New laws were enacted in New York in 2011 concerning the withdrawal of large amounts of water; the siting of electric power plants; the sale of consumer products containing mercury; the funding of infrastructure projects; the design of safe streets; and numerous other matters. This annual survey describes new environmental laws that were signed into law in 2011 by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Additionally, it should be noted that Jan. 1, 2012, was the effective date of a provision in the New York State Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act (enacted in 2010) that bars private and public waste haulers/transporters and solid or hazardous waste management facilities from disposing of electronic waste such as televisions, computers, and computer peripherals; they may only collect this waste for recycling or reuse. A ban on the disposal of most rechargeable batteries as solid waste went into effect on Dec. 5, 2011, under the New York State Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act of 2010.
