(Albany, New York) Assemblyman Patrick Chludzinski (R, C, 143rd District) announced today that he has sponsored legislation that would eliminate the current monopoly on providing rock salt to state and county contracts that has led to severe shortages in municipalities locally and across the state.

“The original buy American Salt Act was well intended, but it has had the unforeseen consequence of causing dangerously low shortages that have compromised public safety,” said Chludzinski. “This new bill, the New York State buy North American Salt Act (A5890) will allow government agencies to purchase salt that was mined in both the United States and Canada, ensuring competition, lower prices, and most importantly, adequate supply.”

The purpose of the original buy American Salt Act was to stop the importation of rock salt from faraway places like Egypt whose questionable labor practices did not meet American standards and allowed Egyptian companies to drastically undercut prices from American companies. Because the law required the rock salt to be mined or hand harvested only in the United States, American companies like Compass Minerals could no longer compete because they harvest their salt in Ontario, Canada. A virtual monopoly has now been created with American Rock Salt (ARS) being the only eligible provider in New York State.

As state, county, and local highway departments began running out of salt, ARS was unable to keep up with the demand. This led to highway officials being forced to restrict their salting activities to main roads and intersections while the majority of their lane miles were neglected. Chludzinski maintains these circumstances reinforce the importance of having multiple potential suppliers in northeast weather regions like New York State and Western New York.

“This new bill maintains the spirt and integrity of the buy American Salt Act, while still ensuring viable purchase options for highway officials so they can keep our roads clear and our citizens safe,” Chludzinski said. “Ensuring public safety is a primary obligation of state and local government, and the New York State buy North American Salt Act will allow us to meet that responsibility while still enabling fair markets and protecting American companies,” the Assemblyman concluded.