardization of jurisdiction of coastal waters by harbor management commissions, municipal waterfront authorities, municipal conservation commissions, municipal port authorities and municipal
shellfish commissions. The committee shall consider the adverse impact any action
proposed in or for Long Island Sound may have upon the marine resources of said sound.
The committee shall prepare and submit a report to the governors and the legislatures
of the respective states on or before February fifteenth, annually.
(P.A. 73-629, S. 3, 5; P.A. 88-336, S. 2, 5; P.A. 09-151, S. 2.)
*Note: Effective upon the enactment by the state of New York of legislation having
like effect, this section, as amended by section 3 of public act 05-137 and section 3 of
public act 09-151, is to read as follows:
"Sec. 25-140. Duties of committee. Exceptions. Report. The committee may
make such recommendations as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this part,
except for any major environmental, ecological or energy issue involving Long Island
Sound and the lower Hudson River Valley that is under review by the Bi-State Long
Island Sound Commission established pursuant to section 25-143. In furtherance of its
responsibilities under this part, the committee may coordinate and recommend standardization of all laws relative to Long Island Sound including, but not limited to, standardization of jurisdiction of coastal waters by harbor management commissions, municipal
waterfront authorities, municipal conservation commissions, municipal port authorities
and municipal shellfish commissions. The committee shall consider the adverse impact
any action proposed in or for Long Island Sound may have upon the public trust resources
of said sound. The committee shall prepare and submit a report to the governors and
the legislatures of the respective states on or before February fifteenth, annually. The
report shall make recommendations for legislation regarding proposed industrialization
and private use of public trust resources of Long Island Sound. In developing such
recommendations, the committee shall seek to (1) avoid, (2) minimize, and (3) mitigate
the impacts of such proposed industrialization and private use of public trust resources
of said sound. For the purposes of this section, "public trust resources" shall include,
but not be limited to, the historic and broad boating use of said sound by the public, the
right of the public to enjoy and explore the natural beauty of said sound by boat, the
rights of the public and commercial fishermen to harvest fish and shellfish from said
sound, the protection of all natural resources of said sound that are held in trust by the
state for the public, the stewardship and restoration of sites along the coast of said sound
that contain important habitat or natural resources and the protection of sites that provide
opportunities for public enjoyment of said sound."
(P.A. 73-629, S. 3, 5; P.A. 88-336, S. 2, 5; P.A. 05-137, S. 3; P.A. 09-151, S. 2, 3.)
History: P.A. 73-629 effective upon the enactment by the state of New York of legislation having like effect, i.e.
September 1, 1988; P.A. 88-336 added standardization of jurisdiction of coastal waters by local agencies to the charge of
the committee; (Revisor's note: In 1991 the word "chapter" was replaced editorially by the Revisors with the word "part"
reflecting inclusion of new provisions as part II of chapter 483); P.A. 05-137 made committee coordination and recommended standardization of all laws relative to Long Island Sound discretionary, substituted "public trust" resources for
"marine" resources, specified report recommendations and considerations and defined "public trust resources", effective
upon the enactment by the state of New York of legislation having like effect; P.A. 09-151 added exemption re issues
under review by Bi-State Long Island Sound Commission, effective July 1, 2009.
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Sec. 25-140a. *(See end of section for amended version and effective date.)
Recommendations of committee re uniform signs for coastal access. The Bi-State
Long Island Sound Marine Resources Committee, established pursuant to sections 25-138 to 25-142, inclusive, may solicit proposals from any interested and qualified party
for a design for a uniform sign denoting coastal access to Long Island Sound in the
states of Connecticut and New York. The committee may make a recommendation
regarding such signs to the governors and the legislatures of the respective states during
their 1993 legislative sessions.
(P.A. 92-16.)
*Note: Effective upon the enactment by the state of New York of legislation having
like effect, this section, as amended by section 4 of public act 05-137, is to read as
follows:
"Sec. 25-140a. Recommendations of committee re uniform signs for coastal
access. The Bi-State Long Island Sound Committee, established pursuant to sections
25-138 to 25-142, inclusive, may solicit proposals from any interested and qualified
party for a design for a uniform sign denoting coastal access to Long Island Sound in
the states of Connecticut and New York. The committee may make a recommendation
regarding such signs to the governors and the legislatures of the respective states."
(P.A. 92-16; P.A. 05-137, S. 4.)
History: P.A. 05-137 changed committee name and deleted reference to 1993 legislative sessions, effective upon the
enactment by the state of New York of legislation having like effect.
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Sec. 25-141. *(See end of section for amended version and effective date.) Cooperation by other public bodies. The committee may request and receive from any
department, division, board, bureau, commission or other agency of the state of Connecticut or the state of New York, or any political subdivision thereof or any public authority
such data as may be necessary to enable the committee to carry out its responsibilities
under this part.
(P.A. 73-629, S. 4, 5.)
*Note: Effective upon the enactment by the state of New York of legislation having
like effect, this section, as amended by section 5 of public act 05-137, is to read as
follows:
"Sec. 25-141. Cooperation by other public bodies. The committee may request
and receive from any department, division, board, bureau, commission or other agency
of the state of Connecticut or the state of New York, or any political subdivision thereof
or any public authority or not-for-profit organization such data as may be necessary to
enable the committee to carry out its responsibilities under this part."
(P.A. 73-629, S. 4, 5; P.A. 05-137, S. 5.)
History: P.A. 73-629 effective upon the enactment by the state of New York of legislation having like effect, i.e.
September 1, 1988; (Revisor's note: In 1991 the word "chapter" was replaced editorially by the Revisors with the word
"part" reflecting inclusion of new provisions as part II of chapter 483); P.A. 05-137 added provision re not-for-profit
organizations, effective upon the enactment by the state of New York of legislation having like effect.
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Sec. 25-142. Effective date of part. This part shall take effect upon the enactment
by the state of New York of legislation having like effect as this part.
(P.A. 73-629, S. 5.)
History: New York enacted legislation having like effect on September 1, 1988; (Revisor's note: In 1991 the word
"chapter" was replaced editorially by the Revisors with the word "part" reflecting inclusion of new provisions as part II
of chapter 483).
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Secs. 25-143 to 25-153. Reserved for future use.
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Sec. 25-154. Long Island Sound advisory councils. (a) There are established
three Long Island Sound advisory councils as follows: (1) An Eastern Long Island Sound
Advisory Council consisting of the towns of Stonington, Groton, Ledyard, Preston,
Norwich, Montville, New London, Waterford, East Lyme, Old Lyme, Lyme, Old Saybrook, Essex, Chester, Deep River, Clinton and Westbrook; (2) a Central Long Island
Sound Advisory Council consisting of the towns of Madison, Guilford, Branford, East
Haven, North Haven, Hamden, New Haven, West Haven and Orange; and (3) a Western
Long Island Sound Advisory Council consisting of the towns of Milford, Shelton, Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield, Westport, Norwalk, Darien, Stamford and Greenwich.
(b) The membership of each council shall be comprised of the chief executive officer, or his designee, of each municipality in such council and nine members as follows:
One appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one appointed by the minority
leader of the Senate, one appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one
appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, and five appointed
by the Governor, one of whom shall represent an academic institution located within
the boundaries of the council, one of whom shall represent industry, one of whom shall
be an environmental specialist, one of whom shall be a member of an environmental
organization, and one of whom shall represent a volunteer or citizen organization. No
more than four of the Governor's appointments may be members of the same political
party as the Governor. The Governor shall designate one of the members of each council
appointed by him to call the first meeting of such council. The first meeting of each
council shall be called on or before August 1, 1989. At the first meeting of each council
a chairman and vice-chairman shall be elected by majority vote of the members of the
council.
(c) Each council shall prepare a report concerning the use and preservation of Long
Island Sound within its boundaries. Such report shall include, but not be limited to,
provisions prioritizing the concerns of citizens and organizations for the future of Long
Island Sound, recommendations for improving the biological integrity of and public
access to Long Island Sound and identification of available resources concerning Long
Island Sound. Such report shall be revised as each council deems necessary.
(d) Each council may organize, as it deems necessary, and utilize public or private
resources in accomplishing its duties, including those made available from educational
institutions and industry.
(e) Each council shall submit its report to the Long Island Sound Assembly not
more than one year after the first meeting of such council. Any revision shall be submitted
to said assembly within thirty days.
(P.A. 89-344, S. 2, 4.)
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Sec. 25-155. Long Island Sound Assembly. (a) There is established the Long
Island Sound Assembly consisting of seven members of each Long Island Sound advisory council. The members shall be appointed by the chairman of each advisory council,
three of whom shall be chief executive officers, and four shall be appointed from the
members of such councils appointed by the Governor or the legislature, at least one of
whom shall be a public member, one shall represent an environmental organization and
one shall represent a volunteer or citizen organization.
(b) The assembly shall review the report of each advisory council submitted pursuant to section 25-154 for compatibility with the reports of the other councils and for
coordination with federal and state law and the activities of the Bi-State Long Island
Sound Marine Resources Committee. The assembly shall submit a report of its review
and any recommendations to the General Assembly on or before January first, annually.
On and after October 1, 1996, the report shall be submitted to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the environment
and, upon request, to any member of the General Assembly. A summary of the report
shall be submitted to each member of the General Assembly if the summary is two pages
or less and a notification of the report shall be submitted to each member if the summary
is more than two pages. Submission shall be by mailing the report, summary or notification to the legislative address of each member of the committee or the General Assembly,
as applicable.
(c) The assembly shall hold its first meeting, to be called by the Commissioner of
Environmental Protection, on or before September 1, 1989.
(P.A. 89-344, S. 1, 4; P.A. 96-251, S. 12.)
History: P.A. 96-251 amended Subsec. (b) by requiring that on and after October 1, 1996, reports be submitted to
environment committee and upon request to legislators and by adding provisions re submission of report summaries to
legislators.
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Sec. 25-156. Long Island Sound Foundation, Inc. (a) There is established the
Long Island Sound Foundation, Inc., a nonstock, nonprofit corporation, organized under
the laws of the state of Connecticut as a state chartered foundation. The Long Island
Sound Foundation, Inc. shall be a successor organization to the Long Island Sound
Assembly established under section 25-155.
(b) The Long Island Sound Foundation, Inc. shall: (1) Target and promote the coordination and support of research and education activities and public information programs regarding the restoration and protection of Long Island Sound; and (2) receive,
disburse and administer gifts, grants, endowments or other funds from any source that
supports research and education activities connected with the Long Island Sound ecosystem consistent with the purposes of this section. Recipients of such funds may include
nonprofit organizations, civic and community groups, schools, public agencies and the
private sector.
(P.A. 93-74, S. 48, 67.)
History: P.A. 93-74 effective July 1, 1993.
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Sec. 25-157. Applications for crossings of Long Island Sound. Moratorium.
Petition to waive moratorium. Notwithstanding any other provision of the general
statutes, no state agency, including, but not limited to, the Department of Environmental
Protection and the Connecticut Siting Council, shall consider or render a final decision
for any applications relating to electric power line crossings, gas pipeline crossings or
telecommunications crossings of Long Island Sound that have required or will require
a certificate issued pursuant to section 16-50k or approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission including, but not limited to, electrical power line, gas pipeline or
telecommunications applications that are pending or received after June 3, 2002, for a
period of three years after June 3, 2002. Such moratorium shall not apply to applications
relating solely to the maintenance, repair or replacement necessary for repair of electrical
power lines, gas pipelines or telecommunications facilities currently used to provide
service to customers located on islands or peninsulas off the Connecticut coast or harbors, embayments, tidal rivers, streams or creeks. An applicant may seek a waiver of
such moratorium by submitting a petition to the following: The chairpersons and ranking
members of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance
of matters relating to energy and the environment, the chairman of the Connecticut Siting
Council, the chairperson of the Public Utilities Control Authority, the Commissioner of
Environmental Protection, and any other state agency head with jurisdiction over the
subject of the petition. Such persons may grant a petition for a waiver by unanimous
consent. Nothing in section 16-244j, this section or sections 25-157a to 25-157c, inclusive, shall be construed to affect the project in the corridor across Long Island Sound,
from Norwalk to Northport, New York, to replace the existing electric cables that cross
the sound.
(P.A. 02-95, S. 1; P.A. 03-123, S. 6; 03-148, S. 1; P.A. 04-109, S. 12; 04-222, S. 5.)
History: P.A. 02-95 effective June 3, 2002; P.A. 03-123 made a technical change; P.A. 03-148 limited types of crossings
subject to moratorium to those that require a certificate issued pursuant to Sec. 16-50k or approval by the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, changed moratorium from one year to two years and eliminated provision re task force chaired
by the Institute of Sustainable Energy, effective June 26, 2003; P.A. 04-109 made a technical change, effective May 21,
2004; P.A. 04-222 extended moratorium from two years to three years after June 3, 2002, and specified parties to whom
applicant for moratorium waiver shall submit petition, effective June 8, 2004.
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Sec. 25-157a. Comprehensive environmental assessment and plan re crossings of Long Island Sound. Not later than one year from June 3, 2002, a comprehensive
environmental assessment and plan shall be completed under the direction of the Institute
for Sustainable Energy. In conducting the comprehensive environmental assessment
and plan, a task force shall work with the Institute of Sustainable Energy that consists
of the task force members contained in Executive Order Number 26 of Governor John
G. Rowland and a representative of: (1) The Bureau of Fisheries of the Department of
Environmental Protection; (2) the Director of the Bureau of Aquaculture of the Department of Agriculture; (3) the Bureau of Aviation and Ports, Connecticut Coastline Port
Authority of the Department of Transportation; (4) the Connecticut Seafood Council;
(5) the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries; (6) Save the Sound, Inc.; (7) the Connecticut
Fund for the Environment, Inc.; (8) the Long Island Soundkeeper; (9) the State Geologist; and (10) no more than one representative each from the holder of a permit for a
merchant cable, one representative from an applicant for a gas pipeline, one representative from each local gas and electric distribution company and one representative from
the telecommunications industry. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the task force
from soliciting the participation of other persons in the development of the comprehensive environmental assessment and plan including, but not limited to, federal agencies
regarding matters within such agencies' jurisdiction. Such assessment and plan shall
include, but not be limited to, a review and analysis of those criteria set forth in Executive
Order Number 26 of Governor John G. Rowland in addition to the following: (A) In
consultation with the Institute of Water Resources at The University of Connecticut
and The University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension Service, a comprehensive
inventory and mapping of all existing environmental data on the natural resources of
Long Island Sound, including, but not limited to: All coastal resources, as defined in
section 22a-93, all points of public access and public use, locations of rare and endangered species including the breeding and nesting areas for such rare and endangered
species, locations of historically productive fishing grounds and locations of unusual
and important submerged vegetation; (B) an evaluation of the relative importance and
uniqueness of the natural resources and an identification of the most ecologically sensitive natural resources of Long Island Sound; (C) an assessment of the present status,
future potential and environmental impacts on Long Island Sound of meeting the region's energy needs that do not require the laying of a power line or cable within Long
Island Sound; (D) an evaluation of methods to minimize the numbers and impacts of
electric power line crossings, gas pipeline crossings and telecommunications crossings
within Long Island Sound, including an evaluation of the individual and cumulative
environmental impacts of any such proposed crossings; (E) an inventory of current
crossings of Long Island Sound and an evaluation of the current environmental status
of those areas that have crossings; (F) an evaluation of the reliability and operational
impacts to the state and region of proposed crossings of Long Island Sound and an
evaluation of the impact on reliability by recommended limitations on such crossings;
(G) recommendations for providing for regional energy needs while protecting Long
Island Sound to the maximum extent possible; and (H) recommendations on natural
resource performance bond levels to insure and reimburse the state in the event that future
electric power line crossings, gas pipeline crossings or telecommunications crossings
substantially damage the public trust in the natural resources of Long Island Sound. For
the purposes of sections 25-157 to 25-157c, inclusive, "Long Island Sound" shall include
its harbors, embayments, tidal rivers, streams and creeks to the extent that any such
projects would impact such harbors, embayments, tidal rivers, streams and creeks.
(P.A. 02-95, S. 3; P.A. 03-123, S. 7; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(f); P.A. 04-189, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 02-95 effective June 3, 2002; P.A. 03-123 made a technical change, effective June 26, 2003; June 30 Sp.
Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Department of Agriculture with Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective
July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments
of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004.
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Sec. 25-157b. Crossings of Long Island Sound. Evaluation of application's
consistency with comprehensive environmental assessment plan. Any application
for an electric power line, gas pipeline or telecommunications crossing of Long Island
Sound that is considered by any state agency, including, but not limited to, the Department of Environmental Protection or the Connecticut Siting Council, after the creation
of the comprehensive environmental assessment and plan, described in section 25-157a,
shall additionally be evaluated for such application's: (1) Likelihood to impair the public
trust in Long Island Sound based on, but not limited to, the information contained in
the comprehensive environmental assessment and plan; (2) consistency with the recommendations of the comprehensive environmental assessment; and (3) environmental
impact, both individual and cumulative, including but not limited to those impacts anticipated by the comprehensive environmental assessment and plan described in section
25-157a.
(P.A. 02-95, S. 4.)
History: P.A. 02-95 effective June 3, 2002.
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Sec. 25-157c. State's advisory opinion to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Request for moratorium. Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, the Connecticut Siting Council, within fifteen days of June 3, 2002, shall submit
the state's advisory opinion to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requesting
that, on behalf of the state, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission not approve any
new individual electric power line crossing, gas pipeline crossing or telecommunications
crossing until the comprehensive environmental assessment and plan described in section 25-157a is completed and that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission avoid
environmental damage to Long Island Sound to the greatest extent possible when licensing any future project by considering the recommendations contained in the comprehensive environmental assessment and plan described in section 25-157a. Notwithstanding
the provisions of sections 16-244j and 25-157 to 25-157b, inclusive, and this section,
if the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proceeds with consideration of any such
project, regardless of the Siting Council's request, the Connecticut Siting Council and
any other state agency with jurisdiction over such project shall review such proposed
project and recommend siting, construction procedures and environmental mitigation
measures to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for such project that conform
with the comprehensive environmental assessment and plan described in section 25-157a, to the degree such assessment and plan information is available.
(P.A. 02-95, S. 5.)
History: P.A. 02-95 effective June 3, 2002.
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Secs. 25-157d to 25-157m. Reserved for future use.
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Sec. 25-157n. Bi-State Long Island Sound Commission. Legislative findings.
Establishment. Duties. Expenses. Effective date. (a) The General Assembly hereby
finds that Long Island Sound is a precious and sensitive natural resource providing the
states of Connecticut and New York with a source of environmental beauty, marine
resources, transportation, industry and recreation. Said states share ownership and stewardship of Long Island Sound. Decisions of one state may impact directly or indirectly
on the residents of the other state. Significant projects may require approval from state
or local agencies in both states. Proposed projects to address energy supply and energy
demand of both states potentially affect Long Island Sound. Cooperative planning to
address such energy supply and demand would greatly reduce the impact of such proposed projects on Long Island Sound. The waters and industrial uses of the lower Hudson
River Valley similarly affect the quality of Long Island Sound.
(b) There is established a Bi-State Long Island Sound Commission which shall
consist of the Governors of the states of Connecticut and New York, or their designees,
and in addition, seven members who are residents of Connecticut and seven members
who are residents of New York. The seven Connecticut members shall be appointed to
two-year terms as follows: (1) One appointed by the Governor, (2) one appointed by
the president pro tempore of the Senate, (3) one appointed by the majority leader of the
Senate, (4) one appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, (5) one appointed by the
speaker of the House of Representatives, (6) one appointed by the majority leader of
the House of Representatives, and (7) one appointed by the minority leader of the House
of Representatives. The Governors of the states of Connecticut and New York, or their
designees, shall serve as cochairpersons of said commission, ex officio, unless the commission members select other chairpersons by majority vote. In no event shall the cochairpersons be from the same state.
(c) Said commission shall (1) review and consider major environmental, ecological
and energy issues involving Long Island Sound and the lower Hudson River Valley,
provided the commission's review and consideration of issues involving the valley shall
be limited to issues in the valley that affect Long Island Sound, (2) seek consensus
on strategies and policies concerning such issues, and (3) make recommendations for
administrative and legislative action to implement such strategies and policies. Said
commission shall meet not later than October 1, 2009, and not less than quarterly thereafter, at a time, date and place to be determined by the cochairpersons.
(d) Said commission shall be within the Department of Environmental Protection
for administrative purposes only, and the expenses for said commission shall be borne
equally by the states of Connecticut and New York.
(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to supplant or supersede any statutory
or regulatory authority of any state or municipal agency concerning projects, policies
or activities of said commission.
(f) The provisions of this section shall take effect upon enactment by the state of
New York of legislation having like effect.
(P.A. 09-151, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 09-151 effective July 1, 2009.
See Sec. 4-38f for definition of "administrative purposes only".
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Secs. 25-158 and 25-159. Reserved for future use.
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