Liz Montgomery reports for Porcupine Soup that Greene County Highway Superintendent Scott Templeton briefed the county Legislature last week on his department's use of alternate materials to keep roads clear in the wintertime. “We are trying some alternate ways to remove the snow,” Templeton said. “We are treating some salt piles with some additives." And, he said, they are using a product that is 20 percent magnesium chloride and molasses. More and more municipalities are turning to natural de-icing solutions such as molasses, beet juice, and cheese brine. And because molasses is sticky, it makes any ice-melt compound more effective by keeping it on the roads even during a storm thereby reducing the need for salt. “The state really wants to get rid of all the salt because they say it’s a negative impact on the environment,” said Templeton. His department is responsible for maintaining approximately 262 miles of roads countywide. Road salt also corrodes bridges and parking structures. It is also harmful and toxic to wildlife and the run-off can become problematic to waterways, according to the Adirondack Council, an environmental group dedicated to ensuring the ecological integrity and wild character of the Adirondack Park. “With what New York State is doing in the Adirondacks, trying to reduce the salt they put on the roads, I’m assuming that those procedures and laws are going to start edging further and further south,” said Templeton. “So, I would like to get ahead of that before we are mandated to do it.” Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.