NY state senator revises bill aimed at curbing tropical deforestation

By Allison Prang | 03/19/2024 01:11 PM EDT

Gov. Kathy Hochul last year vetoed an earlier version of the legislation that would bar state purchases of goods linked to deforestation.

Cattle graze on land recently burned and deforested by cattle farmers near Novo Progresso, Para state, Brazil, on Aug. 23, 2020.

Cattle graze on land recently burned and deforested by cattle farmers near Novo Progresso, Brazil, on Aug. 23, 2020. Andre Penner/AP

A New York state senator plans to introduce a revised bill that would require companies selling goods to the state to ensure they don’t contribute to tropical deforestation after Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed an earlier version last year.

State Sen. Liz Krueger, the bill’s sponsor, told POLITICO her office has had multiple conversations with the state’s Office of General Services, which is responsible for implementing and overseeing purchasing contracts, and that she’s confident the revised bill will pass the statehouse.

“You always want to go faster and farther, but I’ve also been in the Legislature 22 years, so I actually do understand that most legislation that has significant impact goes through a process of negotiations behind the scenes,” Krueger, a Democrat, said.

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The revised bill, renamed the “Tropical Rainforest Economic & Environmental Sustainability Act,” includes a provision allowing a state agency to be exempt from complying if it doesn’t receive offers after making a solicitation for covered products.

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