A 10050: Requires the commissioner of the department of transportation, in consultation with the commissioner of environmental conservation to establish a set of comprehensive road salt reduction policies and to design a road salt applicator training program; requires the department, every state agency and state contractor which uses road salt to use such training materials to train and inform employees on the best practices of using such materials.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 10050  IN ASSEMBLY January 30, 2026 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SHIMSKY -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the transportation law, in relation to creating a road salt applicator training program and requires the training of state agencies and state contractors which use road salt The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The transportation law is amended by adding a new section 2 23 to read as follows: 3 § 23. Road salt applicator training program. 1. (a) The commissioner, 4 in consultation with the commissioner of environmental conservation, 5 shall establish a set of comprehensive road salt reduction policies and 6 standards and use such standards to design a road salt applicator train- 7 ing program to ensure applicators can meet the standards of such road 8 salt applicator training program including, but not limited to: 9 (i) Teaching the science of road salt, granular road salt alternatives 10 and road salt pollution; 11 (ii) Training materials regarding the environmental and human health 12 impacts of road salt; 13 (iii) Best practices for the application of sodium chloride to roads, 14 parking lots, and sidewalks, such as those specifically stated in the 15 Adirondack Road Salt Task Force report; 16 (iv) Use of state of the art equipment for snow and ice removal; 17 (v) Use of monitoring technologies for annual reporting of road salt 18 use by location; 19 (vi) A plan of action for the reduction or elimination of sodium chlo- 20 ride pollution in environmentally sensitive areas; 21 (vii) A verification process for assuring best practices are being 22 implemented and shall continue to be implemented; 23 (viii) The use of road salt alternatives; and 24 (ix) A process for certification of trained and approved applicators, 25 including particular locations for such in-person training program, and 26 a time period within which to complete continuing training requirements. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD13872-02-5 
 A. 10050 2 1 (b) In creating the road salt applicator training program, the commis- 2 sioner shall use best efforts to consult with current programs and 3 research being conducted in the state such as those undertaken by the 4 Fund for Lake George, the Lake George Association, ADK Action, the Cary 5 Institute of Ecosystem Studies, and Cornell University. 6 (c) In creating the road salt application training program, consider- 7 ation should be given to the ability to open the training to all public 8 applicators. 9 2. The commissioner shall prepare and submit to the the governor, the 10 temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the 11 chair of the senate committee on transportation, and the chair of the 12 assembly committee on transportation, on or before December first, two 13 thousand twenty-six, a report containing the road salt applicator 14 program findings and recommendations that include, but are not limited 15 to: 16 (a) Recommendations for conducting the training program by agency 17 staff or a private contractor; 18 (b) Findings regarding the appropriateness of limited liability relief 19 for certified applicators; 20 (c) Recommendations regarding funding options or assistance to locali- 21 ties for purchase of state of the art equipment; 22 (d) Findings, using existing data and information, regarding locations 23 in the state where road salt contamination may be a threat to the envi- 24 ronment, property or human health; 25 (e) Findings regarding the use of similar programs in other states, 26 such as Rhode Island and Minnesota; 27 (f) Recommendations regarding a timeline for implementation of the 28 road salt applicator training program; and 29 (g) Findings regarding costs associated with conducting such program. 30 3. Effective January first, two thousand twenty-seven, the department, 31 every state agency and state contractor which uses road salt shall use 32 the training materials established in subdivision one of this section to 33 train and inform employees on the best practices of using such materi- 34 als. 35 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.