NY Passes Law Limiting Lighting on State Buildings

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — Let there be (not so much) light.

A suburban New York lawmaker is trumpeting legislation signed this week by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to curtail light pollution from state-owned buildings.

Sen. Carl Marcellino (mahr-sah-LEE’-noh) says his bill requires the use of shielded lights on the exterior of state buildings, directing lighting downward onto streets, walkways and public spaces.

Marcellino says unshielded lighting causes something called sky glow. That obscures night sky views and creates road glare. He says excessive outdoor lighting causes over 100 million bird fatalities across the United States annually.

The Long Island legislator says children should have the excitement of finding the Big Dipper without a long drive into the country.

The Assembly’s Linda B. Rosenthal of Manhattan, a co-sponsor, says the law takes effect in a year.

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