Written by Michael Moran on April 21, 2010 – 8:05 am
A unified Republican conference in the Senate defeated a disastrous bill that would have stopped economic development projects all over the state by convincing three upstate Democrats to join them in opposition.
The Business Council vigorously opposed the bill (S.1635) that would have given individuals standing to bring lawsuits alleging violations of the environmental quality review provisions of the Environmental Conservation Law. These lawsuits could have halted numerous construction projects around the state and discouraged future investment and development. Read The Business Council’s opposition memo here.
Republican Senator Michael Ranzenhofer led the opposition debate saying, “I think the passage of this bill would put up a sign saying New York is closed for business.”
He added that the legislation would be “devastating” for his community in western New York.