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Most of New York State is like the wild wild west when it comes to water. But not for too much longer.
Two bills that give the State Department of Environmental Conservation the power to monitor water withdrawal are likely to be passed by the legislature over the next 10 days.
If signed by the Governor, the bills will do a few things. First, they would bring NY into compliance with the Great Lakes Basin Compact, a huge deal the state hammered out with Canada and other Great Lakes states. And, they would implement a statewide permitting program for all large water withdrawals.
The fact that two regulatory bills about WATER are about to pass in both chambers is testament to just how important environmentalists, the business community and farmers see the asset.
Bradd Vickers explains why the Farm Bureau is supportive. "I’ve always been a little antsy with reporting processes of any sort to the government because typically down the ends up down the road all of a sudden need fees for staff, etc and now all of a sudden you gotten into a tax or fee base program.
Not all farmers support the bill, and even one environmental group, the Sierra Club, has called for hearings – but with a memo of support from the Business Council, environmental groups are ready to declare victory.
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