Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 39, September 25, 2024
(a)
Annual report. The office shall prepare and make available an annual report on
the implementation of title 9 of article 52 of the Environmental Conservation
Law and these regulations.
(1) Such report
shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(i) the distribution of all funds during the
preceding fiscal year and since the enactment of title 9 of the Environmental
Conservation Law, by program and by category of project;
(ii) the distribution of funds by county and
by State park region;
(iii) the
distribution of funds among projects that are related to natural resource
protection/interpretation and passive recreation; facility development or
construction; or a combination of resource protection and facility
development;
(iv) the distribution
of funds for the acquisition of land or facilities, development of new
facilities or rehabilitation of existing facilities; and
(v) the distribution of funds between indoor
and outdoor municipal park projects.
(2) The report will be available to the
general public for review and comment. Notice of its availability will be
provided through a statewide press release and publication in the Environmental
Notice Bulletin. Copies of the report will be distributed by direct mailing to
interest groups and organizations.
(b) Workshop. Following distribution of each
annual report, the office will conduct a workshop(s) for discussion of the
implementation of title 9 of the Environmental Conservation Law and issues
raised by the report, for identification of concerns and for recommendations
for improvements in program administration and changes to the regulations and
ranking and review procedures. Results from the workshop(s) will be summarized
and made available to participants and other interested parties.
(c) The analysis of the distribution of
grants in the annual report and the comments made at the workshop(s) will be
evaluated by the office in the preparation of revisions to the regulations and
ranking and review procedures.
(d)
Proposed changes to the regulations and ranking and review procedures will be
submitted to the State Board for Historic Preservation; the State Council of
Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; the New York State Urban Cultural
Parks Advisory Council; and the EQBA Advisory Task Force for review and
comment.
(e) Substantive changes to
the regulations and the ranking and review procedures will be subject to review
under the State Environmental Quality Review Act.
(f) EQBA advisory task force.
(1) Within three months of the adoption of
this Subchapter, the commissioner shall form an EQBA advisory task force. The
task force shall consist of twelve members: two members with expertise in each
of the program areas of historic preservation, municipal parks and urban
cultural parks, two members representing the Department of Environmental
Conservation, two members representing the environmental community and two
members from the public at large. Members shall be appointed by the
commissioner and serve at his discretion, except that the members representing
the Department of Environmental Conservation shall be appointed by the
Commissioner of Environmental Conservation.
(2) The task force shall meet at the
direction of the commissioner but in no event shall it meet less than once each
year following completion of the annual report.
(3) The chairman of the task force shall be
designated from among its members by the commissioner.
(4) It shall be the responsibility of the
EQBA advisory task force to review the annual report and to make
recommendations to the commissioner regarding the implementation of title 9 of
article 52 of the Environmental Conservation Law. Such recommendations may
address topics which shall include, but not be limited to, project eligibility
criteria, application procedures, project rating and ranking criteria, approval
guidelines, revisions to regulations, criteria for funding distribution,
coordination with title 7 of article 52 of the Environmental Conservation Law
and additional public participation in the implementation of these regulations
which the commissioner may wish to seek. It is understood that the purpose of
the EQBA advisory task force is to make recommendations regarding the overall
implementation of title 9 and this Subchapter; not to review or make
recommendations relating to specific project applications.
