Road salt reduction bill wins quick passage in Senate, awaits Assembly

Legislation would establish interagency committee focused on road salt reduction goals 

By Zachary Matson

A bill to establish greater oversight of statewide road salt reduction won quick passage in the state Senate this month but ran out of time for Assembly consideration.

The legislation would create an interagency government committee and an outside advisory board charged with ensuring statewide implementation of salt reduction recommendations from the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force. 

A coalition of advocacy groups have pressed the idea since the task force released its report last year, arguing a structure modeled on the state’s Invasive Species Council would ensure action on the task force’s proposals.

Sen. Peter Harckham, chair of the environmental conservation, introduced the bill in mid-May and it passed June 6 in a 48-13 vote. Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, voted in favor of the legislation. 

State Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, said he planned to shepherd a comparable bill. He said he was surprised how fast it moved in the Senate and that he expected an enthusiastic push in the next legislative session. Jones helped lead legislation to establish the task force and now expects action on its recommendations. 

“We want to follow through,” Jones said. “We would like to think that the state agencies will do it on their own, but this certainly provides more guidance to implementation of those recommendations.”

Creating oversight

The proposed legislation declares that the  recommendations “should be implemented to protect public health and the environment from contamination by road salt” and that interagency coordination is needed to do so statewide. 

It would create a state road salt reduction council made up of officials from the departments of transportation, health, environmental conservation, the state Thruway Authority, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, legislative appointees and representatives of the state associations of counties and mayors. 

The council would be charged with monitoring road salt impacts throughout the state, while working to expand the use of best practices to manage salt use. The bill requires the council by 2027 proposes “quantifiable limits in regulation for road salt use” to protect water quality while maintaining road service. The council would also provide recommendations on funding, monitor implementation of task force proposals and publish an annual report on its activities.

A separate advisory committee to guide state agencies would be created consisting of representatives from the Adirondack Watershed Institute, Lake George Association, Cornell University, snow and ice management and water supply associations and other stakeholders.

“The idea is really to set the agenda and priorities for the topic going forward,” said Zoë Smith, executive director of AWI. “Having everyone at the table and accountable to everyone else under legislation will make a big difference in terms of seeing some action.”

After the task force issued its recommendations in September, seven Adirondack organizations – Adirondack Watershed Institute, Adirondack Council, AdkAction, Ausable River Association, Adirondack Lakes Alliance, Adirondack Mountain Club and Upper Saranac Foundation – sent a letter to the governor outlining an approach along the lines of the proposed legislation. 

“Unfortunately, the report did not include any mechanism for enforcing a reduction in salt use,” said Justin Levine, a spokesperson with the Adirondack Council. “It has great ideas for how to reduce salt use but no way to make sure those things happen.” 

Both chambers will need to pass the bill next session before sending it to Gov. Kathy Hochul, and advocacy groups plan to prioritize its passage from the outset of the session. 

“Expect us to push pretty hard next year for this to get passed,” Levine said. 

Top photo: The Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force meets in Lake Placid. Photo by Mike Lynch