energy

Proposed line would move natural gas from Binghamton to Syracuse

Ryan Delaney — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:24:00 +0000

An energy company is looking into building a natural gas pipeline from near Binghamton to the Syracuse area. Millennium Pipeline Company is currently soliciting feedback from natural gas suppliers about their proposal to connect three supply lines running east-west across upstate New York, with a north-south line.

National Grid power upgrade grant helps Jefferson County dairy farm expand

Joanna Richards — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:11:36 +0000

A Tylerville dairy farm, in Jefferson County, is growing, in part thanks to help from National Grid. The company awarded the farm a grant of $50,000 to increase its access to electricity.

Court decision no deterrent for gas companies

Kate O'Connell — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:08:25 +0000

New York’s second highest court upheld the right for two municipalities to ban gas drilling last week. But, that decision won’t deter gas and oil producer Lenape Resources from appealing a similar ban in the upstate community of Avon.

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.

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.

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.

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.

New York state still awaiting fracking decision

Karen Dewitt — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:40:00 +0000

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s health commissioner is expected to release a health report on hydraulic fracturing soon, at least according to a timetable announced in late February. But the Cuomo administration has already missed several deadlines on fracking.

$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.

The Energy of Spring

John Weeks — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:25:00 +0000

John Weeks sees spring as an episode rather than an event. He describes how the energy required for springtime life comes from the generosity of previous seasons.

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.

DEC may miss deadline for fracking regulations

Marie Cusick — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 04:11:00 +0000

New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens suggested Monday that the state may miss a February 27 deadline to complete its proposed fracking regulations. And that could stall a decision on gas drilling for months.

North Country sustainability plan considers environment, economy

Sarah Harris — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:53:00 +0000

The North Country Sustainability Plan was unveiled last week. It tackles energy, land use, transportation and water and waste management across seven counties.The Adirondack North Country Association, Ecology and Environment Inc., and Essex County spent much of the past year compiling the plan. They enlisted the help of another 200 people from around the region for the working groups.

Cuomo's budget cuts DEC funding by $53 million

Matt Richmond — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 14:03:59 +0000

In Gov. Andrew Cuomo's 2013-2014 budget, the Department of Environmental Conservation is looking at a budget cut of 5.5 percent. What will this mean for the department if hydrofracking comes to New York?

Buffalo foundation says solar is no-brainer for rebuilding Haiti

Kate O'Connell — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:59:25 +0000

This weekend marked the third anniversary of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the nation of Haiti. Three years on and the recovery process still has a long way to go, but one organization in western New York has been helping to bring renewable energy to Haitians still living without power.

Area members of Congress push for funding of weatherization program

Durrie Lawrence — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:08:47 +0000

Members of Congress are asking the president to include a federal program to help low-income families insulate their homes in next year's budget. Rep. Dan Maffei says this is especially important in upstate New York, where heating a home can cost hundreds of dollars each year.

Fracking opponents respond to new fracking regulations

Matt Richmond — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 12:38:19 +0000

Helen Slottje is an Ithaca-based lawyer who helped develop town bans against drilling. She spoke to a friendly crowd on Monday night at the Unitarian Church of Ithaca.

Saranac brewery cuts ribbon on new biodigester

Ryan Delaney — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:04:00 +0000

The historic F.X. Matt Brewery, maker of the popular Saranac line of beers, is getting more "green" next month. It won't be making green beer on a regular basis, as some brewers do for St. Patrick's Day, but it will flip the switch on a new anaerobic digester.

Fracking regulations released for comment

Matt Richmond — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:08:07 +0000

For those on the pro-fracking side, the newest regulations are both a good sign and a troubling one. On the one hand, they're a light at the end of the tunnel, proof that permits for hydrofracking aren’t far off. But, on the other hand, fracking supporters say that the Department of Environmental Conservation has only answered the concerns of the anti-fracking lobby.

BP Article X session in Cape Vincent explains controversial new process for power projects

Joanna Richards — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:00:15 +0000

BP held a presentation last night in Cape Vincent on the Article X process for siting power projects under New York state law. It was another contentious encounter between local anti-wind power activists and BP representatives over the proposed Cape Vincent Wind Farm.

Cape Vincent wind power meeting message to BP: "Go Home!"

Joanna Richards — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:37:52 +0000

Town officials and community members from the Jefferson County towns of Cape Vincent and Lyme gave energy company BP a clear signal at a meeting last night in Cape Vincent: a wind farm isn't welcome there.

BP to meet with towns of Cape Vincent & Lyme about wind power project

Joanna Richards — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:26:40 +0000

With a wind project proposed by BP, the town of Cape Vincent recently passed strict new regulations for commercial wind turbines. Then BP began seeking state review under the Article X law. That process could bypass local laws, if they're deemed “unreasonable.” Now the company has called a meeting with town officials, scheduled for Tuesday night.

Green Jobs Green New York off to a slow start

Matt Richmond — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:09:22 +0000

The walls around Pat Dundon's desk are slowly filling up with white printouts. Some have the letterhead of the state's energy research organization NYSERDA, and others are lists he's created. His involvement in a program called Green Jobs Green New York has produced all this paperwork. Through the program, NYSERDA offers low-interest loans for energy efficiency upgrades.

Fracking will bring heavy truck traffic, but towns are ready

Ryan Delaney — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:01:00 +0000

Transporting the millions of gallons of water, as well as equipment, sand, and other materials needed to hydraulically fracture a natural gas well requires quite a few truck trips, to put it mildly.

One well site could require up to 3,399 one-way truck trips [PDF], according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation's 2011 draft environmental impact statement (dSGEIS) on hydrofracking.

All those trips by heavy trucks can quickly beat up and wear out roads if they're not built to handle it.

How the maker of Saranac beer is turning wastewater into energy

Ryan Delaney — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:23:00 +0000

Five big new tanks have arrived at the F.X. Matt Brewing Company in Utica. But they won't be used to make the brewery's signature Saranac brand craft beer.

Instead, the tanks will act as anaerobic digesters for the brewery's wastewater.

Special bacteria will munch on the yeast and grains left floating around. The process will get the water about 85 percent cleaner before it's discharged into the sewer system, according to CEO Nick Matt.

But the digestion process also gives off methane gas and carbon dioxide.

That methane will be used to power a generator. CEO Matt says the new system will cover up to 40 percent of the brewery's electricity needs.

The future of hydrofracking unclear in New York state

Karen Dewitt — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:22:51 +0000

Earth Day came and went in New York without too much discussion of what many environmentalists believe to be the biggest issue facing the state- when and where the gas drilling process known as hydrofracking will occur.

Following the Power Lines

Rachel Ward — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:41:44 +0000

We're drilling for gas, planning pipes from Canadian tar sands, and pumping millions of dollars into green energy projects.

But the energy mix that we'll end up with in New York State is still a work in progress. What do we want to see powering our toasters and laptops in the years to come?

We've posed those questions to a panel of experts, to find out what's being built, how the marketplace might shake out, and what the social and political ramifications are of how we produce and consume power.