Recently in both the Assembly and Senate of the New York State legislature, a new section to the State's environmental law was proposed. Section 20, relates to the mitigation and elimination of 'light pollution' or, for the new millennium in the City, 'luminous graffiti'. The terms describe the excess spray, and therefore waste, of luminous output from lights and lamps intended for outdoor illumination at night. One common example is a yard lamp that lights up not only the ground beneath it but also the walls and windows of adjacent properties and, in really offensive instances, the surrounding open air.
Apart from the obvious degradation of the natural night sky for astronomy, luminous graffiti for New Yorkers impedes the enjoyment of the night sky as a capital urban feature.
Light pollution creates, however accidentally, a junkyard ambience for the street it escapes from and can instill dissuasion and apprehension among people in the street. The effect is on a par with the defacement of a building by conventional graffiti.
Section 20 is detailed in A6357 by Assemblyman Pete Grannis and S6799 by Senator Balboni. Both are very similarly worded. The bills have four main parts. First, it mandates that New York State offices and properties be illuminated by full or partial cutoff lamps, i.e. lamps that prevent or lessen the outpouring of light into the sky as raw environmental pollution.
Second, is the definition of 'light trespass' as a new environmental offense. This new offense is a natural progression of the present trend to eradicate public nuisances and quality-of-life defects throughout the City. It stands equally valid as the regulations against excess noise, odors, and litter. You may know light trespass by the more explicit term of trash lighting.
The third provision is for the eventual setting aside throughout the State of dark sky preserves. That is, areas where the natural night sky can be enjoyed as comfortably and conveniently as natural forests, lakes, mountains, and seashores. At first, these areas will be within existing state parks and reservations. These areas may be as simple as a zone within which unnecessary lamp poles are removed or lighting fixtures are hooded.
The fourth and final part initiates the study and development of an omnibus outdoor lighting law.