Town meetings tonight
Hudson Common Council Informal Meeting, 7 p.m. at Hudson City Hall.
Hudson City School District Board of Education Meeting at 7 p.m. at Junior High School cafeteria. Agenda for meeting here.
Town of New Baltimore Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Second Monday of each month at New Baltimore Town Hall, 3809 Rt. 51, Hannacroix.
Town of Prattsville Board Meeting 7 p.m., Regular board meeting held second Monday of each month at Town Hall, 14517 Main St.

Birthdays
Dec. 13 birthdays include Mary Todd Lincoln, Lester Bangs, and Tom Verlaine.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="573" caption="The Rhys Tivey Quintet performed at the Athens Cultural Center. Photo by Sam Sebren."][/caption]From Sam Sebren, WGXC volunteer:
On Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Athens Cultural Center, the Rhys Tivey Quintet performed new arrangements and improvisations of Louis Armstrong songs with video projections on two screens by artist Hap Tivey accompanying the band. The standing-room-only crowd concert was the final event in the Athens Victorian Stroll. Click here to listen to an mp3 audio recording, or paste the following url into your computer's media player:
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/12/RhysTiveyQuintet_ACC_WGXC_121110.mp3

The 111th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count is this Tuesday, with thousands of volunteers helping the census. Locally, the Catskill-Coxsackie count is headed by two local ornithological enthusiasts, Richard Guthrie and Larry Federman and covers a fifteen-mile radius centered at Green Lake, and branches out 7.5 miles in all directions. New Baltimore marks the territory's northern boundary, while the eastern line extends into Columbia County. A team will cover the Hudson River from Coxsackie to Athens, another will focus on grasslands preserves, another on Round Top, and a Coxsackie Flats group. Imbought Bay at the tip of Catskill marks the southernmost border. E-mail Richard Guthrie at gaeltic@capital.net to get involved. In Dutchess County, contact Susanne Norris at 845-229-0174 or make reservations at 845-486-1966 for meeting from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at Wallace Center, Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites, in Hyde Park.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="145" caption="Gov. David Paterson"][/caption]Per Capitol Confidential, Gov. David Paterson tonight vetoed the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas from the Marcellus shale formation in New York. He also issued an executive order that does not permit fracturing until July 1, 2011. His statement in part:

Governor David A. Paterson has issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to conduct further comprehensive review and analysis of high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale. The Executive Order requires that, if approved, high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing would not be permitted until July 1, 2011, at the earliest. This should allay any fears that high-volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling under study by DEC will commence without assurances of safety.... The Governor issued the Executive Order contemporaneously with his veto of S.8129-B/A.11443-B, which would have suspended the issuance of new oil and gas drilling permits through May 15, 2011, including all conventional, low-volume, vertical oil and gas wells. This legislation, which was well intentioned, would have a serious impact on our State if signed into law. Enacting this legislation would put people out of work – work that is permitted by the Department of Environmental Conservation and causes no demonstrated environmental harm, in order to effectuate a moratorium that is principally symbolic,” Governor Paterson said. “Symbols can have great importance, but particularly in our current terrible economic straits, I cannot agree to put individuals out of work for a symbolic act.”

The Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York's Executive Director Brad Gill said:

"We are grateful to Governor Paterson for his courage and clear-headed judgment in vetoing S.8129-B (Thompson)/A.11443-B (Sweeney). This bill would have had far-reaching consequences to the state's oil and natural gas industry, and to the communities in which our member companies work." Gill added, "We are very pleased that the governor saw the bill for what it was – a flawed piece of legislation replete with unintended and dire consequences for the people and businesses in our industry. Our members are aware of the considerable pressure put upon lawmakers and the governor to approve this bill. We're hopeful that the governor's veto today will set the stage for a more reasoned and rationale public discussion about these issues going forward."

Richard S. Ostfeld and Charles D. Canham's story "Acorn glut signals Lyme risks" appeared in the Poughkeepsie Journal, although it seems to be missing from their site, but has reappeared at the Cary Institute of Ecosystems Studies, where they work as scientists. The article is definitely worth the archiving.

"Our research predicts the acorn bumper crop of 2010 will cause a mouse population explosion in 2011, which in turn will result in abnormally large numbers of infected nymphal ticks in the summer of 2012."

Ostfeld and Canham write that this year the four most common oak species — red oak, black oak, white oak and chestnut oak — all are producing bumper crops of acorns, known as a "mast year." "In the 20 years we've been monitoring tree seed production, this is the first time we've seen such an acorn glut," they write. Acorns are loaded with protein and fat and are eaten by many wildlife species: squirrels, chipmunks, mice, deer, raccoons, turkeys, blue jays, and bears all eat acorns. The evolutionary idea is "predator satiation," so that in bumper years not all seeds are eaten, and some become trees. White-footed mice, the most common mammal in our region, eat a lot of acorns, they report. In mast years, mice can stay put near acorns and avoid owls, hawks, and foxes. Well-fed mice start their spring breeding season earlier than usual, so, "We expect the forests and fields to be teeming with mice in the summer of 2011," they write. So more acorns lead to more mice, which leads to more ticks:

"Research we've conducted with Bard College biologist Felicia Keesing shows newly hatched blacklegged ticks that feed on white-footed mice are much more likely to survive than are ticks that feed on any other mammal or bird host. We've also established that about 90 percent of the larval ticks that feed on mice become infected with Lyme disease bacteria. So, we predict that in 2011 large mouse populations will lead to an increase in the survival and infection of ticks. This is bad news for human health. Mouse-fed larval ticks from 2011 will sit quietly on the forest floor for almost a year until they emerge as nymphs — the stage responsible for transmitting the vast majority of Lyme disease cases. Our research predicts the acorn bumper crop of 2010 will cause a mouse population explosion in 2011, which in turn will result in abnormally large numbers of infected nymphal ticks in the summer of 2012. We have been tracking acorn production by Hudson Valley oaks for 20 years and have consistently seen a spike in cases of Lyme disease in Dutchess County residents two years after large acorn mast years."

Richard S. Ostfeld and Charles D. Canham are scientists at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Ostfeld has studied the ecology of tick-borne diseases for more than 20 years. He recently published "Lyme Disease: The Ecology of a Complex System," available from Oxford University Press.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="177" caption="Salvatore Cascino"][/caption]Want some good courtroom drama? Andrew Amelinckx of the Register Star and Jamie Larson of ccscoop.com have been closely following the state's prosecution’s case against Salvatore Cascino and his Bronx-based waste hauling company for allegedly illegally dumping debris in Clermont and releasing petroleum into the environment. The case is being tried in Columbia County Supreme Court before Judge Jonathan Nichols, just off Allen St. in Hudson.

Cascino, a 70-year-old Larchmont, Westchester County resident and his company, Bronx County Recycling, were indicted in April by the state Attorney General’s Office on two class A misdemeanors — operating an unpermitted landfill and fourth-degree endangering public health, safety, or the environment.

Both parties stand accused of illegally dumping more than 70 cubic yards of solid waste and releasing petroleum at an unpermitted facility off Route 9G, just south of Firehouse Road, in Clermont between Dec. 31, 2007 and July 2009. The maximum penalty for the crimes is two years in prison.

According to Larson, "Witness credibility appeared to be as much on trial as the charges."

Read these gripping stories, which play with issues involving our local environment and continuing downstate attitudes towards our upstate scenery, as they continue unfolding over the coming week, here and here.

The Times Union reports this morning that New York State sent out pink slips to 891 state employees on Friday, December 10, notifying them they were on track for termination as of January 1. By being notified on Friday, the state has met the 20-day notice requirement for state work force reductions. State agencies varied in how they notified workers: most provided personal notification as well as a mailed or parcel post delivery of letters explaining the terminations.

Outgoing governor David Paterson has maintained the layoffs are needed to achieve a goal of $250 million in workforce savings, and he has noted that unions rejected earlier calls for give-backs. Union heads counter that the savings are minimal in light of the $9 billion budget deficit looming next year and the firings won't account for added expenses in unemployment insurance and lost tax revenue.

Due to the cutbacks in staff, the state is looking to close public access to one of the entrances to the Capitol complex and most likely will close the State Street door to the Legislative Office Building to all but employees.



When the dust settles from Gov. David Paterson's layoffs next month, fewer than the approximately 900 people who've been targeted will actually lose their jobs, state officials predicted Friday.

"It is fair to say by the end of the year not all of those 891 people will be on the street as the result of layoffs," said Erik Kriss, spokesman for the state Division of Budget.

"You still have essential positions in state government that are open and need to be filled," he said, adding that in some cases jobs like correctional officers or direct care workers become vacant unexpectedly. In those instances, people on the layoff lists would have the first shot at filling those jobs.

Additionally, Kriss noted that some employees on layoff lists are able to retire and at least one person has recently died.

Nonetheless, 891 state employees on Friday received notices that they were on track for termination. By being notified on Friday, the state has met the 20-day notice requirement for state work force reductions.

State agencies varied in how they notified workers: most provided personal notification as well as a mailed or parcel post delivery of letters explaining the terminations, effective Jan. 1.

Unions representing state employees blasted the cuts, with CSEA President Danny Donohue saying they were done out of "political spite," and PEF President Ken Brynien calling it "unnecessary and unconscionable."

Paterson has maintained the layoffs are needed to achieve a goal of $250 million in workforce savings, and he has noted that unions rejected earlier calls for give-backs.

Union heads note the savings are minimal in light of the $9 billion budget deficit looming next year and the firings won't account for added expenses in unemployment insurance and lost tax revenue.

The targeted workers were bitter, noting they are entering the worst job market in years.

"Merry Christmas guys," said Don Bush, a mechanic at the Belleayre ski center.

He's relatively lucky -- he has the option of going from full- to part-time status -- meaning a pay cut of approximately $22- to $18-an-hour, after 24 years of experience.

He knows of co-workers who will earn even less and they are wondering how they'll pay rent or make car payments. One co-worker is about to give back the new truck he purchased.

"People are very nervous and very afraid," he said.

To be sure, New Yorkers across the state will see some reduction in services right off the bat, said Chris Hickey, vice president at New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, Inc.

Park rangers are being laid off at Riverbank and Roberto Clemente state parks in Manhattan and the Bronx, he said.

Two educational centers run by the Department of Environmental Conservation -- Rogers in Sherburne, Chenango County, and Stony Kill Farm in Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County -- will be closed.

Also closing is Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora, Erie County.

And 33 full time and seven hourly security screeners in the Capitol complex are on the termination list.

Adding insult to injury, Hickey said the state Office of General Services is advertising to hire a private security firm in the Empire State Plaza.

OGS spokeswoman Heather Groll stressed the openings are for security during off-hours events, such as car shows, which would be paid for by the sponsors, not taxpayers.

"This has been going on for a number of years," said Groll, who said the ad was not related to the layoffs.

Hickey noted the security screeners had in past years helped guard special events on an overtime basis.

"We were an easy mark," said Alfred Christian, the screeners' chief union steward.

Christian added that, due to the cutbacks in staff, the state is looking to close public access to one of the entrances to the Capitol complex.

Most likely, they will close the State Street door to the Legislative Office Building to all but employees.

This could make for longer lines during legislative sessions, when scores of people descend on the Capitol to lobby for various causes, press events and other activities.

The state hasn't officially announced plans for the access points.

Additionally the Empire State Games are being cancelled and the State Museum in Albany will close on Sundays.

State employees weren't the only public workers getting bad news this week. As of Wednesday approximately 1,000 employees of the New York City Off Track Betting Corp. were jobless after the Senate on Tuesday failed to pass a bill that would have rescued the bankrupt organization.

Germantown schools had a day-long police presence this past Tuesday after an anonymous tip that a student had threatened to bring a gun in. But, according a story in Saturday's Register Star, who first received the tip, nothing happened. According to the paper, a woman caller phoned in at 10:00 PM on Monday night and said she was giving an anonymous tip, and then said a student had threatened to bring a gun to school the following day. When asked for more information, she said it was up to the newspaper to do its own investigating, and hung up. The newspaper then passed its information on to the New York State Police and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, who informed Germantown Superintendent Patrick Gabriel of the tip at 6:45 a.m. Tuesday morning. Relying on the district’s crisis plan, “we took immediate action, and, with the cooperation of the Sheriff’s Office and the troopers, increased security,” he said. Police were stationed at all school entrances when students arrived and stayed for several hours, after which a sole officer remained for the rest of the day. Talk about being prepared.

The Mid Hudson News Network, along with the Register Star, have pieces in this morning's editions about meetings U.S. Rep.-elect Chris Gibson had with state Assemblymen Marc Molinaro and Pete Lopez, fellow Republican, in several locations yesterday, including the Elks Club in Hudson, where Gibson said growing the economy by repealing “paternalistic legislation” is his top priority and added that he would push for the building of a nuclear power plant in the area. Concerns voiced by the public during the discussions included reducing spending, managing healthcare reform, protecting agriculture and small businesses, prohibiting the addition of new taxes, and hydrofracking. Gibson said that his first priority is to grow the economy by focusing on reform of “paternalistic legislation” that inhibits economic growth, as well as developing more intelligent ways of balancing the economy and the environment.

Gibson also said he was open to the building of two nuclear power plants in the overall region, one north and one south of Albany.

The sprawling 20th Congressional District comprises all of Columbia, Greene, Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties and parts of Dutchess, Otsego, Rensselaer, Delaware and Essex counties. In Northern Dutchess, the district includes Hyde Park, Clinton, Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Milan and Pine Plains.

For full stories click here or here.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Pamela Dalton's papercutting open house is a must see in Columbia County's Harlemville."][/caption]The Village of Athens will be holding its annual Victorian Stroll today,under the auspices of the Athens Cultural Center. According to the Daily Mail, he day starts out at E.J. Arthur Elementary School, where kids and families can enjoy Breakfast with Santa, and where the school will hold its annual crafts sale. Then you can head over to the Athens Cultural Center, where children will be able to take free photos with a Victorian Santa throughout the day. Collector Rob Halley will also be on hand with his vast collection of antique Christmas ornaments and the Center will be all dolled up with its holiday tree, put up by the Athens Garden Club. There will also be refreshments, a harp performance and readings by musician Ann Carter, including not-often-heard Christmas carols and Celtic music. Performances will be held at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. At 3:30, teens from the teen acting class will perform several scenes from “Our Town” and “True West." And at the D.R. Evarts Library, kids’ activities will include a performance by “Tales ‘n Tunes” at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., while in the afternoon at 2 p.m. the Coxsackie-Athens Community Band will perform at First Reformed Church on Church Street, where cider and donuts will also be served.

In the evening the Cultural Center will host a jazz quintet, including Elizabeth Taylor’s grandson and the new Crossroads Brewery will be open 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. for tastings of their microbrews. In Hudson, meanwhile, Time and Space Limited on Columbia Street is hosting a kids event, presenting works by those students who have been participating in TSL actrivities this fall, at the institution's Columbia Street digs from 11 a.m. to noon.

Back across the river in Catskill, Open Studio, at the corner of Main and Thompson, is holding a special open hour from 5 to 7 p.m. an always cheerful event full of art, decorations and a goodly bit of surreal glee, to boot. Finally, out in Harlemville, in the town of Hillsdale, renowned paper-cutter Pamela Dalton will be holding her Annual Open House Sale in her home at 322 County Route 21C, right next to Hawthorne Valley School, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM tomorrow, Sunday, Dec. 12, alongside four other artists, “kindred spirits” specializing in early 19th-century American art. Forget the cold and threat of bluster, it's a weekend to get out and about!

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="504" caption="Ward Stone, former NYS DEC wildlife pathologist, speaking at DOH Public Health Assessment meeting about Ravena's Lafarge cement plant. Photo by San Sebren."][/caption]
Ward Stone, who resigned as a pathologist at the Department of Environmental Conservation earlier this year, spoke at length at the Department of Health's Public Health Assessment meeting Thursday night at RCS High School in Ravena. Sam Sebren recorded Stone's comments. Click here to listen to an audio mp3 recording, or copy and paste the following url into your computer's media player:
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/12/WardStone_DOHLafargeHealthAssessmentmeeting_RCSHighSchool_120910_20101211_0037.mp3

While Greene County's ski slopes opened last weekend, skiing begins Saturday at Columbia County's Catamount with discounted lift ticket prices for this weekend at $40 for adults, $20 for Juniors or Seniors, and $10 a child, with nine trails open and four lifts operating. 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Since 2005, EMPAC has hosted over 40 artists and their collaborators, spanning theater, dance, music, video, and installation in residency. While EMPAC will continue its open call residency program, they have announced four additional focused initiatives:
•Audio Production / Post‐Production
For sound recording, development of multichannel sound works, documentation, mastering, mixing, film scoring, or any other task involving microphones, speakers, consoles, and computers.
•Creative Research
Provides artists, writers, and theorists with the opportunity to conduct research over extended periods of time (minimum six weeks).
•Dance / Theater
To rehearse, workshop, or finalize a production. Provides a group of up to six individuals a two‐week rehearsal period in a 3,300 sq. ft. black box space with full production support.
•Video Production / Post‐Production
For multiple camera shoots, documentation of a performance, development of multichannel video projection, digital video post‐production, or any project involving HD video cameras, computers, and projectors.



EMPAC’s unique facilities offer four major venues including a Concert Hall, Theater, and two black box Studios, in addition to artists in residence studios and a state of the art infrastructure. To apply, please include a letter of intent, a project description, a resume or CV for all major collaborators, as well as works, samples, and other supporting materials. Proposals are reviewed by EMPAC curators four times a year. Upcoming reviews will take place on January 14, April 15, July 15, and October 15. In general, residencies are scheduled six months to one year in advance.

For more information, please visit: http://www.empac.rpi.edu/residencies/artist/.

Congressman Scott Murphy released this statement Thursday:

“If the tax cut compromise outlined by President Obama comes to the floor as currently proposed, I will support it. As with any compromise, there are provisions that I do not agree with, but I firmly believe that in this package the good outweighs the bad. This plan would help businesses create jobs and help middle class families by easing their tax burden. It also keeps in mind the massive deficit and debt that have been built up by the poor decisions of the last ten years. It is important that it is not a permanent extension that we can't afford but rather a targeted deal that will help get the economy moving and keep our long term fiscal crisis in mind."

Catskill's Margo Pelletier turned up on WGXC's "Tell It Like It Is" for almost an hour Thursday to talk about her film with Lisa Thomas, “Freeing Sylvia Baraldini,” which screens Saturday at The Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy. Pelletier and Thomas will also have a monthly show about film music on WGXC, and their first airs this Sunday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m.

Click here to listen to an mp3 audio recording of the interview, or paste the following url into your computer's media player:
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/12/MargoPelletier_WGXCTellItLikeItIs_120910_20101210_2246.mp3

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="145" caption="Gov. David Paterson"][/caption]

Gov. David Paterson on Alan Chartock’s “Capitol Connection” (airing again 1 p.m. Saturday on WAMC) would not say whether he will sign a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing of natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations in the wake of the New York Assembly passing the bill last week. The deadline for signing is Monday. Excerpts from Paterson, via Capitol Confidential:

“This is a bill that delays any action. It’s a moratorium on a decision over hydrofracking that was written in the spring of last year. So the date that is the end of the moratorium is May 20. So, in other words, it only commands what happens for the next four and a half months. It is our opinion that the DEC — who I have urged to be scrupulously careful in examining this issue — cannot come to a conclusion within that same four and a half months. So what I’m saying is that the issue is very serious, but whether the legislation is signed or not probably won’t make a difference, because that decision is six months off anyway.”


Paterson also said on the show:

“ … The problem with the bill is there’s another kind of hydrofracking that’s been in use for years in the state, called vertical hydrofracking — not nearly the intrusive threat to the environment and the water quality as what we’re contemplating here. And that would create a moratorium on that, which the companies that engage in this process feel would lose jobs. And that’s something that has to be considered. I don’t know why they put that other element in this bill, because it really makes things confusing, but I will clear it up in the next 48 hours as my constitutional mandate commands me to.”

“ … The instincts of people who are fearful are borne out by the fact that we have a polluted environment now, when their predecessors tried to warn us and we didn’t listen.”

“ … The public comment period and the hearings that were held indicated to us that we did not have all the information at hand when we made the decision, and that’s why on our own, we held the process up for over a year trying to find the right conclusion. And we’re not going to guess. We’re not going to err on the side of the huge profit and revenues that the state sorely needs right now. We’re going to make sure we’re scrupulous in our examination and that we don’t take any action that is going to cause damage for the environment.”

Capitol Confidential reported: "At a press availability Friday morning, Paterson said a decision on the legislation — which must come by Monday — was close. 'We will again be meeting with and talking with parties on both sides and probably come to a conclusion very shortly,' he said."

The Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York is trying to persuade Paterson not to sign. Here is there press release:

THEY CLAIM:

"The moratorium bill only limits the Department of Environmental Conservation's issuance of new permits in '... low permeability natural gas reservoirs, such as the Marcellus and Utica shale formations.' Use of conventional, low-volume, hydraulic fracturing, with or without horizontal drilling, is still available for already permitted wells, and for proposed new wells," said Dr. Anthony R. Ingraffea, Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, and Fellow of the International Congress on Fracture (2009). "Industry and landowner claims that currently approved wells would be impacted or current jobs would be lost can only stem from a misinformed reading of the bill."

FACT:

• This is just plain wrong. By any reading, the bill does indeed bar the permitting of ANY new well using hydraulic fracturing. The text of the bill reads: Section 1. There is hereby established a suspension of the issuance of new permits for the drilling of a well which utilizes the practice of hydraulic fracturing for the purpose of stimulating natural gas or oil in low permeability natural gas reservoirs….

• The term "low permeability" does not limit this legislation to the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations. The vast majority of New York's wells are in low permeability formations – shale, sandstone or carbonate. These low-permeability natural gas reservoirs include the Bass Islands Trend, Medina Sandstone, Onondaga Reef, Oriskany Sandstone and other similar formations. These shallow, low-volume wells are quite common in Western New York and the Southern Tier, and are subject to the moratorium as written.

• This legislation is not limited to high volume hydraulic fracturing. The DEC will be unable to issue a permit for ANY natural gas or oil well which uses a de minimus amount of fluid to stimulate a well.

• 580 new well permits were issued by NYSDEC in 2009, more than 300 of which were issued during the same period in which the moratorium would apply (prior to May 15). More than 90 percent of these permits could not be issued under the moratorium.

• IOGA of NY's members – who have watched the pace of drilling activity in New York for many years – remark that the average current rate of drilling would likely not resume until many months after any moratorium were to lapse. With only half the usual number of months to drill wells, then only half as many would be developed thereafter, due to the lack of available equipment and labor to do a full year of work in half a year's time. As a result, IOGA of NY projects a net loss of nearly $800,000 in real property taxes, and $1.4 million in royalty payments.

THEY CLAIM:

• "The inclusion of vertical wells was intentional and critical. Gas companies threatened to drill vertically into the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations during the moratorium and then convert those wells into horizontal wells as soon as the moratorium sunset (emphasis added). Companies should not be allowed to side step the ongoing environmental review process ordered by Governor Paterson through a loophole for vertical wells."

FACT:

This is pure fiction. The notion of "stealth Marcellus wells" is a complete fabrication, as is the representation that the bills' sponsors intended to subject vertical wells subject to the moratorium. When this legislation passed the Senate, many members were unaware that it was technically flawed and poorly drafted, and that it would affect the vast majority of on-going oil and gas production in New York State.

Smith said, "This legislation will adversely affect a sector of New York's economy because of unsubstantiated fears. There continues to be no evidence that the one sector of the industry that this legislation will most certainly affect has done anything to warrant a forced closure of new wells."

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="504" caption="Bettsy Prophonic of NYS DOH at Public Health Assessment hearing on Ravena's Lafarge cement plant. Photo by Sam Sebren."][/caption]
WGXC volunteer Sam Sebren recorded audio and took photos at Thursday night's NYS Department of Health (DOH) Public Health Assessment meeting at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School. From Sebren:

"Members of the community clearly expressed frustration and anger at the NYS DOH Public Assessment Hearing, Dec. 9 at the RCS High School in Ravena. After years of requests, there is still no clear data about the contaminants being produced and dispersed by the Lafarge cement factory in Ravena. Ward Stone, retired NYS Wildlife Pathologist minced no words and said, "We need to take care of the environment. Because we're all dependent on it and it's falling apart." This hearing was a chance for people to comment and ask questions. People can still make comments to the DOH until Feb 15."

To listen to the mp3 audio recording of the meeting, click here, or copy and paste the following url into your computer's media player:
http://data.wavefarm.org/2010/12/RavenaDOHhearing_WGXC_12090.mp3
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="210" caption="Jan Storm of NYS DOH leads DOH hearing on Lafarge Ravena cement plant. Photo by Sam Sebren."][/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="210" caption="Susan Falzon of Friends of Hudson speaking at the Lafarge DOH hearing in Ravena. Photo by Sam Sebren."][/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="Slide asking audience for questions at DOH Health Assessment meeting about Lafarge cement plant. Photo by Sam Sebren."][/caption]

Although fracking, the best-known term for the controversial gas drilling procedure that's been a major environmental issue throughout the region this year, has slipped from the front pages following last week's state Assembly vote in favor of a statewide moratorium on such activity into May, and outgoing governor David Paterson's expected signing of that decision into law over the coming weeks, environmentalists and concerned citizens are pointing out that much is still happening in regards to the issue behind closed doors. As well as in neighboring states and on a federal level. The Watershed Post has a compendium story on draft regulations released by the Delaware River Basin Commission's issuance of its long-awaited draft regulations for the development of gas drilling within the river's watershed, which includes parts of Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. which shows both environmentalists and New York City crying foul... calling the release "a black day for the Delaware" while drilling proponents have started talking about how they are "moving the process forward." The regulations -- which some see as an arbiter of what's tgo come from our own state's Department of Environmental Conservation -- won't require a cumulative impact study of the wells before they're drilled, currently being undertaken by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Even though top geologists point out that there are no gas deposits under our region, the issue has gained strength as it raises health and safety issues relevant to many of New York's top urban areas, including the New York City watershed.

For full story click here.

As a reminder of our region's continuing rural nature, the Register-Star has a story today about how firefighters from three agencies worked to drown a silo fire on County Route 10 in Taghkanic with thousands of gallons of water Thursday morning, which was apparently caused by spontaneous combustion. It turns out silage can be spontaneously ignited when the bacteria responsible for fermentation produces too much heat and there is a low moisture level in the silage... as happens in extreme cold. Although there was no damage to the silo, local firefighters are on the lookout for flare-ups over the coming months... turns out this was at least the third time this particular silo has caught on fire this year.

Two interesting tidbits in today's news. First, it seems that despite years of warnings, there are still quite a few folk out there who just don't take to seat belts, no matter the laws. Mid Hudson News Network reports today that over 3,000 tickets were issued statewide on the Thruway during the “Buckle Up NY” seatbelt enforcement program in the last two weeks in November. In 2009, the story adds, 24 percent of all fatal accidents on the Thruway involved motorists not wearing seat belts.... and State Police issued approximately 18,000 tickets to motorists not wearing their seat belts while traveling the Thruway.

As for our skies, the Daily Freeman is running an Associated Press story today about how the Federal Aviation Administration is missing key information on who owns one-third of the 357,000 private and commercial aircraft in the U.S. — a gap the agency fears could be exploited by terrorists and drug traffickers. As a result, it has ordered all aircraft owners to re-register their planes in an effort to clean up its files.

Ah, modern times...