N.Y. ENV Law § 48-0101

§ 48-0101. Declaration of policy.\n 1. It is hereby declared to be the policy of this state that all\npeople, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin or income,\nhave a right to fair treatment and meaningful involvement in the\ndevelopment, implementation and enforcement of laws, regulations and\npolicies that affect the quality of the environment.\n 2. It shall further be the policy of the state that no group of\npeople, including a racial, ethnic or socioeconomic group, should be\ndisproportionately exposed to pollution or bear a disproportionate share\nof the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial,\nmunicipal or commercial operations, or the execution of federal, state\nor local programs and policies.\n 3. It shall further be the policy of the state that no group of\npeople, including a racial, ethnic or socioeconomic group, should suffer\nfrom inequitable allocation of public resources or financial assistance\nfor environmental protection and stewardship, including environmental\nremediation, pollution prevention, open space acquisition and/or other\nprotection and stewardship activities.\n 4. It shall further be the policy of the state that opportunities for\ncitizen involvement in the development of laws, regulations and policies\nthat affect the quality of the environment be as reflective of the\ndiversity of interests and perspective found within the affected\ncommunity as possible, including those of racial, ethnic and\nsocioeconomic groups; that such opportunities be provided as early as\npossible in the decision making process; that such opportunities provide\nfull, timely and accessible disclosure of public records and sharing of\ninformation by the government agency or agencies involved, including the\nprovision of technical data and the assumptions upon which any analyses\nare based; and that such opportunities allow all people, regardless of\nrace, color, religion, national origin or income, the opportunity to\nhave their views heard and considered, including opportunities for\ntwo-way dialogue.\n