N.Y. EXC Law § 912 — New York Code / Act EXC / Article 42 / Section 912
Declaration of policy
Status: in_force

§ 912. Declaration of policy. It is hereby declared to be the public\npolicy of the state of New York within the coastal areas and inland\nwaterways:\n  1. To achieve a balance between economic development and preservation\nthat will permit the beneficial use of coastal and inland waterway\nresources while preventing the loss of living marine resources and\nwildlife, diminution of open space areas or public access to the\nwaterfront, shoreline erosion, impairment of scenic beauty, or permanent\nadverse changes to ecological systems.\n  2. To encourage the development and use of existing ports and small\nharbors including use and maintenance of viable existing\ninfrastructures, and to reinforce their role as valuable components\nwithin the state's transportation and industrial network.\n  3. To conserve, protect and where appropriate promote commercial and\nrecreational use of fish and wildlife resources and to conserve and\nprotect fish and wildlife habitats identified by the department of\nenvironmental conservation as critical to the maintenance or\nre-establishment of species of fish or wildlife. Such protection shall\ninclude mitigation of the potential impact from adjacent land use or\ndevelopment.\n  4. To encourage and facilitate public access for recreational\npurposes.\n  5. To minimize damage to natural resources and property from flooding\nand erosion, including proper location of new land development,\nprotection of beaches, dunes, barrier islands, bluffs and other critical\ncoastal and inland waterway features and use of non-structural measures,\nwhenever possible.\n  6. To encourage the restoration and revitalization of natural and\nman-made resources.\n  7. To encourage the location of land development in areas where\ninfrastructure and public services are adequate.\n  8. To conserve and protect agricultural lands as valued natural and\necological resources which provide for open spaces, clean air sheds and\naesthetic value as well as for agricultural use.\n  9. To assure consistency of state actions and, where appropriate,\nfederal actions, with policies of the coastal area and inland waterways,\nand with accepted waterfront revitalization programs of the area defined\nor addressed by such programs.\n  10. To work cooperatively with the federal government, local\ngovernments and private parties to implement programs to control and\nabate sources of nonpoint source pollution that may affect coastal and\ninland waterways.\n  11. To cooperate and coordinate with other states, the federal\ngovernment and Canada to attain a consistent policy towards coastal and\ninland waterway management.\n  12. To encourage and assist local governments in the coastal area and\ninland waterways to use all their powers that can be applied to achieve\nthese objectives.\n  13. To facilitate the redevelopment of urban waterfronts.\n  14. To encourage local governments to enter into intermunicipal\nagreements to protect their shared environment and improve their\nregion's economic strength.\n  15. To encourage state agencies to provide technical and financial\nassistance for implementation of local waterfront revitalization\nprograms.\n  16. To encourage local governments and state agencies to celebrate,\nprotect and enhance the special places that made waterfronts distinct\necological systems and the preferred locations for people to live, work\nand recreate.\n