The state Senate overwhelmingly wants to keep state forests free from gas and oil drilling.

S.1069 passed the state Senate last week by a 50-3 vote, with state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, voting in favor of the bill. Versions of the legislation have been kicking around the statehouse since 2015, with versions passing the state Senate during the past two legislative sessions but not passing the state Assembly. Last week’s passage once again puts the ball in the Assembly’s court.

Sponsored by Sen. Jose Serrano, D-New York City, S.1069 would prohibit the exploration, development and production of gas and oil in state forest, wildlife management areas, and unique areas.

“Currently the exploration, development and production of gas and oil in state-owned lands is prohibited in state parks and the lands under the waters of Lake Ontario or along its shorelines,” Serrano wrote in his legislative justification. “This bill would add state forests, wildlife management areas and unique areas to the publicly owned lands where the exploration, development and production of gas and oil is prohibited.”

Borrello explained his vote, agreeing with Serrano and other senators that state parks should be kept free from gas and oil drilling – though Borrello said the state should extend the logic of S.1069 into other aspects of state environmental policy.

“I certainly applaud this,” Borrello said. “We have to keep our state lands, our forests, pristine, but I also suggest that this bill be amended to include the highly damaging and quite frankly not helpful green energy wind and solar projects. In particular we’re starting to see them creep into some of our state parks and areas that quite frankly should be kept pristine. We should really treat this fairly. We don’t want our precious lands disturbed, but we should be consistent. So I would ask that the amended, but today I’ll be voting yes.”