Hochul vetoes wildlife crossing study bill

AP Photo
A sign shows an image of what the finished Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing would look like during a ground breaking ceremony in April. Construction has begun on what’s billed as the world’s largest wildlife crossing for mountain lions and other animals caught in Southern California’s urban sprawl.

The state Transportation Department isn’t going to be studying animal crossing sites anytime soon.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has vetoed legislation (A.4243B/S.4198B) that would have required the state Transportation Department and state Thruway Authority to identify sites along all highways, thruways and parkways in the state where wildlife crossings are most needed to increase public safety and protect wildlife.

State agencies would also have been required to create a priority list of wildlife crossing opportunity areas so that, if federal grant money is available, the state had five projects identified to be included in a grant application.

The bill overwhelmingly passed both houses of the state Legislature earlier this year. The state Assembly approved it 136-9, with Assemblyman Andy Goodell, R-Jamestown, and Assemblyman Joe Giglio, R-Gowanda, voting in favor. State Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, was among the 55 yes votes in the state Senate.

In the end, however, cost was a key factor for Hochul as she vetoed not only the wildlife crossing bill but 23 other bills that would have created studies or commissions for various issues.

“I share a strong desire in addressing the problems and issues identified in this legislation, and I commend the Legislature for seeking to address such a broad array of problems,” she wrote in her veto memorandum. “However, enactment of this package of legislation would collectively cost the state approximately $24 million.”

The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 established a $350 million wildlife crossing safety program to be spent over five years on bridges, tunnels, culverts, fencing, and other infrastructure that will allow wildlife safe passage either under or over roads. The federal government is making $60 million a year available — the largest single federal allotment to animal crossings.

The Associated Press reported in November 2021 that advances in GPS technology, such as collars affixed to deer, have made it possible to map animal migration routes with more accuracy, which has also led to solutions beyond road signs, such as fencing or highway crossings dedicated to wildlife, that can reduce collisions by 80%.

“As I mentioned I’m sympathetic to providing a safe means of crossing,” Goodell said on the Assembly floor earlier this year. “I hate running into deer on my way home from Albany or even on the way here, for that matter. If we can add 10 more deer crossings and and get them to follow our signage so that they don’t get in front of us, I think it’ll probably be a positive thing. I certainly encourage efforts to maximize our chance to apply for federal grants. God knows we can use our help from our federal government and I’m glad they’re recognizing the danger of these animals as well.”