Requires the commissioner of the department of transportation, in consultation with the commissioner of environmental conservation to establish a set of comprehensive road salt reduction policies and to design a road salt applicator training program; requires the department, every state agency and state contractor which uses road salt to use such training materials to train and inform employees on the best practices of using such materials.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A10050A
SPONSOR: Shimsky TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the transportation law, in relation to creating a road
salt reduction policies and applicator training program and requiring
the training of state agencies and state contractors which use road salt
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To establish a set of comprehensive road salt reduction policies and
standards to design a road salt applicator training program.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Amends the transportation law to create the "Road salt
reduction policies and applicator training program." Sets forth that the
commissioner shall develop policies and standards for the application of
road salt no later than December first, two thousand twenty-seven. These
policies and standards are then to be used as the basis for the design
of the "road salt applicator training program. This program shall be
designed by December first, two thousand twenty-eight. Requires the
commissioner to prepare and submit a report to the Executive and Legis-
lature by December first, two thousand twenty-nine on the status of the
program. Mandates the implementation of the training program to the
department, all state agencies, and all state contractors who apply road
salt on state roads, driveways, and parking lots by January first, two-
thousand twenty-nine.
Section 2. Sets forth the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
In 2023, the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force documented rising
sodium chloride concentrations in drinking water sources throughout the
Adirondack region, posing risks to water quality and public health. More
recently, in 2025, the New York City Department of Environmental
Protection reported increased salinity levels in the Croton Reservoir, a
primary drinking water source for over one million New Yorkers, demon-
strating that road salt contamination is a statewide concern.
This bill addresses these impacts by establishing a program to implement
best practices for road salt application during hazardous weather condi-
tions and to reduce or eliminate salt use in environmentally sensitive
areas. By promoting more efficient and targeted winter maintenance prac-
tices, the bill aims to mitigate salinity impacts on drinking water
while maintaining roadway safety.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10050--A
IN ASSEMBLY
January 30, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SHIMSKY, SHRESTHA, HOOKS, OTIS, BURROUGHS, KIM,
KASSAY, SIMONE, PAULIN, TAPIA, BURDICK, LEVENBERG, ROSENTHAL, CASHMAN,
GALLAGHER, GLICK, SAYEGH, SIMON, KELLES -- read once and referred to
the Committee on Transportation -- committee discharged, bill amended,
ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the transportation law, in relation to creating a road
salt reduction policies and applicator training program and requiring
the training of state agencies and state contractors which use road
salt
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The transportation law is amended by adding a new section
2 23 to read as follows:
3 § 23. Road salt reduction policies and applicator training program. 1.
4 (a) For the purposes of this section, the term "road salt" shall mean a
5 mineral form of sodium chloride which melts snow and ice by lowering the
6 freezing point of water.
7 (b) The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of envi-
8 ronmental conservation, shall, no later than December first, two thou-
9 sand twenty-seven, establish a set of comprehensive road salt reduction
10 policies and standards to include, but not be limited to, reasonable
11 application methods, techniques, rates and frequencies to measurably
12 reduce road salt applied to public roadways, enhancement of winter road
13 maintenance levels of service and best management practices, and moni-
14 toring and operational plan goals, objectives, and activities.
15 2. (a) The commissioner shall, no later than December first, two thou-
16 sand twenty-eight, design a road salt applicator training program to
17 train road salt applicators in meeting the standards of the road salt
18 reduction policies established pursuant to subdivision one of this
19 section. Such road salt applicator training program shall include, but
20 need not be limited to:
21 (i) Instruction in the science of road salt, granular road salt alter-
22 natives and road salt pollution;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13872-03-6
A. 10050--A 2
1 (ii) Training materials regarding the environmental and human health
2 impacts of road salt;
3 (iii) Best practices for the application of sodium chloride to roads,
4 parking lots, and sidewalks, such as the establishment of baseline stan-
5 dards for salt application policies and practices for winter management
6 operations;
7 (iv) Use of state of the art equipment for snow and ice removal;
8 (v) Use of monitoring technologies for annual reporting of road salt
9 use by location;
10 (vi) A plan of action for the reduction or elimination of sodium chlo-
11 ride pollution in environmentally sensitive areas;
12 (vii) A verification process for assuring best practices are being
13 implemented and shall continue to be implemented;
14 (viii) The use of road salt alternatives; and
15 (ix) A process for certification of trained and approved applicators,
16 including particular locations for in-person training, and a time period
17 within which to complete continuing training requirements.
18 (b) In creating the road salt applicator training program, the commis-
19 sioner shall use best efforts to review current programs and research
20 being conducted in the state.
21 (c) In creating the road salt application training program, the
22 commissioner shall consider the ability to open the training to all
23 applicators applying road salt on public roadways, driveways and parking
24 lots.
25 3. The commissioner shall prepare and submit to the governor, the
26 temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the
27 minority leaders of the senate and assembly, and the chairs of the
28 senate and assembly committees on transportation, on or before December
29 first, two thousand twenty-nine, a report containing the department's
30 findings and recommendations following the implementation of the road
31 salt applicator training program established pursuant to subdivision two
32 of this section that include, but are not limited to:
33 (a) Recommendations for expanding the availability of the training
34 program;
35 (b) Recommendations regarding funding options or assistance to locali-
36 ties for purchase of state of the art equipment for the application of
37 road salt;
38 (c) Findings, using existing data and information, regarding locations
39 in the state where road salt contamination may be a threat to the envi-
40 ronment, property or human health, to the extent that such information
41 is available from the department of environmental conservation and the
42 department of health;
43 (d) Findings regarding the use of similar programs in other states;
44 and
45 (e) Findings regarding costs associated with conducting such program.
46 4. Effective January first, two thousand twenty-nine, the department,
47 every state agency, and every state contractor which applies road salt
48 on state roads, driveways and parking lots shall use the training mate-
49 rials established in subdivision two of this section to train and inform
50 employees on the best practices of applying road salt.
51 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
