Changes to SEQRA & the Environmental Impact
Despite hundreds of letters from the public, elected officials, and environmental organizations, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signs the NYS budget with substantial—and detrimental—amendments to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).
SEQRA is a New York State law that requires the consideration of the environmental, social, and economic impacts of proposed development projects, as well as new laws, regulations, and land-use policies or plans. The process requires a coordinated, transparent, and comprehensive review of proposals entitling the environment to “due consideration” in an agency’s decision-making.
For five decades, SEQRA has been the most important and frequently used legislative tool utilized by the Group to evaluate major development proposals throughout the East End.
However, the Governor’s proposal, which was part of her “Let Them Build” campaign, would exempt certain residential and mixed-use development of up to 100 units and infrastructure projects from requiring a SEQRA review. These amendments were pitched to the public as a tool for making housing more affordable, yet the term “affordable” was never used in these amendments. Therefore, there are no actual provisions to these regulatory rollbacks relating to affordable housing proposals.
In response to these amendments, the Group was joined by dozens of local environmental and community organizations, the East End Mayors and Supervisor’s Association, several New York State and Suffolk County elected officials, and concerned community members in vigorously opposing these exemptions.
Despite these tireless advocacy efforts, the amendments, with a few modest clarifications, were adopted.
While we are disappointed by the outcome, we are extremely thankful for the hard work of so many dedicated conservation and community advocates, and for the efforts by so many local officials who opposed these amendments.
Now that the budget battle is over, the Group will immediately begin working on a review of our local East End governments’ planning, land use, and zoning laws with an eye toward making local legislative changes that will subject major development proposals to the kind of transparent, meaningful environmental review that is needed in a place as fragile as the East End of Long Island.
News
Environmentalist Bob DeLuca explains “SEQRA” and local impacts of Hochul proposals
Could NY's plan to speed environmental reviews ease LI's housing crunch?
Proposed SEQRA reforms draw fire at regional roundtable
