Going Dark: NY Lawmakers Want Outdoor Lights Turned Off Every Night At 11PM

It's safe to say that New York knows a thing or two about light pollution. After all, the mighty metropolis that is New York City is infamous for it. It's a problem most urban centers have, and New York lawmakers have a suggestion that may help curb it: regulating outdoor lighting late at night, through an amendment to environmental protection law.

Assembly Bill A4615 aims to bring the Dark Skies Protection Act into law. The city has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions to ⅕ of its current level by 2050. The idea of this bill is to both help tackle the city's gargantuan carbon footprint and reduce light pollution across the state. In order to accomplish this, the bill proposes banning a variety of different types of outdoor lighting between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. According to the bill, this would include "searchlights, spotlights, and floodlights, whether for architectural lighting, parking lot lighting, landscape lighting, billboards or street lighting," unless they are shielded. If passed, the act is scheduled to come into effect on January 1, 2028. 

This could have a hugely positive environmental impact in more ways than one. The state and its namesake city is positioned along a critical route for migrating birds known as the Atlantic Flyway, and clearer and more visible skies could save countless lives along the route. Of course, this could also help New Yorkers get a better look at the stars, yet not everyone supports the bill. Let's take a look at what this law would mean if passed and some of the controversy surrounding it. 

At the time of writing, the bill was in the Assembly Committee. That means it still has a ways to go before making it onto the governor's desk, especially because not everyone is in favor of it. New York resident Rich Candia told amNewYork that he thought dimming lights would pose safety concerns. "There will be an increase in burglaries and robberies," he said. "Also, someone could trip walking into their own house if their walkway is dimly lit."

Lawmakers have written some exemptions into the bill to account for this. Streetlights, airport lighting required by the Federal Aviation Administration, lighting that enables vehicles to safely pass through tunnels, lighting used by the authorities during emergencies, and those used during roadworks or similar improvement projects will all be exempt. Event venues would even be able to keep their lights on if a show began before 11 p.m.

For residents, the bill would mainly restrict the use of outdoor lights above a certain wattage that are not properly "shielded." This basically means that lights would need to have some fixture on them that "shields" the light form being projected toward the sky. Certain motion-censored lights that shut off automatically would still be permitted as well.