New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

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The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (abbr .: NYSDEC , DEC , EnCon , NYSENCON ) is an agency of the government of the state of New York . The Department directs and regulates the conservation, development and protection of the state's natural resources , manages the land of the Forest Preserves (protected areas) in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks, as well as the State Forests and Wildlife Management Areas . It also regulates sport fishing, hunting and trapping, and is also responsible for law enforcement in relation to environmental protection laws. The specific laws and regulations are set out in Title 6 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations . The Department was founded in 1970 as the successor organization to the Conservation Department .

NYS DEC had an annual budget of approximately $ 1,430 million in 2017 and 3,000 employees across New York state. The agency administers more than 16,000 km² (4 million acres ) of land in state protected areas and a further 3,700 km² (910,000 acres) of private land, in which certain sovereign rights (conservation easements) apply. The agency's activities go well beyond these tasks, however, as the department publishes its own magazine and the State Bird Atlas and also manages 52 campgrounds in the Adirondack and Catskill parks.

history

Predecessor organizations

Cover of the Sixth Annual Report of the Forest, Fish and Game Commission (1901).

Many of the specific tasks of today's DEC arose from tasks that were taken over by individual commissions or agencies that were active as independent authorities before the founding of the DEC. These smaller authorities merged into today's Department, which was officially established in 1970.

The first New York state commission responsible for natural resources was a Fisheries Commission , which was founded in 1868 and consisted of 3 officers. The Forest Commission was established in 1885 and redesigned in 1893. It was created to manage the newly created Forest Preserves in the Adirondacks and Catskills, in conjunction with the management of other forests, afforestation and forest fire prevention throughout the state. A Forest Preserve Board was established in 1897 with the task of acquiring new land for protected areas. The Fisheries Commission and the Forest Commission were merged to form the Fisheries, Game, and Forest Commission (1895) and renamed the Forest, Fish, and Game Commission in 1900 .

Since 1902 there were protection measures for New York's water resources by the Water Storage Commission (later: Water Supply Commission , 1905). This authority also took over the tasks of the River Improvement Commission (founded in 1904). The original focus was on monitoring drinking water quality for New York's Cities, Towns and Villages.

In 1911 the Water Supply Commission, the Forest Preserve Board, and the Forest, Fish, and Game Commission became the Conservation Commission , which was headed by three commissioners.

The Conservation Commission became the Conservation Department in the course of a reorganization in the state administration in 1926 and was also given the tasks of the Water Power Commission (founded in 1921) and the Water Control Commission (founded in 1922), which were created to monitor state hydropower plants and water allocations had been. In the new department, a Division of Parks was established, the forerunner of the New York State Council of Parks , which was founded in 1924 to manage New York's state parks and historic sites outside the Forest Preserves.

development

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation was ultimately established in 1970 and opened on the symbolic date of the first Earth Day by then Governor Nelson Rockefeller . The new Department took over the functions of the Conservation Department and also received the tasks of several programs that were previously located in the Department of Health and other commissions; in addition, several new offices were created.

With the same law the new Department was relieved of the duties of the Division of Parks; this previous sub-unit became the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation .

In the first decade of its existence, the Department implemented the newly introduced National Environmental Policy Act . The DEC's work on Love Canal raised the public awareness of the problem of hazardous waste landfills. It was around this time that General Electric stopped dumping PCBs in the Hudson River , which continues to this day, as well as introducing New York's first state Endangered Species List .

The DEC was also given the task of carrying out the review process for the declarations of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). In 1972, voters voted for the Environmental Quality Bond Act , which to this day provides funds to purchase land, dispose of waste, treat sewage, monitor air pollution and restore resources. The renewed vote in 1986 made the decontamination of some hazardous waste landfills possible.

In the 1980s, the DEC was given the authority to regulate the storage, transport, processing and disposal of hazardous waste. Armed with this power of attorney, it arranged for New York to end radioactive waste disposal in West Valley . In addition, a one-way deposit law was passed (bottle bill), which was implemented by the DEC. The department buildings at Whiteface and Mt. Van Hoevenberg near Lake Placid were the venues for events for the 1980 Winter Olympics .

During this decade, with extensive help from volunteers, New York's Atlas of Breeding Birds was created, a mammoth work of great value for all ornithologists and bird lovers. The DEC's efforts have also resulted in the reintroduction of various endangered species, including the bald eagle .

It was also established that the taxpayer a gift to the Nature (Gift to Wildlife) on their income tax - forms can enter, gets causing the DEC directly money for protection programs.

In the 1990s, lawsuits brought by the DEC against New York City led to an amicable settlement, whereupon the city introduced a set of rules for the landfill of Fresh Kills and ultimately closed the landfills. New York has reduced its landfills by 80% since 1984. The Department also reached a Memorandum of Understanding with the city, in which stricter land use regulations for the catchment areas of the reservoirs in upstate are introduced and economic development funds are made available in the communities in these areas.

The 90 mile long (140 km) Genesee Valley Greenway was designed in this time in an abandoned railway line and along the Genesee Valley Canal . A new source of funding was opened to the DEC when the state established the Environmental Protection Fund .

During the same period, the state open space plan for future land acquisitions was drawn up.

DEC headquarters in Albany .

In the summer of 2001, the department's headquarters were relocated after Governor George Pataki had decided in the late 1990s that the department should have a new address overlooking the Hudson River. The previous headquarters (50 Wolf Road, Colonie, NY) became the headquarters of the New York State Department of Transportation . The new office tower is at 625 Broadway, downtown Albany. The building was completed in April 2001 and by August 1,500 employees had moved into the new building. The staff were also involved in the clean-up after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks .

In 2006, the DEC undertook an investigation into the former New York Guard training area , Camp O'Ryan .

organization

The Department of Environmental Conservation is headed by a Commissioner who is appointed by the Governor and who reports to the Deputy Secretary for the Environment . The heads of all offices, divisions and regional directors report to the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner.

The Department consists of 12 offices with numerous departments:

DEC symbol as a sign of a state land border.
  • Office of Administration: Division of Operations , Division of Management and Budget , Office of Employee Relations
  • Office of Air Resources, Climate Change & Energy: Division of Air Resources , Office of Climate Change
  • Office of General Counsel: Program and Regional Counsel , Freedom Of Information Law (FOIL)
  • Office of Hearings and Mediation Services
  • Office of Internal Audit and Investigation
  • Office of Legislative Affairs
  • Office of Natural Resources: Division of Fish and Wildlife , Division of Marine Resources , Division of Lands and Forests .
  • Office of Public Affairs: Office of Communication Services , responsible for the New York State Conservationist magazine, among other things ; Press office ; Environmental Justice
  • Office of Public Protection: Two uniformed departments report to the office: Division of Forest Protection : New York State Forest Rangers ; Division of Law Enforcement : New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police (ECOs); Emergency Response Coordination Unit
  • Office of Regional Affairs and Permitting: Division of Environmental Permits ; Regions 1-9 Administration
  • Office of Remediation and Materials Management: Division of Environmental Remediation ; Division of Mineral Resources (There are 12,600 active oil wells in New York ); Division of Materials Management (waste and hazardous waste disposal).
  • Office of Water Resources: Division of Water (responsible for 52,337 miles (84,210 km) rivers, 7,849 lakes; 2.5 million acres (10,000 km²) freshwater wetlands and 25,000 acres (100 km²) mudflats, as well as the Coastal Erosion Hazard Area [CEHA] Program); Hudson River Estuary Program ; Great Lakes Program ; New York City Watershed
NYS DEC Spill Response Unit at South Beach, Staten Island after Hurricane Sandy.

Regions

NYSDEC regions map.svg
Region 3 office in New Paltz
Region 5 office in Ray Brook

The DEC divides the state into nine administrative regions, in each of which several counties are combined. All of the DEC's competencies are represented in each Regional Office. Some regions have sub-offices.

financing

Licensing and certificates of entitlement make up the majority of DEC's revenue (58%). Direct funding from the state budget is 24% and United States grants and grants make up the remaining 17% of the budget. In 2017, the budget was $ 1,430 million.

Employees

The employees come from a wide variety of areas and professions. In addition to administrative employees, the spectrum of employment extends to unskilled workers and from offices to ranger positions in the wilderness areas. The work we as a Public Service classified (civil service) and requires that applicants pass the necessary exams for.

According to the Criminal Procedure Law, ECOs and Forest Rangers are treated as policemen. You have the right to carry firearms and arrest criminals at any time .

The majority of the workforce is unionized , with employees usually belonging to the Public Employees Federation and workers to the Civil Service Employees Association , as well as law enforcement officers to the independent New York State Correctional and Police Officers' Benevolent Association .

collaboration

The DEC works closely with various other organizations: United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYSOPRHP, including the Genesee Valley Greenway ), Palisades Interstate Park Commission , New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Adirondack Park Agency .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Environmental Conservation Law § 3-0101. "The Department of Environmental Conservation, which was established by chapter 140 of the Laws of 1970, is hereby continued, and all the powers, functions, duties and obligations possessed by the department pursuant to such chapter immediately preceding the effective date of this chapter are hereby continued. "
  2. ^ History of DEC. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 2010-11-15.
  3. ↑ NYS DOB: FY 2018 Executive Budget - Agency Appropriations. www.budget.ny.gov 2018-05-16.
  4. ↑ About DEC - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation. www.dec.ny.gov 2018-05-16.
  5. ^ Division of Lands and Forests - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation. www.dec.ny.gov 2018-05-16.
  6. ^ A b c d e Environmental Documentary Sources in New York State. New York State Education Department, New York State Archives 2000-08-00, pp. 23-25.
  7. ^ A b Environmental Documentary Sources in New York State. New York State Education Department, New York State Archives 2000-08-00 pp. 15-16.
  8. ↑ Natural Heritage Trust; New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; New York State Council of Parks & Recreation: Fifty Years: New York State Parks, 1924–1974. 1975: 16.
  9. ↑ Divisions - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation. www.dec.ny.gov 2018-05-16.
  10. ↑ DEC's Hudson River drillings were used by EPA as a basis for its own tests that led to its decision to dredge the PCBs from the bed of the upper Hudson.

literature

Web links

Commons : New York State Department of Environmental Conservation  - collection of images, videos, and audio files