Save the bay: Bill to protect against Jamaica Bay dumping passes Senate

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A bill that would protect Jamaica Bay, which surrounds the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, pictured here, has passed the State Senate. Eagle file photo by Victoria Merlino.

A bill that would protect Jamaica Bay, which surrounds the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, pictured here, has passed the State Senate. Eagle file photo by Victoria Merlino.

By Phineas Rueckert

A bill to permanently safeguard Jamaica Bay against contamination is one step closer to becoming law. S.4165/A.5767, which extends environmental protections set to expire in June of 2022, passed the State Senate Monday and now sits at Gov. Cuomo’s desk.

The legislation was co-sponsored by State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, Jr., who represents Queens’ 15th District, and Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato. If approved, it will protect the deepest parts of the 18,000-acre estuary from being used as a de facto garbage dump for city, state and federal agencies, community advocate Dan Mundy, Jr. said.  

“Jamaica Bay is a critical natural resource and an environmental jewel that needs to be carefully protected,” Addabbo said in a statement. “Simply said, we need to remain vigilant to ensure that our beautiful Bay isn’t ever allowed to become a dumping ground for harmful pollutants.”

Initially passed in 2014, the bill blocked the Army Corps of Engineers from dumping hazardous materials into the bay. Now, these protections could provide permanent relief to natural ecosystems affected by rising sea levels and climate change, Alex Zablocki, the Executive Director of the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, told the Eagle.

“With restoration efforts that are underway, we have the opportunity to literally turn the tide and build back some of these natural defenses,” Zablocki said. “This bill complements that.”

In addition to pushing to extend permanent protections to Jamaica Bay, Addabbo has also pushed for a number of other environmental measures in his district, including a switch to paper straws and a ban on harvesting a fish known as the Atlantic Menhaden.

“Our local economy depends a great deal on Jamaica Bay so it is essential we do all we can to protect it for future generations,” Addabbo said in April.