N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law § 40-0101

§ 40-0101. Legislative findings and declarations.\n The legislature finds and declares that the lands, water and air of\nNew York state constitute an irreplaceable resource upon which is\nfounded the well-being of public health, economic vitality and the\nstate's environment. These resources may be contaminated by releases of\nhazardous substances from active and abandoned storage facilities. Once\nthese resources are contaminated, they cannot be completely restored to\ntheir original state and therefore, contamination of the resources must\nbe prevented through improved safeguards in storage, handling and\nprocessing of hazardous substances.\n The legislature finds and declares these releases to be a threat to\nthe public health and welfare and hereby exercises the power of the\nstate to prevent these releases from occurring through the establishment\nof a state regulatory program governing existing, new and abandoned\nfacilities.\n