SUPPLEMENTAL FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT for the Tri-Lakes Reliability Project

 

ATTACHMENT 4.  Proposed Constitutional Amendment

 

 

 

S 6216-A  LITTLE                 Same as A 9190  Sweeney (MS) 

ON FILE: 06/14/07 Constitution, Concurrent Resolutions to Amend

TITLE....Authorizes the state to convey to the National Grid certain forest preserve lands to construct a power line in St. Lawrence county

06/13/07

REFERRED TO RULES

06/14/07

AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO RULES

06/14/07

PRINT NUMBER 6216A

 

 

A9190 Sweeney (MS)    Same as S 6216-A  LITTLE 

Constitution, Concurrent Resolutions to Amend

TITLE....Authorizes the state to convey to the National Grid certain forest preserve lands to construct a power line in St. Lawrence county

06/14/07

referred to environmental conservation


 

                STATE OF NEW YORK

        ________________________________________________________________________

 

                                         6216--A

 

                               2007-2008 Regular Sessions

 

                    IN SENATE

 

                                      June 13, 2007

                                       ___________

 

        Introduced  by  Sen.  LITTLE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when

          printed to be  committed  to  the  Committee  on  Rules  --  committee

          discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted

          to said committee

 

                    CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY

 

        proposing  an  amendment to section 1 of article 14 of the constitution,

          in relation to the use of certain forest preserve  lands  by  National

          Grid  to  construct  a  46kV  power  line  along State Route 56 in St.

          Lawrence county

 

     1    Section 1. RESOLVED (if the Assembly concur), That section 1 of  arti-

     2  cle 14 of the constitution be amended to read as follows:

     3    Section  1.  The  lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired,

     4  constituting the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall  be  forever

     5  kept  as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold or exchanged,

     6  or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall the  timber

     7  thereon  be  sold,  removed or destroyed. Nothing herein contained shall

     8  prevent the state from  constructing,  completing  and  maintaining  any

     9  highway  heretofore specifically authorized by constitutional amendment,

    10  nor from constructing and maintaining to federal standards  federal  aid

    11  interstate  highway  route five hundred two from a point in the vicinity

    12  of the city of Glens Falls, thence northerly  to  the  vicinity  of  the

    13  villages  of  Lake  George and Warrensburg, the hamlets of South Horicon

    14  and Pottersville and thence northerly in a generally  straight  line  on

    15  the  west side of Schroon Lake to the vicinity of the hamlet of Schroon,

    16  then continuing northerly to the  vicinity  of  Schroon  Falls,  Schroon

    17  River and North Hudson, and to the east of Makomis Mountain, east of the

    18  hamlet  of New Russia, east of the village of Elizabethtown and continu-

    19  ing northerly in the vicinity of the hamlet of Towers Forge, and east of

    20  Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain and continuing northerly to  the  vicinity  of

    21  the village of Keeseville and the city of Plattsburgh, all of the afore-

    22  said taking not to exceed a total of three hundred acres of state forest

    23  preserve land, nor from constructing and maintaining not more than twen-

 

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                                   LBD89138-02-7

        S. 6216--A                          2

 

     1  ty-five  miles  of  ski trails thirty to two hundred feet wide, together

     2  with appurtenances thereto, provided that no more  than  five  miles  of

     3  such  trails  shall be in excess of one hundred twenty feet wide, on the

     4  north,  east and northwest slopes of Whiteface Mountain in Essex county,

     5  nor from constructing and maintaining not more than twenty-five miles of

     6  ski trails thirty to two hundred feet wide, together with  appurtenances

     7  thereto, provided that no more than two miles of such trails shall be in

     8  excess of one hundred twenty feet wide, on the slopes of Belleayre Moun-

     9  tain  in  Ulster  and Delaware counties and not more than forty miles of

    10  ski trails thirty to two hundred feet wide, together with  appurtenances

    11  thereto,  provided that no more than eight miles of such trails shall be

    12  in excess of one hundred twenty feet wide, on the  slopes  of  Gore  and

    13  Pete Gay mountains in Warren county, nor from relocating, reconstructing

    14  and  maintaining  a total of not more than fifty miles of existing state

    15  highways for the purpose of eliminating the hazards of dangerous  curves

    16  and  grades,  provided  a  total  of  no more than four hundred acres of

    17  forest preserve land shall be used for such purpose and that  no  single

    18  relocated  portion  of  any  highway  shall  exceed  one mile in length.

    19  Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the state may  convey  to  the

    20  village  of  Saranac  Lake ten acres of forest preserve land adjacent to

    21  the boundaries of such village for public use in  providing  for  refuse

    22  disposal  and  in  exchange  therefore the village of Saranac Lake shall

    23  convey to the state thirty acres of certain true forest  land  owned  by

    24  such  village on Roaring Brook in the northern half of Lot 113, Township

    25  11, Richards Survey. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the state

    26  may convey to the town of Arietta twenty-eight acres of forest  preserve

    27  land  within  such town for public use in providing for the extension of

    28  the runway and landing strip of  the  Piseco  airport  and  in  exchange

    29  therefor  the  town of Arietta shall convey to the state thirty acres of

    30  certain land owned by such town in the town of Arietta.  Notwithstanding

    31  the  foregoing  provisions  and  subject  to legislative approval of the

    32  tracts to be exchanged prior to the actual transfer of title, the state,

    33  in order to consolidate its land holdings  for  better  management,  may

    34  convey  to International Paper Company approximately eight thousand five

    35  hundred acres of forest preserve land located in townships two and three

    36  of Totten and Crossfield's Purchase and township nine of the Moose River

    37  Tract, Hamilton county, and in exchange  therefore  International  Paper

    38  Company  shall  convey  to  the  state for incorporation into the forest

    39  preserve approximately the same number of acres of land  located  within

    40  such  townships  and such County on condition that the legislature shall

    41  determine that the lands to be received by the state are at least  equal

    42  in  value  to the lands to be conveyed by the state. Notwithstanding the

    43  foregoing provisions and subject to legislative approval of  the  tracts

    44  to be exchanged prior to the actual transfer of title and the conditions

    45  herein  set forth, the state, in order to facilitate the preservation of

    46  historic buildings listed on the national register of historic places by

    47  rejoining an historic grouping of buildings under unitary ownership  and

    48  stewardship,  may  convey  to  Sagamore Institute Inc., a not-for-profit

    49  educational organization, approximately ten acres of land and  buildings

    50  thereon  adjoining the real property of the Sagamore Institute, Inc. and

    51  located on Sagamore Road, near Racquette Lake Village, in  the  Town  of

    52  Long Lake, county of Hamilton, and in exchange therefor; Sagamore Insti-

    53  tute,  Inc.  shall convey to the state for incorporation into the forest

    54  preserve approximately two hundred acres of  wild  forest  land  located

    55  within  the  Adirondack  Park  on  condition  that the legislature shall

    56  determine that the lands to be received by the state are at least  equal

        S. 6216--A                          3

 

     1  in value to the lands and buildings to be conveyed by the state and that

     2  the  natural  and historic character of the lands and buildings conveyed

     3  by the state will be secured by appropriate covenants  and  restrictions

     4  and  that  the lands and buildings conveyed by the state will reasonably

     5  be available for public visits according to agreement  between  Sagamore

     6  Institute, Inc.  and the state. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions

     7  the  state  may  convey  to  the  town  of Arietta fifty acres of forest

     8  preserve land within such town for  public  use  in  providing  for  the

     9  extension  of  the  runway  and  landing strip of the Piseco airport and

    10  providing for the maintenance of a clear zone around such runway, and in

    11  exchange therefor, the town of Arietta shall convey to the state  fifty-

    12  three  acres  of true forest land located in lot 2 township 2 Totten and

    13  Crossfield's Purchase in the town of Lake Pleasant.

    14    Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions and  subject  to  legislative

    15  approval  prior to actual transfer of title, the state may convey to the

    16  town of Keene, Essex county, for public use as a cemetery owned by  such

    17  town,  approximately  twelve  acres  of forest preserve land within such

    18  town and, in exchange therefor, the town of Keene shall  convey  to  the

    19  state  for  incorporation  into  the  forest  preserve approximately one

    20  hundred forty-four acres of land, together with an  easement  over  land

    21  owned  by  such  town  including the riverbed adjacent to the land to be

    22  conveyed to the state that will restrict  further  development  of  such

    23  land, on condition that the legislature shall determine that the proper-

    24  ty to be received by the state is at least equal in value to the land to

    25  be conveyed by the state.

    26    Notwithstanding  the  foregoing  provisions and subject to legislative

    27  approval prior to actual transfer of title,  the  state  may  convey  to

    28  National  Grid  up to six acres adjoining State Route 56 in St. Lawrence

    29  County where it passes through Forest Preserve in Township 5, Lots 1, 2,

    30  5 and 6 that is necessary and appropriate for National Grid to construct

    31  a new 46kV power line and in  exchange  therefore  National  Grid  shall

    32  convey  to the state for incorporation into the forest preserve at least

    33  10 acres of forest land owned by National Grid in St.  Lawrence  county,

    34  on  condition  that the legislature shall determine that the property to

    35  be received by the state is at least equal in value to the land conveyed

    36  by the state.

    37    § 2. RESOLVED (if the Assembly concur), That the  foregoing  amendment

    38  be referred to the first regular legislative session convening after the

    39  next  succeeding  general  election  of members of the assembly, and, in

    40  conformity with  section  1  of  article  19  of  the  constitution,  be

    41  published for 3 months previous to the time of such election.

 

S6216A Memo Text Not Found