There was a moment in last’s night’s gubernatorial debate when Governor Andrew Cuomo broke some fracking news. In response to a question about fracking, Cuomo said that he expects a long-awaited report from the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Health by the end of the year. Previously, he’d only said that the […]
fracking
Posted inNews & Opinion
O’Brien, environmental group push fracking legislation
New York has a de facto moratorium on high-volume hydraulic fracturing, but some of the state’s landfills and water treatment plants have been taking in out-of-state fracking wastes. Some local governments — none in Monroe County — have even used brine from fracked wells to de-ice roads. During a press conference this afternoon, Democratic State […]
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NY’s top court says local governments can ban fracking
Fracking bans in the towns of Dryden and Middlefield will stand under a ruling issued this morning by the state’s top court. A panel of State Court of Appeals judges said that towns and villages can use zoning laws to prohibit fracking, as Dryden and Middlefield did. They basically said that oil and gas drilling, […]
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Watershed moment
A lawsuit over the Village of Painted Post’s plan to sell public water to a company to use for fracking will be back in court on Monday, February 24. A panel of state Appellate Division justices will hear an appeal of a previous decision. The case goes back to a 2012 agreement between the village, […]
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Feedback 1/29
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources, and we edit those selections. Letters of 350 words or less have a greater chance of being published, and we don’t […]
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That’s a lot of fracking money
A new report from Common Cause/NY says that between 2007 and July 2013, pro-fracking interests outspent anti-fracking interests nine to one. The report, released yesterday, says that pro-fracking companies and groups contributed $15.4 million to political committees and spent $48.9 million on lobbying, while fracking opponents spent $1.9 million on political contributions and $5.4 million […]
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Erie County passes anti-fracking law
In Monroe County, anti-fracking activists have struggled to get government officials to take fracking-related issues seriously. In particular, they’ve asked the county to pass a law banning its water treatment facilities from taking fracking waste, but their requests have fallen flat. Erie County is a different story. Yesterday, its Legislature passed a law banning fracking on […]
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Feedback 11/27
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources; those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in […]
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Unshackle agenda
Unshackle Upstate has released a five-point plan for job growth and lower taxes in the parts of the state that aren’t New York City. It focuses primarily on eliminating or changing certain taxes and surcharges. But Unshackle officials also highlight the potential benefits of fracking the Marcellus Shale. | Fracking could create 12,000 to 15,000 […]
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Scientists group offers guides to fracking debate
The Union of Concerned Scientists recently released a couple of publications that should be of interest to anyone with questions about the ongoing fracking debate. The organization hasn’t taken a position on fracking, though drilling companies would probably say that the UCS is against it. Instead, it’s focused on helping the public ask critical and […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Unshackle Upstate wants fracking, lower taxes
Unshackle Upstate has released a five-point plan for job growth and lower taxes in the parts of the state that aren’t New York City. The plan focuses primarily on eliminating or changing certain taxes and surcharges. But Unshackle officials are also highlighting the potential benefits fracking the Marcellus Shale. During a press conference this morning […]
Posted inMovies
MOVIE PREVIEW: Greentopia | FILM
Greentopia began in 2011 as a two-day event. Now, just three years later, it has blossomed into a week-long multimedia festival that includes a conference, art exhibits, musical performances, and even a fashion show. Presented by Friends of the GardenAerial, the festival’s purpose is to educate and raise awareness for the environmental issues facing our […]
