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The article explores objectives of Task Force on Environmental Aspects of the New York State Constitution as convened by the Executive Committee of New York State Bar Association. It reports how the task force supported the amendment in constitutional laws concerning environment through the Constitutional Convention.

The article highlights laws in New York to amend Constitutional Environmental Rights through constitutional convention. Topics discussed include opportunities and challenges in enforcing existing subnational environmental provisions; constitutional convention for the State of New York; and ways in which Environmental protection (land, water, air, plants and animals) is a responsibility of all and if anyone causes damage to them.

The article highlights laws aimed to govern subnational environmental constitutionalism in New York. Topics discussed include opportunities and challenges in enforcing existing subnational environmental provisions; constitutional convention for the State of New York; and ways in which Environmental protection (land, water, air, plants and animals) is a responsibility of all and if anyone causes damage to them.

We examine the environmental and policy impacts of switching from oil-fired to natural gas-fired generation in New York City (NYC). We create an hourly panel of the fuel use of NYC's generators and use a semi-parametric approach to identify the fuel-price spread that induces the switch from oil to gas. We find that NYC's pollution emissions decrease significantly after generators switch to natural gas. Around two-thirds of these emission reductions come from reduced emission intensity within plants, while the remaining third comes from less intense dispatch of oil fired generators. To illustrate the policy impact, we simulate the introduction of a real time pricing (RTP) program in NYC. The results suggest that the environmental benefits of the RTP decreased by nearly 30% due largely to fuel switching. While we focus on RTP, these results can be used to evaluate any energy policy that has a heterogeneous impact across time or the demand profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the concept of symbolic politics for disempowered communities in America, and it mentions the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the history and evolution of state environmental justice policies in places such as New York. A proposed "environmental equity" legislative bill in the New York State Assembly is mentioned in relation to minorities and the potential links between health problems and environmental factors in low-income communities.

To date, only a limited number of studies have examined the impact of ambient pollutant policy on respiratory morbidities. This accountability study examined the effect of a regional pollution control policy, namely, the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) nitrogen oxides (NOx) Budget Trading Program (NBP), on respiratory health in New York State (NYS). Time-series analysis using generalized additive models was applied to assess changes in daily hospitalizations for respiratory diseases in NYS after the implementation of the NBP policy. Respiratory end points in the summers during the baseline period (1997-2000) were compared with those during the post-intervention period (2004-2006). Stratified analyses were also conducted to examine whether health impacts of the NBP differed by socio-demographic, regional, or clinical characteristics. Following the implementation of EPA's NBP policy, there were significant reductions in mean ozone levels (−2% to −9%) throughout NYS. After adjusting for time-varying variables, PM2.5 concentration, and meteorological factors, significant post-intervention declines in respiratory admissions were observed in the Central (−10.18, 95% confidence interval (CI): −14.18, −6.01), Lower Hudson (−11.05, 95% CI: −16.54, −5.19), and New York City Metro regions (−5.71, 95% CI: −7.39, −4.00), consistent with wind trajectory patterns. Stratified analyses suggest that admissions for asthma, chronic airway obstruction, among those 5-17 years old, self-payers, Medicaid-covered, and rural residents declined the most post-NBP. This study suggests that the NOx control policy may have had a positive impact on both air pollution levels statewide and respiratory health in some NYS regions. However, the effect varied by disease subgroups, region, and socio-demographic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Agent-based computer simulation was used to create artificial communities in which each individual was constructed according to the principles of the elaboration likelihood model of Petty and Cacioppo [1986. The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. In: Berkowitz, L. (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. Academic Press, New York, NY, pp. 123–205]. Campaigning strategies and community characteristics were varied systematically to understand and test their impact on attitudes towards environmental protection. The results show that strong arguments influence a green (environmentally concerned) population with many contacts most effectively, while peripheral cues have the greatest impact on a non-green population with fewer contacts. Overall, deeper information scrutiny increases the impact of strong arguments but is especially important for convincing green populations. Campaigns involving person-to-person communication are superior to mass-media campaigns because they can be adapted to recipients’ characteristics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article explores the examples of adjudicatory triggers, a hybrid strategy involve in regulatory schemes, through a case study of the 1970s and 1980s litigation against Westway highway and park project in New York City. The failure of such project is attributed to the information revealed by adjudicatory trigger elements and linked structures in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Water Act (CWA) and Clean Air Act (CAA). It explains the benefit and disadvantage of adjudicator trigger strategies.

We examine the relationship between the administrative enforcement of environmental regulation, ethnic heterogeneity, and other community characteristics in New Jersey and New York. We find that the percentage of non-white population in a community is positively related with administrative penalties imposed on violators. However, penalties are lower in more ethnically diverse communities. This result may be due to the fact that these communities are less likely to coordinate to create solidarity across ethnic groups and demand stronger enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant component of the political history of New York and other states in the second half of the twentieth century is the extraordinary growth of a social movement directed at environmental issues. The authors completed a case study of a documentation project to collect archival records about the history of environmental affairs in New York State. This article critically examines documentation strategy and the evolution of statewide documentation projects in New York, describes the implementation of a documentation project for environmental affairs, and suggests methods for improving the identification and selection of records of enduring value. The project set out to answer a number of questions about the scope of environmental affairs, the nature of the political culture for environmental public policy, and the best way to develop an effective methodology for collection development, for record surveying, and for the education of record holders. A primary finding of the study was that holders of archival records are in dire need of education about the importance of and methods for depositing, providing access to, and preserving archival records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The New York City Department of Sanitation operates the world's largest refuse marine transport system. Waste trucks unload their cargo at land-based transfer stations where refuse is placed in barges and then towed by tugboats to the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island. In the early 1980s, the city commissioned the development of a computer-based model for use in fleet sizing and operations planning. As a result of the complexities introduced by environmental regulation and technological innovation, the marine transport system operations changed and the existing model became obsolete. Based on the success achieved with the first model in 1993, the city commissioned the development of a new model. In this paper, we present a PG-based model developed to meet the increased complexity of the system. Analysis performed for validation and calibration of the model demonstrates that it tracks well the operations of the real system. We illustrate through a detailed design exercise how to use the model to configure the system in a way that meets the requirements of the refuse marine transport system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Requirements and response to federal air quality act in Delaware and New York City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In July 2003, New York State implemented the Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA) to reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). In this cross-sectional study, workers (n = 168) completed an interview assessing ETS exposure and provided urine for cotinine analysis. Hospitality workers recruited after implementation of the CIAA had significant reductions in ETS exposure and urine cotinine, compared with those recruited before implementation. The New York State CIAA yielded measurable reductions in ETS exposure for hospitality workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the move of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in New York City to pass a bill designed to regulate a growing number of firms that sell environmental sensors to guard against terrorist attack. The bill contains a violation to have or use a chemical, biological or radiological detector without a permit issued by the police department of the city. The police department introduces required permits to ensure the sensor's quality, reduce the potential for false alarms and establish a clear alerting process.