Kodak’s bankruptcy filing generated a lot of questions, and some legitimate worries about the future of the Eastman Business Park on West Ridge Road. But some answers are starting to emerge, leaving state and local government and elected officials, as well as business park tenants, more confident in the facility’s future. Some of those answers […]
pollution
Posted inNews & Opinion
Cleaner air
Each year, the American Lung Association ranks the air quality of the country’s largest metro areas. And this year’s State of the Air Report has good news for Monroe County. | The county received an A grade for ground-level ozone, and a B for short-term particle pollution. The report, which is based on averages from […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Ontario cleaning up its power plants
New York’s neighbor to the north is about to shut down all of its coal-fired power plants. This year, all of the remaining coal plants in the province of Ontario will be shut down except for one small plant that will be kept as a backup for peak demand periods, says an article in Yale […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Our stressed-out lakes
The other day, I stumbled across an article on ThinkProgress that gives a snapshot of how climate change is affecting the Great Lakes. And it talks about some of the potential future effects on the region. But what caught my attention is a map embedded in the post. The image, developed by the Great Lakes […]
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Great Lakes: progress and problems
The Great Lakes are much better than they used to be in terms of the presence of toxic pollutants like mercury and DDT. New laws and a healthy amount of public awareness have helped restore the lakes. But challenges still exist; the Great Lakes face an evolving list of environmental threats and problems.
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League focuses on Lake Ontario
The Rochester League of Women Voters has decided that its advocacy work will include protecting Lake Ontario and addressing issues affecting the lake. During a meeting last week, the group adopted a position drafted by the Lake Michigan League of Women Voters, an interstate organization of league chapters around Lake Michigan. The position spells out […]
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US on track to become top oil producer
During the presidential campaign, Republican Mitt Romney made some noise about how President Barack Obama was, more or less, standing in the way of increased domestic energy production. The campaign is over, Romney lost, and media outlets are finally picking up on reports that the United States is on pace to pass Saudi Arabia as […]
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Clean coal is still just a dream
Just a reminder: there’s no such thing as clean coal. During last night’s presidential debate, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney each reiterated their energy policies. And they both included clean coal as an aspect of their plans. But there’s a catch: clean coal is more theoretical than it is practical. The term clean coal can […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Sooty skies: all ‘downwinders’ beware
Love it or hate it, this region has its share of hazy, if not lazy days. Credit the “lake effect” in part. But there’s also an atmospheric effect that could be termed “coal comfort.” The Great Lakes region has long been dependent on large coal-fired electric-generating plants. And despite the availability of cleaner technologies, some […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Full of holes
Now that spring is breaking out, what’s not to love about “Clear Skies”? One thing, maybe: George W. Bush has slapped the term on his latest attempt to sell Americans on “market-based” environmental cleanup and the virtues of fossil fuels. Nothing new here for Bush; he let oil and markets rule the big skies […]
