A 6369: Establishes the marine electric propulsion health and environmental impact program to provide education, advocacy and increased awareness of the environmental and health impacts of marine electric propulsion systems.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6369 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 4, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PALMESANO, ANGELINO, BLANKENBUSH, K. BROWN, GALLAHAN, McDONOUGH, TAGUE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the navigation law, in relation to establishing the marine electric propulsion health and environmental impact program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The navigation law is amended by adding a new section 76-a 2 to read as follows: 3 § 76-a. Marine electric propulsion health and environmental impact 4 program. 1. For the purposes of this section "marine electric propul- 5 sion" shall mean all mechanical, electrical and physical aspects of a 6 powertrain consisting of an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion 7 battery or bank of batteries, which functions as the primary propulsion 8 system of a boat or personal watercraft. 9 2. The commissioner, in consultation with the national transportation 10 safety board, the commissioner of environmental conservation and the 11 commissioner of health, shall establish and implement a marine electric 12 propulsion environmental and health impact program within the office. 13 3. Such program shall provide education, advocacy and increased aware- 14 ness of the environmental and health impacts of marine electric propul- 15 sion systems. Such environmental and health impacts shall include, but 16 shall not be limited to: 17 (a) the release of environmental contaminants from marine-rated lithi- 18 um-ion battery cells in the event of a loss of battery integrity, and 19 their environmental and health effects; 20 (b) impacts associated with the decomposition of lithium-ion battery 21 components, particularly in cases of battery immersion in both salt and 22 fresh water; 23 (c) various risks of electrocution, especially electric shock drown- 24 ing; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03699-01-5 
 A. 6369 2 1 (d) safety requirements for the mooring, launch and recovery of elec- 2 tric boats at New York state parks, shorelines, inland waterways and any 3 other locations where boats and personal watercraft are commonly handled 4 or moored; 5 (e) specific fire risks associated with lithium-ion battery combustion 6 in the event of water-borne collisions, vehicular collisions while 7 trailering, or short-circuits; and 8 (f) any other event which might result in a negative impact to the 9 battery within three hundred feet of a shoreline, dock, ramp, pier or 10 any other mooring point where swimmers might be present. 11 4. The office shall create a fact sheet containing information regard- 12 ing the environmental and health impacts of marine electric propulsion 13 systems pursuant to subdivision three of this section. Such fact sheet 14 shall be distributed upon the successful completion of an approved boat- 15 ing safety course pursuant to section seventy-five of this part. Addi- 16 tionally, the office shall distribute or otherwise make such information 17 available at any other locations and in any such manner the commissioner 18 deems necessary or advisable. 19 5. The office shall promulgate such rules and regulations as are 20 necessary to implement the provisions of this section. 21 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.