S 1103: Establishes the New York state cooperative watershed management program within the department of environmental conservation under which watershed networks may apply for grants for watershed network development and watershed network professionalization, subject to appropriation of funds from the legislature.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1103 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. MAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to establishing the New York state cooperative watershed management program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a 2 new section 15-0519 to read as follows: 3 § 15-0519. Cooperative watershed management program. 4 1. There is hereby established within the department a "New York state 5 cooperative watershed management program" for the purpose of providing 6 funding to watershed networks to encourage such watershed networks to 7 form local or regional solutions to address their water and watershed 8 management needs. 9 2. For the purposes of this section the following terms shall have the 10 following meanings: 11 (a) "Program" means the New York state cooperative watershed manage- 12 ment program established pursuant to subdivision one of this section. 13 (b) "Watershed network" means a self-sustaining, non-regulatory, 14 consensus-based network that is composed of a diverse array of stake- 15 holders, which may include but shall not be limited to, lake associ- 16 ations and other watershed-related non-profit organizations, munici- 17 palities, federal, state, or local agencies, and tribal nations. A 18 "watershed network" may be specific to a defined watershed devoted to 19 one water body or may represent an array of such groups working across 20 connected watersheds in a region. A "watershed network" may be housed 21 within a watershed management council, a lake association, intermunici- 22 pal body, or a municipal government, but shall represent a variety of 23 stakeholders in such watershed or region. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03626-01-5 
 S. 1103 2 1 (c) "Watershed network development" means activities to develop a 2 watershed network, including, but not limited to, development of bylaws 3 or mission statements, performing stakeholder outreach, pursuing recog- 4 nition as a nonprofit, or other similar organization activities. 5 (d) "Watershed network professionalization" means activities to 6 professionalize a watershed network, including, but not limited to, 7 hiring professional staff for watershed management or grant writing, 8 developing watershed restoration plans, or designing watershed manage- 9 ment projects. 10 3. (a) The program shall develop a process whereby watershed networks 11 may apply to the program for grants for watershed network development or 12 watershed network professionalization. 13 (b) The program shall develop criteria for a competitive award process 14 for approval or denial of grant applications from watershed networks 15 pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision. Such criteria shall 16 include, but not be limited to, the following for approval of a grant 17 application: 18 (i) The applicant watershed network shall be comprised of two or more 19 public or private stakeholders; and 20 (ii) The applicant watershed network has demonstrated stakeholder 21 buy-in to the watershed network development or watershed network profes- 22 sionalization plan by submitting a complete budget proposal for such 23 plan, and by submitting letters of support from such stakeholders. 24 4. (a) A watershed network selected for a watershed network develop- 25 ment grant pursuant to this section shall be awarded a grant not to 26 exceed twenty thousand dollars. The same watershed network shall be 27 eligible to receive a watershed network development grant pursuant to 28 this section no more frequently than once every five years. 29 (b) A watershed network selected for a watershed network professional- 30 ization grant pursuant to this section shall be awarded a grant not to 31 exceed forty thousand dollars. The same watershed network shall be 32 eligible to receive a watershed network professionalization grant pursu- 33 ant to this section annually for up to three consecutive years. 34 (c) A watershed network shall not be eligible to receive a watershed 35 network development grant and a watershed professionalization grant in 36 the same year. 37 5. Funds awarded by the program pursuant to this section shall be 38 subject to appropriation therefor by the legislature. 39 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall 40 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or 41 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of 42 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed 43 on or before such effective date.