Energy

Seven years of spinning turbines have brought windfall to Lewis County communities

Joanna Richards — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:46:49 +0000

Wind farms are a touchy subject in the North Country. As the town of Cape Vincent wrestles with a potential project, in neighboring Lewis County another wind farm has been operating for seven years. The Maple Ridge Wind Farm has brought some big changes to its community.

Court upholds 'home rule' over drilling laws

Matt Richmond and Matthew Leonard — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:48:42 +0000

In two separate rulings Thursday, New York's appellate court, the state's second highest court, ruled that the state's Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Law (OGSML) does not preempt municipal land use laws.

Solar program has success in small upstate New York county

Ellen Abbott — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:39:35 +0000

The thing that strikes you when you walk up to Jimmy Golub's farm on the western edge of Madison County are the giant solar panels covering the part of the roof on his barn that faces west. The 45 panels are part of a 10 kilowatt solar system, that provides all the electricity the farm needs.

Elmira faces ups and downs of gas business

Matt Richmond — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:47:00 +0000

The City of Elmira is just seven miles from the Pennsylvania border. And for four years, the natural gas boom in Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier crossed over the border and boosted Elmira’s economy. But that boom has slowed down.

A loose collection of groups makes up state's fracking opposition

David Chanatry — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:52:05 +0000

When philosophy professor Mike Gorr and his wife were looking for a place to retire, they took a trip from Illinois to the Finger Lakes region.

Home rule fracking decision challenged in Avon

Kate O'Connell — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:03:46 +0000

Gas and Oil producer Lenape Resources has filed a note of appeal as part of an attempt to overturn a court decision made in March that allowed the town of Avon to maintain its moratorium on fracking. This is the third case of this kind in upstate New York.

Army bases' land is resource for generating energy

Ryan Delaney — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:06:55 +0000

The U.S. military is the largest consumer of energy in the federal government. But it also has a tremendous resource for generating its own energy: all the land bases sit on.

Planning for a Net Zero Energy Footprint

Michael S. Ameigh — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:45:56 +0000

Ninth Annual Symposium on Energy in the 21st Century
Friday, April 12, 2013
The Links at Erie Village, East Syracuse, N.Y.

Champlain Hudson Power Express project moves a step forward with state approval

Sarah Harris — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:30:52 +0000

The Champlain Hudson Power Express, or CHPE, is the name of a proposed underground transmission line that would bring hydropower generated in Canada under both Lake Champlain and the Hudson River, and into New York City. Now, the project is one step closer to becoming a reality, following approval by the New York State Public Service Commission Thursday.

BP to push forward with Cape Vincent wind project, pending possible sale of renewables division

Joanna Richards — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:18:00 +0000

Earlier this month, energy company BP announced its entire renewables division was up for sale. At a recent public meeting on the proposed Cape Vincent Wind Farm, a BP official confirmed the company will push ahead with the development anyway, and local leaders vowed to hire experts to help them fight the project.

Report says state’s energy could be almost 100% renewable by 2030

Ashley Hassett — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:38:40 +0000

A recent study outlines a scenario that would see New York state’s energy infrastructure based on close to 100 percent renewable sources by the year 2030.

Vermont, New York weigh in on proposed natural gas pipeline

Sarah Harris — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:21:05 +0000

People packed into the high school auditorium in Hinesburg, Vt. last week, to voice their opinions on a proposed natural gas pipeline before the Vermont Public Service Board.

Installations up, but solar can't deliver a renewable future alone

Ashley Hassett — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:04:48 +0000

In mid-2012, the NY-Sun initiative was launched to make solar power in the state more affordable. But much still needs to be done make solar technology truly competitive.

Will hydropower from Quebec supply New York City?

Sarah Harris — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:32:58 +0000

In Québec, electricity is cheap. Hydro-Québec, a state-owned utility, has over 60 generating stations that use the province’s rivers to produce power. One of them is Beauharnois, southwest of Montreal on the St. Lawrence River.

New York's coal-fired power plants: repower or take offline?

Kate O'Connell — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:51:16 +0000

It's a tough environment for coal-plants in New York state. The state is home to some of the oldest power facilities in the country, which operate under stricter emissions regulations introduced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Protesters arrested at gas storage site in Finger Lakes

Kate O'Connell — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:13:13 +0000

A number of protestors were arrested for blockading the entrance to a natural gas storage facility in the Finger Lakes region early Monday.

$1 billion "green bank" would invest in clean tech projects

Ryan Delaney — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:35:33 +0000

More energy-efficient technologies, from water heaters to wind turbine, have been coming onto the marketplace for decades.

Jury still out on Cuomo's Energy Highway blueprint

Matt Richmond — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:29:25 +0000

On a residential street outside of Albany, there is a discreet red-brick building. There’s no sign telling drivers that the flow of all the electricity in New York state is being controlled inside. The organization at the controls is the New York Independent System Operators (NYISO). They’re a non-profit created after New York’s energy markets were opened up in the '90s.

Broome County opens Office of Energy Development

Matt Richmond — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:55:00 +0000

The Broome County Legislature recently approved a new Office of Energy Development, but the purpose of the office is not clear.

Residents prepare for legal fight over proposed gas storage facility

Sidsel Overgaard — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:06:22 +0000

Opponents of a proposed underground gas storage facility near Seneca Lake are ramping up for a legal fight as a decision on the project nears.

Vermont - New York natural gas pipeline stirs debate

Sarah Harris — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:17:00 +0000

At a public meeting in Hinesburg, Vt. last month, residents crowded into the town hall to ask questions about a natural gas pipeline that might be going through their community.

Mark Ames wasn’t too happy. "I’m not interested in having a gas line either through in front of my house, 20 feet in front of my house, or behind my house, through my fields," he said.