Section 71-3601. Declaration of policy and statement of purpose

The  legislature  hereby  finds  and  declares  that contaminated site
  remedial programs are  an  important  and  necessary  component  of  the
  state's  policy  of  restoring  and  revitalizing  real property located
  throughout New York state. The legislature further finds  that  when  an
  environmental  remediation  project  leaves  residual  contamination  at
  levels that have been determined to be safe for a specific use, but  not
  all  uses,  or includes engineered structures that must be maintained or
  protected against damage to be effective, it is necessary to provide  an
  effective   and   enforceable  means  of  ensuring  the  performance  of
  maintenance, monitoring or operation requirements, and of  ensuring  the
  potential restriction of future uses of the land, including restrictions
  on  drilling  for  or  pumping  groundwater  for as long as any residual
  contamination remains hazardous. The  legislature  declares,  therefore,
  that  it  is  in  the  public interest to create environmental easements
  because such easements are necessary for the protection of human  health
  and  the  environment  and  to  achieve the requirements for remediation
  established at contaminated sites.