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L.L. 2013/011
Enactment date: 2/25/2013
Int. No. 399-A
By Council Members Vann, Comrie, Fidler, James, Palma, Williams, Van Bramer, Rodriguez, Levin, Nelson, Mark-Viverito, Dromm, Chin, Koppell, Gennaro, Arroyo, Barron, Crowley, Eugene, Greenfield, Jackson, Koo and Lappin
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to increasing native biodiversity in public landscapes.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The Council finds that native plants are the building blocks of our biological diversity and the cornerstone of our natural ecosystems. The Council also finds that invasive plant species are a detriment to the environment, out-competing native plant species and the animals that depend on them, and leaving them vulnerable to depletion or extinction. Further, native plantings may also result in reduced maintenance costs. Therefore the Council finds that it is in the best interests of the City to require greater native biodiversity and limit the use of invasive species in public landscapes.
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[Consolidated provisions are not included in this Appendix A]
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§ 3. This local law shall take effect immediately.
L.L. 2013/013
Enactment date: 2/25/2013
Int. No. 985-A
By Council Members Comrie, Arroyo, Crowley, Cabrera, Dickens, Fidler, Gentile, Greenfield, James, Koslowitz, Palma, Vallone, Williams, Chin, Nelson, Rodriguez, Koppell, Gonzalez, Vacca, Jackson, King, Rose, Dromm, Weprin, Garodnick, Barron, Levin, Eugene, Gennaro, Koo, Lappin, Halloran and Ulrich
A Local Law in relation to underground power lines.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Study of underground power lines.
a. The office of long-term planning and sustainability shall conduct a study of the utilization of underground power lines in the city and submit the findings of such study to the mayor and council within six months of the effective date of this local law.
b. To the extent that the data required below has been made available by local electric corporations that provide electric service in the city, such study shall include, but not be limited to:
1. General information. Disaggregated by borough, and by community district or other areas as defined by the office of long-term planning and sustainability, the names of local electric corporations that provide electric service in the city, and for each such electric corporation the number of residential and commercial customers, respectively, and the estimated number of persons serviced by underground power lines and above ground power lines, respectively, and the average cost per mile for maintenance and repair of underground power lines and above ground power lines, respectively, for the most recent calendar year that such data is available.
2. Weather related outages. Disaggregated by borough, and by community district or other areas as defined by the office of long-term planning and sustainability, the total number of power outages resulting from a failure of all infrastructure servicing a customer that were directly caused by damage resulting from weather events for the past five years, including, but not limited to, damage resulting from: trees and wires downed by wind, snow or ice; heat; cold; rain; and flooding. The study shall provide a summary and statistical analysis of the data collected on each outage, including (i) the number of customers affected, (ii) the estimated number of persons affected, (iii) critical infrastructure affected, (iv) whether the power lines were underground or above ground, (v) the cause and length of time of each such outage, and (vi) the costs of restoring service.
3. General network reliability. Disaggregated by borough, and by community district or other areas as defined by the office of long-term planning and sustainability, the total number of power outages resulting from a failure of all infrastructure servicing a customer other than those directly caused by damage resulting from weather events for the most recent calendar year that such data is available, disaggregated by the cause of such outages. The study shall provide a summary and statistical analysis of the data collected on each outage, including (i) the number of customers affected, (ii) the estimated number of persons affected, (iii) critical infrastructure affected, (iv) whether the power lines were underground or above ground, (v) the cause and length of time of each such outage, and (vi) the costs of restoring service.
4. Costs of undergrounding power lines. The estimated per mile cost of undergrounding power lines within the city of New York, including a breakdown of the costs for labor and materials, and the variables, including population density, that would affect the final cost of undergrounding.
5. Recommendations. A list of neighborhoods or service areas where relocating above ground power lines to underground locations would not be practical or would result in more severe power outages and the considerations that went into such determination; and a list of neighborhoods or service areas where relocating above ground power lines to underground locations would be most advantageous and the considerations that went into such determination.
§ 2. This local law shall take effect immediately.
L.L. 2013/030
Enactment date: 4/2/2013
Preconsidered Int. No. 1016
By Council Members Oddo, the Speaker (Council Member Quinn), Vallone, Recchia, Mendez, Ignizio, Ulrich, Rose, Arroyo, Chin, Comrie, Gentile, Greenfield, King, Nelson, Palma and Halloran
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to prohibited acts committed during a local state of emergency and to certain technical revisions to chapter 1 of title 10 of such code.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Declaration of legislative findings and intent. The Council hereby finds and declares that in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene and Super Storm Sandy there were instances where criminals took an emergency situation as an opportunity to target vulnerable New York City residents and areas of the City for their own personal gain. Crimes of opportunity, including those causing physical injury, or those that involve damaging, taking, or entering property, or fraudulently impersonating public servants, when committed during a local state of emergency and in areas of the City made vulnerable by such emergency, are distinguishable from and more egregious than crimes that occur outside of a crisis. Such acts cause harm and disruption to defenseless residents of the City of New York above and beyond what has already been caused by the circumstances surrounding the emergency, as well as harm and disruption to the City as a whole, both during the emergency and during recovery efforts thereafter. Additionally, the actions of these opportunistic criminals can reverberate throughout the entire City because they lead to the diversion of critical City resources, which could have harmful effects on any of this City's eight million residents.
When criminals target mandatory evacuation areas during mandatory evacuation periods, the problems posed by such criminal conduct are worsened. Mandatory evacuations are declared by the Mayor to secure the safety of the most at-risk New Yorkers, however, many of these residents do not evacuate for fear of their homes being looted. In fact, during Super Storm Sandy reports show that some people, particularly those in Staten Island, lost their lives for this very reason. Moreover, residents of evacuation zones are likely to suffer the most physical or financial damage and are therefore much more susceptible to criminals who prey on the misfortunes of others.
For all of these reasons, it is the intent of the Council to provide all law-abiding New Yorkers with a safe and secure environment during times of emergency. To do so the Council finds that it is necessary to deter crimes of opportunity committed during local states of emergency in mandatory evacuation zones and in areas where access to essential goods and services has been reduced or lost by making such actions punishable criminally and civilly, with heightened penalties for such activity when it takes place in mandatory evacuation zones and during mandatory evacuation periods.
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[Consolidated provisions are not included in this Appendix A]
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§ 4. This local law shall take effect 60 days after its enactment into law.
L.L. 2013/031
Enactment date: 4/2/2013
Preconsidered Int. No. 1017
By Council Members Reyna, Chin, the Speaker (Council Member Quinn), Recchia, Lappin, Arroyo, Mealy, Koo, Eugene, Vallone, Barron, Cabrera, Comrie, Greenfield, James, King, Koslowitz, Lander, Mark-Viverito, Mendez, Nelson, Palma, Richards, Rose, Vacca, Vann, Halloran and Ulrich (in conjunction with the Mayor)
A Local Law in relation to waiver of fees for businesses recovering from damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Statement of intent. A severe storm, known as Hurricane Sandy, recently hit New York City causing heavy flooding, power outages, and widespread damage and disrupting the operation of businesses offering services that are essential to the economic vitality of the city and to the health and well-being of its residents. The expeditious resumption of business in storm damaged areas will be encouraged and incentivized by waiving certain fees that would otherwise be payable to agencies of the city for permits, licenses and inspections required by law in order for such businesses to rebuild and to operate.
§ 2. The fees listed in section 5 of this local law payable to city agencies in connection with the recovery from the effects of Hurricane Sandy by businesses that were in operation as of October 26, 2012, and that meet the eligibility criteria of this section, as determined by the Mayor or his or her designee, may be waived as set forth in this local law. The waiver of fees shall apply to fees otherwise payable to agencies on or prior to December 31, 2013 in connection with the repair or reconstruction of space occupied or to be occupied by eligible businesses, the alteration or repair of systems owned by eligible businesses and serving only space occupied by such eligible businesses, or the replacement of a vehicle required to do business. For the purposes of this section a building shall not be considered an eligible business. Businesses eligible for waiver of fees pursuant to this local law must meet the following criteria:
a. As of October 26, 2012, the business must (i) have been located in space that is in a building within the boundaries of a Disaster Recovery Area, as defined in section 4 of this local law; or (ii) have been located in a building that, after Hurricane Sandy, was assigned a red, yellow or green placard by the Department of Buildings; or (iii) have been a vehicle.
b. On or prior to October 31, 2013 the owner of the business must apply to the mayor or his or her designee for a determination of eligibility for waiver of applicable fees pursuant to this local law on forms and in a manner to be prescribed by the mayor or his or her designee. The owner must submit written certification signed by such owner or such other documentation as may be required by the mayor or his or her designee, confirming that: (i) the space occupied by such business or the vehicle required for the operation of such business suffered substantial damage as a result of Hurricane Sandy that has interfered significantly with and that continues to interfere significantly with the operation of such business in the manner in which it operated prior to Hurricane Sandy; and (ii) the business currently occupies or intends to re-occupy space in the same building that it occupied prior to Hurricane Sandy or in a new building within the same Business Recovery Zone, or intends to replace a vehicle required for the operation of the business that was rendered inoperable as a result of Hurricane Sandy.
§ 3. The owner of the business shall present the approved eligibility application to the applicable agency to obtain the fee waiver. The fee waiver may be granted only for eligible fees that would otherwise be payable by such business on or prior to December 31, 2013. An agency may refund fees paid by an eligible business after October 26, 2012 and prior to the effective date of this local law provided that an application for such refund is made to the agency on or prior to May 31, 2013.
§ 4. For the purposes of this local law the term Disaster Recovery Area means:
a. The area within Hurricane Evacuation Zones A and B, as designated by the New York City Office of Emergency Management on the New York City Hurricane Zone Maps in effect as of October 26, 2012; or
b. The area within any Business Recovery Zone created by the Department of Small Business Services and delineated on maps published on such department's web site.
§ 5. The following fees are eligible for waiver pursuant to this local law:
c. Department of Buildings. Application, permit and inspection fees required by Administrative Code § 28-112 for the following work: plumbing, scaffolds, sidewalk sheds, fences, signs, boilers, demolition, elevators, construction, limited alterations and after hours variances as well as fees required by Administrative Code § 27-3018 with respect to electrical work.
d. Fire Department.
(1) Fees required by New York City Fire Code Sections A03.1(3) and A03.1(37) with respect to the inspection and testing of liquid motor fuel dispensing system installations.
(2) Fees required by New York City Fire Code Section A03.1(20) with respect to acceptance testing of fire protection systems, including fire alarm systems, fire extinguishing systems and fire pumps.
(3) Fees required by New York City Fire Code Section A03.1(45) and fire department rule 3 RCNY § (e) with respect to plan examinations applicable to review of design and installation documents for liquid motor fuel dispensing systems and fire protection systems.
e. Department of Small Business Services. Fees required by 66 RCNY § 4-01 with respect to waterfront construction work, equipment use permits, mooring permits, fill work permits and certificates of completion.
f. Department of Transportation. Fees required by 34 RCNY § 2-03 with respect to street opening permits, building operations and construction activity permits, debris containers, sidewalk construction permits, vault permits and canopy permits.
g. Landmarks Preservation Commission. Fees required by 63 RCNY § 13-04 with respect to certificates of appropriateness and certificates of no effect
§ 6. Within 90 days after the repeal of sections 1 through 5 of this local law pursuant to section 7 of this local law, the mayor or the mayor's designee shall compile information, so as to submit a report to the mayor and the speaker regarding the number of businesses that submitted applications for a waiver of applicable fees pursuant to this local law, including the number that were determined to be eligible and the number that were determined not to be eligible. The report shall specify the geographic distribution of such businesses.
§ 7. This local law shall take effect immediately except that sections 1 through 5 of this local law shall remain in effect up to and including December 31, 2013 after which such sections 1 through 5 shall be deemed repealed.
L.L. 2013/032
Enactment date: 4/23/2013
Int. No. 694-A
By Council Members Gennaro, Garodnick, Brewer, Fidler, Gentile, James, Koppell, Lander, Mark-Viverito, Palma, Williams, Arroyo, Levin, Dromm, Van Bramer, Barron, Eugene, Greenfield, Jackson, Richards, Halloran and Ulrich
A Local Law in relation to studying the feasibility of developing geothermal energy.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this local law, the following terms shall mean:
a. "Energy" shall mean work or heat that is, or may be, produced from any fuel or source, including, but not limited to, electrical, fossil, geothermal, wind, hydro, solid waste, tidal, solar and nuclear.
b. "Geothermal energy" shall mean the stored thermal energy of the Earth that is recovered to heat or cool buildings, or generate electricity.
c. "Geothermal ground coupling" shall mean the arrangement of piping and fluid handling equipment designed to exchange the stored thermal energy of the Earth with a building.
d. "Geothermal system" shall mean a type of heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system used to exchange the stored thermal energy of the Earth with a building, to provide space heating and cooling, and hot water through the use of geothermal ground coupling and mechanical heat exchange devices such as heat pumps, modular reversible chillers, or other heat exchangers.
§ 2. Geothermal energy study and recommendations. As provided in section three of this local law, the office of long-term planning and sustainability shall submit a study to the mayor and the speaker of the council to explore the feasibility of developing geothermal energy resources in the city, which shall include, but need not be limited to:
a. a map that visually identifies or estimates areas of the city that may be appropriate for geothermal energy exchange with the Earth based on subsurface geologic conditions and the type or types of geothermal system that would be appropriate for each such area, and that can be used to determine whether a building may be within any such area;
b. a summary of building characteristics that would be suitable for a retrofit installation of a geothermal system;
c. an analysis of the viability of developing large district or campus-scale geothermal ground couplings to serve clusters of buildings;
d. a summary of the applicable federal, state, and city laws, rules, regulations, filing requirements, and fees for the installation and operation of geothermal systems;
e. a summary of the specific practical and legal impediments, if any, to the installation and operation of geothermal systems;
f. a summary of existing technical standards and/or guidelines for geothermal system installations in the city of New York; and
g. recommendations to promote the installation and use of geothermal systems in new construction, alterations, and retrofits of buildings.
§ 3. The study required by section two of this local law shall be submitted to the mayor and the speaker of the council on or before June 1, 2014. The statistical or factual information compiled by the city and utilized in such study shall be made available to the public on the city's open data web portal at the time the study is submitted.
§ 4. This local law shall take effect immediately.
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