9-1709 - General powers and duties of the department. - New York Statutes

§ 9-1709. General powers and duties of the department. For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this title, the department in cooperation with the department of agriculture and markets shall have the authority, within funds available, to: 1. establish, operate and maintain state-wide databases and clearinghouses for all taxa of invasive species that incorporate existing data from agencies and organizations in the state, as well as from nearby states, provinces, Canada, and the federal government. Such databases and clearinghouses may provide the aggregate data on-line in a GIS; 2. coordinate state agency and public authority actions to do the following: (a) phasing out uses of invasive species; (b) expanding use of native species; (c) promoting private and local government use of native species as alternatives to invasive species; and (d) wherever practical and where consistent with watershed and/or regional invasive species management plans, prohibiting and actively eliminating invasive species at project sites funded or regulated by the state; and 3. in collaboration with the council, aid in the review and reform of relevant regulatory processes to remove unnecessary impediments to the restoration of invaded ecosystems.