environment

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.

Rising concern about changes to Lake Ontario water levels

Kate O'Connell — Sat, 04 May 2013 09:58:00 +0000

The water levels in Lake Ontario have a significant impact on the economic and environmental viability of harbors in upstate New York and Canada. As a result, a proposed plan to change the management of those water levels has raised some concerns in waterfront communities.

Pondering the value of landfills in the Finger Lakes

Sidsel Overgaard — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:27:08 +0000

Hundreds of Finger Lakes residents gathered in Geneva recently for what’s expected to be the first of several conversations about the region’s landfills.

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.

Fracking overshadows other issues on Earth Day

Karen Dewitt — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:16:00 +0000

On Earth Day lobby day at the state Capitol, whether or not to allow hydrofracking in New York continues to be the dominant issue.

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.

Farmers and foodies call for fracking ban

Ashley Hassett — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:50:42 +0000

A coalition of farmers and foodies are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ban hydraulic fracturing in New York state right away. Groups across the state are expected to meet throughout the week to alert the public to the risks they believe fracking poses to the state’s agricultural viability.

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.

Arguments over fracking bans focus on one sentence

Matt Richmond — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:47:50 +0000

Oral arguments were completed Thursday in the case that will decide whether New York towns have the right to ban gas drilling. The case comes down to how the panel of four judges will interpret a single sentence.

Matt Driscoll on the Campbell Conversations

Grant Reeher — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 22:30:00 +0000

Matt Driscoll was mayor of Syracuse from 2001 to 2009. Since then, he's been the President of a state public authority, and most recently a member of Governor Cuomo's cabinet. In this edition of the Campbell Conversations, he discusses the environmental issues he became known for as mayor, economic development, and the current Syracuse mayor's disagreement with the governor over public pensions.

Assembly passes ban on fracking for two more years; Senate unlikely to do same

Karen Dewitt — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 06:22:00 +0000

The New York State Assembly has approved, by a 95 to 40 vote, a two-year moratorium on hydrofracking in New York. While it’s unlikely to be passed in the Senate, the action reflects state lawmakers' growing worries about potential health impacts from the natural gas drilling process.

Women learn art of wood splitting at hands-on workshop

Joanna Richards — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:17:00 +0000

Our reporter, Joanna Richards, is a city girl. But since she moved to the north country four years ago, she's been boning up on the traditions and culture of rural life. She had a chance recently for a bit of North Country skill building, in a workshop on wood splitting especially for women. Joanna tells the story of her lesson.

Cuomo faces difficult choice on fracking

Karen Dewitt — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:14:21 +0000

Gov. Andrew Cuomo faces a tough choice as he continues to ponder the decision on whether to allow hydro fracking in New York, and it seems there’s no easy way to win for the governor.

State Assembly proposes to ban fracking for another year

Karen Dewitt — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:58:04 +0000

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is one of the sponsors of a bill to ban fracking in New York state at least until May of next year.

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.

Fracking delay could take weeks or much longer

Matt Richmond — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:49:15 +0000

On Tuesday, New York state officials announced another delay of their final decision on hydrofracking. The Department of Environmental Conservation will wait for a report on the health protections in its environmental review of fracking. Then the environmental review can be completed. The delay could be less than a month or it could be much longer. But one thing is clear - the delayed health review is now the key factor in deciding whether or not fracking will go ahead in New York.

New York delays fracking decision again

Karen Dewitt — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 22:14:14 +0000

A February deadline on New York’s process to allow hydrofracking will be missed, with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Health Commissioner now saying he needs more time to complete an on-going health study.

Watertown scares away nuisance crows

Joanna Richards — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 07:05:00 +0000

It's an eerie sight – every winter, around dusk each night, a flock of between 20,000 and 30,000 crows gathers in the trees around the Black River in Watertown. They can be a neat sight against the white winter landscape, but the city wants them gone. That's because they squawk and poop and generally annoy a lot of city residents. The city has hired a wildlife management company to disperse the birds.

Report from state Health Department says fracking could be done safely

Karen Dewitt — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:48:04 +0000

A document from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration assessing the health impacts of hydrofracking, written less than a year ago, says the gas drilling process is likely safe if proper precautions are taken by the governor’s environmental agency, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

New report finds future sea level rise will be significant

Marie Cusick — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 21:10:20 +0000

A report published Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) finds that sea level increases over the next century will have significant impacts on coastal communities.

Syracuse college students push for climate change divestment

Olivia Fecteau — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 12:29:41 +0000

When environmentalist Bill McKibben visited Syracuse in October as part of the University Lectures series, he urged students to get their schools to make more sustainable investments. His words encouraged Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry students to start the Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign.

Study finds mercury levels dropping in Atlantic Ocean

Ryan Delaney — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 21:08:06 +0000

Mercury levels among fish caught in the Atlantic Ocean are dropping, but it's not the same case for fish from the Pacific Ocean.

Onondaga Lake's mercury levels dropping more than expected

Ryan Delaney — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 13:55:18 +0000

Even though dredging and capping operations to clean up contamination in Onondaga Lake is in its early stages, a scientist consulting on the project says mercury levels are dropping better than expected.

Will there be fracking by February?

Karen Dewitt — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 10:58:35 +0000

The Cuomo Administration could be headed toward approval of hydrofracking in New York by the end of February, when a 90-day extension on a rule making process ends.

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.

Legal experts say fracking decision delay could be smart move

Karen Dewitt — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 10:36:00 +0000

A legal expert says that the Cuomo administration’s move to delay for another 90 days the decision on whether to allow hydrofracking in New York makes sense. Meanwhile, some health care professionals say a review underway on the health effects of fracking is a sham.

CNY working on its part of state-wide sustainability plan

Ryan Delaney — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 02:43:00 +0000

A central New York planning agency is moving into the public comment period as it works to create its contribution to a state-wide sustainability plan.

Western NY school to have "living building"

Kate O'Connell — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 21:28:18 +0000

An upstate school is adding a structure that generates its own energy, heating and cooling using renewable energy sources for its teaching spaces. The Harley School in Rochester broke ground on the $3 million project Monday.

New Onondaga Lake visitor's center gives new view

Ellen Abbott — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:33:46 +0000

There's a new view of Onondaga Lake. Honeywell has opened a new Onondaga Lake Visitors Center, right next to the company's massive project that's dredging and capping two million cubic yards of contaminated lake soil. Honeywell hopes it can change perceptions of a lake, that for decades has been so dirty, people didn't want to go near it.