New York State’s Enhanced Public Participation Act (S.2510A/A.6584A) would require applicants for major polluting projects looking to site in or near a disadvantaged community to submit an enhanced public participation plan for community engagement. New York State’s Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus has named this bill an environmental justice legislative priority for the past couple of years. 

While the Cumulative Impacts law of 2022 focuses on the granting of permits, the Enhanced Public Participation Act focuses on community input and participation. People of color and low-income communities have historically been shut out of the process for projects being placed in their neighborhoods. Environmental justice communities are currently given no power in determining the siting for major polluting facilities, nor are they given the power to negotiate for community benefits.

This legislation would be a critical addition to the Cumulative Impacts law, ensuring that strong comprehensive plans are in place to secure meaningful environmental justice community input on new projects. And, in addition to safeguarding our communities by giving them a voice, it would also benefit those developing these projects because having community voices accurately represented at the beginning of a proposed permit process will create community buy-in and prevent project delays that might otherwise result from community opposition late in the permit approval process.