Researching State Agency Information on the Environment

HIST 221 Technology & the Environment in the Modern U.S.
 
Print Sources
When searching for primary sources in the government documents collection:
 
1. Use the The Checklist of Official Publications of the State of New York (issues before 1994 are available in the Milne Government Documents collection, at call number LIB 132-3 CHEOP 79-390) to find materials published by New York State agencies, bureaus, and offices.
The Checklist of Official Publications of the State of New York is a monthly compilation of New York State documents acquired by the New York State Library since 1947. It is a useful tool for finding publications which have been published by a particular NYS agency. SUNY Geneseo receives and maintains this publication in our government documents collection. Indexes for issues of the Checklist published since 1989 are available on the New York State Library's web page.
 
2. Here are some NYS agencies you may want to research using The Checklist:
Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGR)
Department of Environmental Conservation (ENV)
Department of Health (HEA)
Division of Hazardous Waste Remediation (HAZ)
New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA)
New York State Office for Technology (OFT)
 
Several types of primary sources may be found in the New York State Government Documents collection. Some examples include:
  • annual reports
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  • technical reports
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  • memoranda
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  • technology assessments
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  • press releases
  • policy papers
  • regulations, rules, bills, laws
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    3. Use the New York State Register to find proposed rules and regulations affecting New York state and the environment.
    New York State's official weekly compilation of all proposed rules and regulations. Milne Library's holdings go back to 1979, and are found in Fraser Study Center's Government Documents area. The past two years are kept in the Milne Government Documents area on the lower level.
    (Click here for the Government Documents Retrieval Policy when requesting materials from Fraser).
    Catalogs
    New York State Library
    Best source for finding state environmental publications. Search the library's catalog, Excelsior, to find information on your topic.
    New York State Newspaper Project
     

    Web Sources

    New York State Government Information Locator Service
    Use to find relevant state government agency web sites by subject.
    New York State Agency web sites (provided on Guide to Environmental Law Resources on the Web, The Business Council of New York State)
    Internet Bibliographies at the New York State Library -- Environmental Science
    New York State Citizen Guide -- Environment -- Natural Resources
    New York State Museum
    New York City Department of Environmental Protection
    NYS GIS Clearinghouse
    New York State Resources on Laws and Regulations
    Science.gov
    Search engine useful for finding federal and state government documents and web sites in the sciences.
     
    Resources on Specific Topics relevant to New York State
    Hazardous Waste
    Hazardous Waste Program (Division of Solid & Hazardous Materials, DEC)
    Hudson River
    The Hudson River (from EPA's web site)
    The Hudson River Estuary Management Action Plan (1996)
    Water Quality in the Hudson River Basin, New York and Adjacent States, 1992-1995
    Pollution
    Alternative Fuels Data Center Documents Database (U.S. Department of Energy)
    Recycling
    New York Local Government And Local Authority Solid Waste and Recycling Information and Contacts
     
    U.S. Federal Documents Resources relevant to New York State
    Federal Register
    The Federal Register is the legal newspaper publishing proposed federal rules, regulations and notices, Executive proclamations and orders, and other Presidential documents. Published daily by the National Archives and Records Administration. Read an FAQ here about the Federal Register.
    An index is available online through the National Archives website.
     
    Code of Federal Regulations Milne Library ref KF 70 A3
    Codification of all the general federal rules published in the Federal Register by executive departments and agencies. There are 50 volumes (or "titles") organized by different broad topic areas. Each of these volumes are updated once a year, thus updating and superseding the previous volume. Milne Library has the current year on the shelf, with access back to 1996 via GPO Access.