New York Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joseph Martens just released a statement saying that he will not agree to an independent public health study of fracking. Environmental groups along with some municipal officials and medical professionals had called for the study. Martens says that instead, state Health Commissioner Nirav Shah will assess the health […]
environment
Posted inNews & Opinion
New Zealand dabbles in personhood for the environment
In the United States, corporations have constitutional rights. It’s a concept known as corporate personhood, and over the years it’s been shaped by court decisions and the occasional law. The US isn’t the only country to recognize corporate personhood. But in some other countries, citizens are using the same legal concepts to protect the environment. […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Global warming, YouTube style
A NASA video showing global temperature changes between 1880 and 2011 resurfaces and should remind political leaders that they need to develop sound climate policies.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Federal regulations for smog-causing pollutants still uncertain
For decades, New York has had more stringent emissions regulations than other states. It’s been state government’s way of trying to improve air quality. But air moves, which complicates such efforts. Emissions from other states will drift in to New York, making their pollution this state’s problem. Former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued Midwestern power […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Yogurt, Lake Ontario, and regulations
FILE PHOTO New York’s yogurt boom may have an unseen byproduct: cow poop. It’s not a glamorous subject; agriculture often isn’t. But the yogurt boom is being talked about as a much-needed boost for New York’s dairy farmers. So much so that Governor Andrew Cuomo plans to amend a key set of dairy industry environmental […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
NEWS BLOG: Son of a litter bug
As I was driving my mother south toward the Pennsylvania border last week to visit her brother, she did something that stunned me. She reached down and grabbed a handful of trash – a paper cup, used tissues, and some candy wrappers – that had gathered at her feet. Then she rolled down the passenger […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
NEWS BLOG: A couple of fracking films worth watching
Most people probably think of “Gasland” when they think of fracking documentaries. But really, it’s just one of several good films on the topic. This week, I’ve had the opportunity to watch a couple of them. One of them, “The Sky is Pink,” is a free, short film put together by “Gasland” director Josh Fox. […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
NEWS BLOG: Industrial development agencies, by the numbers
Last year, the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) approved more projects than any other IDA in New York, says a report from the state Authorities Budget Office. But those projects have not resulted in the most private investment. COMIDA approved 40 projects, totaling $81.7 million in private investments and approximately $1.5 million in various […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
NEWS BLOG: It’s Cuomo’s call on environmental fund increase
The state’s Environmental Protection Fund will get a boost if Governor Andrew Cuomo signs legislation passed by the Assembly and Senate at the end of this year’s session. Legislators passed bills that will require the state to redirect some unclaimed bottle deposits into the EPF. Under the legislation, $10 million worth of bottle deposits will […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
ENVIRONMENT: Rochester City Council passes fracking moratorium
Rochester City Council approved a one-year moratorium on natural gas exploration and extraction in the city at last night’s meeting. Council members also approved new budgets for the city and for the Rochester school district. Council members said the moratorium is needed because there hasn’t been sufficient research into the impact of fracking in urban […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Questions on care of Hemlock, Canadice land
Two years ago, the state bought city-owned land around Hemlock and Canadice Lakes. Rochester had acquired some of properties more than a century previous in order to protect its drinking water supply. The state may own the land, but the city still maintains it. The state pays the city to perform tasks including mowing and […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
NEWS BLOG: Planning Commission backs fracking moratorium
Last night, Rochester’s Planning Commission recommended that City Council pass a proposed one-year moratorium on natural gas exploration and extraction. That moratorium includes the use of high-volume hydraulic fracturing. Nobody spoke against the proposal, though several speakers did urge Council to consider a full ban. They also said they’d like to see any moratorium or […]
