January 2008 News

Paper or Plastic--or Reusable? - 13WHAM.com (Rochester, N.Y.) - Plastic bags hold our groceries and a whole lot more, but they pollute, so many cities and stores ban them. Wegmans was among the first to use them and offer recycling. Now the company faces a new challenge: balancing conservation with customer convenience. (Jan 31, 08) Local News - 13WHAM.com
Events Focuses on Climate Change - This week more than 1,500 colleges, high schools, churches and other organizations nationwide are holding teach-ins on a hot button issue; climate change. The effort brings together students, experts, lawmakers, and citizens to raise awareness and seek solutions. One local ‘Focus the Nation" event is a collaboration between the Green Brighton Task Force and Harley School. (Jan 29, 08) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
Riding herd on the developers - Rochester, NY - MPNnow Canandaigua and Victor are both growing fast — every new year seems to bring housing tracts or retail plazas to farmland or ridges that had only known deer and coyotes. With growth comes growing pains. Lately, that has manifested itself most publicly in some housecleaning of both paid and volunteer officials in Canandaigua and, in Victor, a threatened housecleaning.( Jan 31, 08) Homepage - Rochester, NY - MPNnow
ENVIRONMENT: Troubled Brockport properties get county assist - News & Opinion - Rochester City Newspaper The 28-acre property is an inactive hazardous-waste site. Contaminants found in soils, storm sewers, and stream sediments include cyanide, heavy metals, and solvents. Much cleanup work has been done, but environmental questions still surround the property. (Jan 30, 08) Rochester City Newspaper
Offshore wind power project will make Ontario a global leader – Daily Commercial News Construction challenges posed by Ontario’s largest offshore wind development are an opportunity to harness building expertise in this area, says the project’s president. “A signature project like ours will help put Ontario into the global sphere of renewable energy,” says John Kourtoff, Trillium Power president and chief administrative officer. “There is an opportunity to not just set up a construction and supply chain for North America but it could help Europe as well.” (Jan 28, 08) Daily Commercial News – Reporting on the Canadian Construction Industry since 1927
Later freezes, earlier thaws wave of future - Michigan, Great Lakes Environmental & Conservation Issues - MLive.com Scientists at the University of Wisconsin found a steady trend toward reduced ice cover on inland lakes in the Great Lakes region from 1975 through 2004. On average, there are now 16 fewer days of ice cover on inland lakes than 30 years ago, according to the study funded by the National Science Foundation. The last three decades were marked by "rapid climate warming," according to a National Science Foundation press release. Several of the planet's warmest years in recorded history have occurred over the past 20 years, according to government data. (Jan 29, 08) MLive.com: Everything Michigan
NRC: No Environmental Reasons to Bar Relicensing NY Nuclear Plant | Markets | Market News | Canadian Business Online SCRIBA, N.Y. (AP) - There are no environmental reasons to prevent extending the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear plant's operating license for another 20 years, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday. To date, the NRC has renewed the licenses of 48 of the nation's 104 nuclear reactors, including the Ginna plant near Rochester and the twin Nine Mile Point reactors that sit in the same Lake Ontario complex with the FitzPatrick plant, Sheehan said. (Jan 29, 08) Canadian Business Online: Breaking financial news and daily top business, company and technology news
New Guidelines for Wind Developers - 13WHAM.com Albany, N.Y.) - The Department of Environmental Conservation set new guidelines Thursday requiring wind energy developers to pay closer attention to how their projects will affect birds and bats. 13WHAM.com
Zeal for veal drives Elba farm to improve standards - — Veal farms conjure up some unpleasant images of calves that stand tethered in their own filth, locked into one position in a dark, grubby, compact holding cell. While some of those images may still be reality, the veal industry is making strides to improve its facilities. Provitello Farms in Elba, Genesee County, is among the farms that are setting the bar higher for the industry. (January 26, 2008) Democrat & Chronicle
Fishery restoration plans for Rochester, Niagara Falls areas ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - State conservation officials have announced plans for $1.5 million in upgrades for fishing access sites, boat launches and Irondequoit Creek in the greater Rochester area. (Jan 25, 08) Home WCAX.com
The Journal Register (Medina, NY) - ENVIRONMENT: DEC to announce funding for Lake Ontario For years, dangerous chemicals from Occidental Chemical Corp.’s Buffalo Avenue facility were discharged into the Niagara River, causing pollution to the river and Lake Ontario. Among the affected parties were recreational fishermen, who had to deal with advisories because of contaminants in fish in the Lake Ontario system. In June 2006, Oxy agreed to pay the state $12 million over four years as a result of those damages, according to a release from the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The money will fund projects to improve recreational fishing along Lake Ontario and its tributaries. (Jan 25, 08) The Journal Register (Medina, NY)
ENVIRONMENT: In Alabama, a push for wind - News & Opinion - Rochester City Newspaper Organized citizens groups have become a hallmark of sorts for wind tower proposals. Take the Genesee County town of Alabama as an example. Horizon Wind Energy wants to build approximately 50 turbines on 5,000 acres east of Route 77. Residents formed Wind Information and Responsible Energy (WI+RE) in response. (Jan 23, 08) News & Opinion - Rochester City Newspaper
Organic Advisory Task Force formed - Albany - New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker Wednesday announced the formation and members of the New York State Organic Advisory Task Force. The task force is the first of its kind in New York State and its members will advise the Commissioner on how the State can help the organic community address needs and take advantage of opportunities as consumer demand for organic products grows. (Jan 24, 08) New York State News on the Net!
The Buffalo News: Niagara County: Moratorium placed on construction of windmills NEWFANE — Any plans to build windmills in Newfane will have to wait until summer to be considered, following Wednesday’s unanimous vote on a moratorium by the Town Board. While there are no wind-energy projects currently awaiting approval in the town, board members said the six-month holding period was enacted to allow the town and its Planning Board to create guidelines for expected windmill proposals. (Jan 24, 08) The Buffalo News
Widespread Flu is Reported in New York State Vaccine Supply Plentiful - Not Too Late for Flu Shots ALBANY, N.Y. (Jan 22, 2008) - New York State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D., today reminded New Yorkers who have not been vaccinated for influenza (flu) that it's NOT too late to get their annual shot. Influenza is widespread in New York and other states, and has been increasing over the past few weeks. To date, influenza has been reported in 34 New York State counties and in the five boroughs of New York City. This year, health care providers and local health departments have ample supplies of flu vaccine. New York State Department of Health
Advocate: Great Lakes are in peril / nwi.com VALPARAISO | Members of the League of Women Voters listened to a guest speaker on a freezing Saturday morning talk about the variety of threats Lake Michigan faces. Jeanette Neagu, co-president of the Lake Michigan Interleague Organization, which is part of the league, presented slides and facts about legislation, economics and the health of the Great Lakes Basin.(Jan 22, 08) nwi.com - The Northwest Indiana and Illinois Times Newspaper
Sick, injured birds make for busy week at DEC - Rochester, NY - MPNnow Ron Newell’s work week was for the birds, literally. He’s a wildlife technician with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and he has been fielding calls from residents concerned about waterfowl. Residents around Calm Lake in Farmington enjoy the scenery and the geese that flock to their neighborhood. But lately, the geese have been dropping dead, and the residents wanted to know why. (Jan 20, 08) Homepage - Rochester, NY - MPNnow
Harassed from other communities, crows flocking to Syracuse - Syracuse is finding that one community's loss is another's gain - and that's not always a good thing. Driven from other cities in upstate New York, an increasing number of harried crows have found a new home in downtown Syracuse and its surrounding neighborhoods, where buildings provide warmth and lights offer protection from predators. (Jan 19, 08) The Ithaca Journal - www.theithacajournal.com - Ithaca, NY
ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO ANNOUNCES $1.6 MILLION SETTLEMENT WITH POLLUTERS OF ROCHESTER HAZARDOUS WASTE SITE Bausch & Lomb, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, Xerox, and Others Required to Reimburse the State for Cleanup Costs ROCHESTER, NY (January 16, 2008) – Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a settlement with eight private and public entities requiring them to reimburse the State of New York nearly $1.6 million for costs from the cleanup of the Rochester Fire Academy, a hazardous waste site in Monroe County. The eight entities, including Bausch & Lomb, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, and Xerox, disposed of hazardous waste at the site from 1954 to 1980. (Jan 16, 08) Office of New York State Attorney General Andrew M Cuomo
Regulators Hope to Cut Emissions - Federal regulators approved a Northeast regional plan to cut smokestack mercury emissions. New York and six New England states are collaborating on the plan. They've already cut their mercury emissions and discharges by more than 70 percent in the past 10 years. (Jan 18, 08) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
State approves wind farm in Wyoming County — The state Public Service Commission this week approved construction of a 112.5-megawatt wind energy farm in Sheldon, Wyoming County. (January 17, 2008) Democrat & Chronicle
Bear prowls lakeshore area - A black bear that had been spotted throughout the Rochester area last summer has resurfaced in the Manitou Beach Road area of Greece, near Braddock Bay. (Jan 17, 08) Democrat & Chronicle
Rochester: Accord on Toxic Waste Site - New York Times Bausch & Lomb, DuPont, Eastman Kodak and Xerox are among eight private and public entities that will reimburse New York State nearly $1.6 million for cleaning up their hazardous waste, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, above, said on Wednesday. The state filed a lawsuit in 2005 after having to pay to clean up the Rochester Fire Academy, a hazardous waste site where the six companies, along with the University of Rochester and Monroe County, disposed of hazardous waste between 1954 and 1980. (Jan 17, 07) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia
TheStar.com | Business | Premier reveals support for offshore energy plan Bidding process details on lake power project unveiled next month - Offshore wind could play an important role in the development of renewable energy resources in Ontario, says Premier Dalton McGuinty, who confirmed yesterday that an official announcement on wind power in the Great Lakes is coming soon. McGuinty's comments follow a report in Tuesday's Toronto Star that the government will soon clear the way for the development of wind projects in the Great Lakes after a 14-month moratorium.(Jan 16, 08) TheStar.com
Turbine or Not Turbine - 13WHAM.com Leaders in the town of Hamlin said they need extra time as they consider a wind turbine law, so they will soon vote on extending a moratorium on wind development. Still unclear is how tall should wind turbines be, and how far should they be set back from people's homes and property lines? (Jan 15, 08) Home - 13WHAM.com
Hamlin Turbines Could Affect Flying Wildlife - 13WHAM.com On Monday night, the Hamlin town board voted to extend a moratorium on wind development until June, unless leaders adopt a wind turbine law sooner. Some animal advocates say the town is a migration stop and wind turbines could have deadly consequences for birds and bats. (Jan 15, 08) Home - 13WHAM.com
Bills seeking to regulate diversion of Great Lakes water advance Bills seeking to restrict the diversion of Great Lakes water to other regions are moving forward quickly with bi-partisan support in the Indiana Legislature. Last week, the Senate Committee on Energy and Environmental Affairs passed S.B. 45 on a 10-0 vote. The bill now awaits passage by the full Indiana Senate. (Jan 14, 08) Chesterton Tribune: Daily Newspaper for Porter County and Duneland
Botulism takes fatal toll on thousands of Great Lakes birds -- chicagotribune.com The bird die-off was obvious as soon as Gary Rentrop and his English setter turned onto the Lake Michigan shore. The sugar-white sand, long buried in the crushed gray shells of invasive mussels and mats of rotting algae was now, suddenly, littered with dead birds. "It was almost like a war zone of birds," said Rentrop, a Michigan lawyer who recalled his November stroll along a Michigan beach. (Jan 15, 08) Chicago news, sports, photos, video, blogs, Chicago weather, business, travel, tourism, entertainment and jobs -- chicagotribune.com
Wind turbines stir debate in western New York town HAMLIN, N.Y. (AP) - A wind energy plan in western New York is stirring up debate. Town leaders in Hamlin, 18 miles west of Rochester, plan to vote soon on extending a moratorium on wind farms while they consider the issue. (Jan 15, 08) Home WCAX.com
30 years of kindness to kitties in Victor - Pet Pride in Victor is purr-fect provider of protection for pussycats Pet Pride, which recently turned 30, is a nonprofit group that finds homes for abandoned cats. Because of its "no-kill" policy, which means that any cat accepted won't be destroyed unless its health fails, Pet Pride tries to make sure that the cats admitted are in good health, checked out by a veterinarian. (Jan 14, 08) Democrat & Chronicle
DEC may protect Seneca land— The state Department of Environmental Conservation wants to add 2,100 acres in or near the former Seneca Army Depot to its list of protected wetlands — a move that could affect plans for a hunting preserve at the depot. The DEC announced its intent last week and specifically noted in a news release a recent proposal by L.M. Sessler Excavating & Wrecking Inc. of Waterloo to lease and later purchase about 2,300 acres at the depot for the pay-to-hunt preserve. (January 14, 2008) Democrat & Chronicle
DEC Tries to Protect Land in NY - The state is trying to block a proposal by a Seneca County company to buy land on the former Seneca Army Depot. The Department of Environmental Conservation is proposing that 26 wetland areas in the towns of Varick and Romulus be included in the state's oversight of critical freshwater wetland ecosystems, which would protect against development on that land. (Jan 14, 08) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
State Parks announce $8 million to support programs promoting New York’s natural heritage - Albany – State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Carol Ash Friday announced $8 million in grants awarded under the Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquariums Program to support the development of educational, cultural and recreational programs that interpret New York’s natural heritage. “New York State is home to a large and diverse collection of rare plants, animals and sensitive ecosystems, many of which are endangered. This program provides valuable funding for organizations to develop critical educational and interpretive programs in order to raise awareness and appreciation of the importance of identifying, protecting and preserving our fragile natural heritage,” said Ash. (Jan 12, 08) New York State News on the Net!
DEC extends public comment period on Draft Adirondack Trail Plan - Albany - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be providing the public additional time to offer comments on the draft plan for the Adirondack portion of the North Country National Scenic Trail, a 140-mile trail, winding from Boonville on the western edge of the Adirondack Mountains to Crown Point on the shores of Lake Champlain. (Jan 10, 08) New York State News on the Net!
Studying Fuel Cell Mass Production - Tech leaders in the greater Rochester area believe fuel cell technology can be an economic engine. More federal funding is headed this way to find a way to make that happen. RIT and Delphi will partner to figure out a way to mass produce solid oxide fuel cells in the armed forces. (Jan 07, 08) Messenger Post Newspapers
Bird virus killing upstate crows - Rochester, NY - MPNnow Canandaigua, N.Y. - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation last week announced that a strain of avian reovirus is responsible for killing large numbers of crows in six counties scattered across the state. Avian reoviruses are widespread in nature and are known to cause problems such as viral arthritis in poultry. The viruses have been present in crows and other birds in New York, across the country and in Ontario, Canada, for much of the last decade, but the state has never before seen such a large die-off of crows, said DEC wildlife pathologist Ward Stone. (Jan 09/08) Messenger Post Newspapers
States eye stricter curbs on Great Lakes water | csmonitor.com Lake levels reached record lows last year, and the region worries that fast-growing states and communities will try to grab its water. (Jan 07, 07) The Christian Science Monitor | csmonitor.com
Eagle eyes needed - Rochester, NY - MPNnow The DEC has been counting bald eagles across the state for 29 years. Some spotters look for eagles and their nests from the ground, while other “eagle eyes” scan the landscape from helicopters. (Jan 08, 08) Messenger Post Newspapers
DEC shifts to lead-free ammo — ALBANY — The state Department of Environmental Conservation is reducing its negative impact on the environment by giving up lead-based bullets used for firearms training in favor of less harmful "green" ammunition. "(The) DEC is committed to leading the way in finding new ways — large and small — to reduce the amount of contamination that is released into our environment," said Commissioner Alexander "Pete" Grannis. (January 7, 2008) Democrat & Chronicle
Brighton residents seek to cut energy use by 10%— Brighton, which today will ask its residents to cut energy use by 10 percent, joins a growing list of municipalities around the nation that are stepping up efforts to help the environment.Organizers are hosting a rally tonight to launch the yearlong campaign and generate interest in recycling and reducing wasted energy. (January 7, 2008) Democrat & Chronicle
A thirst for fresh water Great Lakes hold much of the world's fresh water - The idea that Great Lakes water could somehow be pumped out of the basin and piped to Phoenix or Las Vegas may seem like something out of a 1950s edition of Popular Science. In fact, during the 1960s the North American Water and Power Alliance Plan even set out maps for massive movements of water throughout the continent. But as the Midwest continues to lose population and political influence to the Sun Belt, the Great Lakes are being increasingly viewed by some as one possible solution to looming water shortages elsewhere. (Dec 28, 07) The Capital Times
Cuomo and coalition of 15 states against EPA over global warming - New York - New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo Wednesday announced he is leading a 15 state coalition that is joining a lawsuit brought by California against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to uphold the right of states to regulate greenhouse gas pollution from automobiles. (Jan 03, 08) New York State News on the Net!
New Yorkers Urged to Protect Against Hypothermia ALBANY, NY (Jan. 3, 2008) – State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D., advised New Yorkers to take extra precaution during today's cold snap and throughout this winter, to prevent hypothermia and frostbite. "Winter in New York is a great time of year to enjoy the outdoors and by taking simple common sense steps against hypothermia and frostbite, you can avoid adverse health effects from the cold," said Commissioner Daines. "Because Hypothermia is a serious condition particularly for older adults, young infants, and those who are ill, it is important to be alert to warning signs like shivering and go indoors. "New York State Department of Health

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