For Release: IMMEDIATE

DEC ANNOUNCES WILDLIFE REHABILITATOR EXAM
Exam Slated for April 24; Applications Due April 3

A written examination, offered only once a year, for New Yorkers interested in becoming a licensed volunteer wildlife rehabilitator, will be given on Friday, April 24th from 10 a.m. to noon at New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Regional offices across the state, the DEC announced today.

The deadline for registering to take the exam is Friday, April 3.  There is no charge for either the exam or the license issued by DEC.

Wildlife rehabilitators provide the selfless service of caring for injured, sick and orphaned wild animals.  The ultimate goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to prepare the animals for their return to the wild.

A wildlife rehabilitator study guide and examination manual are available to applicants for $15 a set. The study materials will also include the application necessary for registration. The materials were developed by wildlife rehabilitators, veterinarians and biologists to teach applicants about the practice of wildlife rehabilitation, including technical requirements for licensed volunteers.

Applicants must be at least 16 years old, submit two character references along with their application, have no convictions for violations of the State Environmental Conservation Law and be interviewed by a DEC regional wildlife staff person.

Applicants should understand that a degree of technical skill and a significant commitment in time, money and effort is required to be a wildlife rehabilitator.  Prospective applicants are encouraged to gain experience by serving as an assistant to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Additional information is available by telephoning (518) 402-8985, or by writing to:

NYS DEC; Special Licenses Unit
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-4752
          Website: www.dec.ny.gov
Email:     [email protected]

Opinion

Hold that bet on gambling in the Catskills

link is here:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090222/OPINION/902220303 var isoPubDate = 'February 22, 2009'

Not that long ago Sullivan County worried about the spillover effects of prosperity. Casinos and their associated development would turn Route 17 into a parking lot every Friday and Sunday evening. Oil wells would desecrate a landscape scarred by the ruts of heavy equipment rolled in to tap the wealth in the Marcellus Shale.

With oil trading more than $100-per-barrel below its record high and credit markets a dry hole, the economics of exploration have turned around, halting the rush to the Catskills. That should give the state and local governments the time they feared they might not have to absorb lessons from other areas where drilling has had time to mature and to firm up regulations to make sure that any damage from the work would be minimized, repaired and paid for.

On the gambling front, the news is equally bad and more discouraging. Aside from geologists, most people in the area had never heard of the Marcellus Shale before the rapid rise of energy prices made it a potential profit center. Gambling has long been the presumed savior of the Catskills, the industry that would revive the economy and recreate the glory of the grand resorts.

Based on the news of the past week, there's only one response — don't bet on it.

Gambling revenue is down in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and both Uncasville and Mashantucket, Conn. Donald Trump has quit the board of Trump Entertainment Resorts, and the company, the owner of three casinos in Atlantic City that have been through bankruptcy twice, has filed for a third round after missing a $53 million interest payment at the start of December.

If you feel bad about your 401(k), consider how Donald feels when he thinks about his company plunging from a net worth of $842 million in 2005 to $7.3 million today.

Indian gaming operations are doing no better. Winnings at Mohegan Sun were down almost 8 percent in January from the year before, and winnings at Foxwoods were down more than 7 percent, better than the 19-percent drop in December.

Gamblers aren't the only ones holding back. Moody's and Standard & Poor's downgraded the credit ratings of the two Connecticut operations based on the decline already on the books and expectations of more bad news for a while.

Where does that leave the plans for reinventing the Concord with hotels, restaurants, a relocated Monticello raceway complete with racino but without the gaming operations that seemed to be an inevitable evolution in the near future? Stalled would be the most accurate answer for now, with the developer working to find funding and plans being scaled back and delayed.

Nobody can blame Louis Cappelli for this. He had big dreams and made big promises. Once the economy turns around, gamblers will find their way to the tables once again, and the ancient promise of prosperity for the Catskills will return.

For now, it might be more prudent for those local officials who have been so supportive and cooperative to start thinking about alternative ways to attract jobs and development. The odds have changed and not in their favor.

News

Sullivan campground among 6 to be closed

DEC cost-cutting move shuts Beaverkill site

link to complete article is here:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090222/NEWS/902220312 var isoPubDate = 'February 22, 2009'

ROSCOE — The state Department of Environmental Conservation announced Friday that it will close six of its campgrounds for the 2009 season, including the Beaverkill Campground in northern Sullivan County.

The decision to close the camps, all of which had relatively low occupancy rates, was the latest cost-cutting measure pitched by state officials.

"As Governor (David) Paterson has made clear, New York is facing a large budget deficit and must make many hard choices," DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said in a statement.

"Closing these facilities for the 2009 season is one such hard choice, but is one that is necessary in these tough economic times."

The DEC operates 52 campgrounds across the state. It did not say how much money would be saved by closing six of them, but said the camps could reopen in 2010. The other shuttered camps were in Delaware, Essex and Hamilton counties.

The Beaverkill Campground, 2 miles northeast of Roscoe, includes one of the only public fishing spots along the Beaverkill River, famed as the birthplace of fly-fishing in North America. The camp had 12 percent occupancy in 2007, and 20 percent last year.

Local residents and business owners said the campground funneled travelers into Roscoe and nearby Livingston Manor. They purchased gas, groceries, dinner and recreation equipment.

"We're a recreation, tourism kind of village, and a lot of the people in town depend on that trade," said Miriam Stone, who runs a gift shop in Roscoe.

The DEC announcement comes after a banner year for campgrounds in Sullivan County. Camp owners said 2008 was their most profitable season in roughly 20 years, largely because the sour economy stopped families from traveling to far-off destinations. Instead, the opted for so-called "staycations," or places they could reach on one tank of gas.

Because one tank often landed them here, in the Catskills, locals say the closure comes at a bad time.

"Coming to the campgrounds up here was an inexpensive way to have a family vacation," said Elwin Wood, a Sullivan County legislator and business owner in Roscoe. "Closing them doesn't make much sense."

[email protected]

link to original article is here:

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/February09/20/Camps_close-20Feb09.htm

ALBANY – The state announced Friday that because of the continuing fiscal crisis, two Catskills campgrounds will not open this year.

The two, and six in the Adirondacks, had very low occupancy rates, said State EnCon Commissioner Pete Grannis. Remaining closed in the Catskills will be Beaverkill in the Town of Roscoe and Bear Spring Mountain in the Town of Walton.

“As Governor Paterson has made clear, New York is facing a large budget deficit and must make many hard choices,” said Grannis. “Closing these facilities for the 2009 season is one such hard choice, but is one that is necessary in these tough economic times.”

DEC official updates Sullivan municipal leaders on hot issues

link to complete article is here:

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/February09/20/SCCG_Janeway-20Feb09.htm

MONTICELLO – There were more county legislators and officials than town supervisors on hand when a regional Department of Environmental Conservation official met with the Council of Governments this morning.

DEC Region 3 Director William Janeway touched on some of the hot issues, including prospecting for natural gas. He noted that one of the companies originally interested in possibly sinking wells in Sullivan now is not sure the Marcellus Shale reserves under the county are sufficient to make it worthwhile.

“We have essentially called a ‘time-out’ on the deep hydrofracking of the Marcellus Shale”, said Janeway. That, he says, gives them time to update the process of environmental review which will lead to sound guidelines that would apply to any permanent activity.

On other issues, Janeway said Sullivan retains the unique less-developed character long since lost in other area counties, such as Ulster and Dutchess, but large-scale development can happen if done carefully.

He also said the federal stimulus package has the right focus on one issue critical in Sullivan – clean water.

NYRI opponents urge more action

link to complete article is here:

http://www.thedailystar.com/local/local_story_050040055.html

By Jake Palmateer
Staff Writer

LAURENS _ Opponents of the 400,000-volt NYRI power line on Wednesday urged Otsego County residents to rise in opposition even as they hailed what they said was a major victory in the fight against the project.

State Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, and Otsego County Board of Representatives Chairman James Powers joined leaders of Communities Against Regional Interconnect, an umbrella group of NYRI opponents, at a forum at Laurens Central School.

New York Regional Interconnect has applied to the state's Public Service Commission to build a $2 billion, 190-mile-long transmission line from Marcy in Oneida County to New Windsor in Orange County. Various routes, including one following the existing Marcy South line in Otsego and Delaware counties, have been studied by the company.

A federal court Wednesday struck down rules that would have allowed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve the power line even if the PSC denied it within one year of the completed application's submission.

"The good news is the Fourth Circuit Court out of Richmond, Va., pretty much affirmed many of the points our group made," CARI Chairman Steve DiMeo said. "We think that's an important ruling today."

DiMeo said it is the latest in a series of setbacks for NYRI.

"We're knocking chess pieces off the chess board, and they have fewer and fewer pieces with which to make a move," DiMeo said.

Opponents of NYRI believe the project would: result in higher electricity rates in upstate New York, is not needed, would taint the landscape of the region and could have health and safety risks.

NYRI contends the proposal is a technologically innovative, congestion-reducing project that would alleviate electricity supply concerns in the New York City area.

"The proposed NYRI line, wherever it would be built, is a bad deal for upstate New York," Seward said to the Laurens audience of about 20 county residents. "The list of reasons to oppose this line is a long list."

Much of the fight against NYRI has been outside of Otsego County because the primary route proposed by the company would take the line through Oneida, Madison, Delaware and Chenango counties. But the PSC has said the alternative route proposed by NYRI through Otsego County is a viable option.

STOP NYRI co-chairwoman Eve Ann Shwartz, who is also a CARI representative, urged the audience to get involved in the fight against NYRI, which she said was not over.

CARI has raised $2.1 million for its cause, while NYRI has spent $19 million in its effort to get the project approved, Shwartz said.

Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Madison, Oneida, Orange and Sullivan county governments are already partners with CARI, and those counties have provided 47 percent of CARI's funding, according to Shwartz.

Otsego County may be next, Powers said.

He said he expects the county board to discuss the issue March 4 and possibly appropriate funds for CARI.

"The number I heard mentioned is $50,000," Powers said.

A PSC decision on the power line is expected by August. Before Wednesday's court ruling, if the PSC were not to rule on NYRI by August, a year after the firm's completed application was submitted to the state, the project could have been approved by FERC.

"We don't believe there is a need for any line," DiMeo said.

But he said CARI has suggested two alternatives if the line must be built: Running the line underground through the Marcy South corridor or running it through the Thruway corridor. However, an administrative law judge has ruled out the Thruway option.

The New York Power Authority has suggested that the existing Marcy South AC line could be re-cabled with a DC line, which would increase capacity and eliminate the need for NYRI, according to Troy Bystrom of CARI and the Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition.

Several county residents spoke out against NYRI on Wednesday night, including Laurens Town Supervisor Oscar Oberkircher.

"We have to act cooperatively to fight this," he said. "This is something we have to fight together and with all of our vigor."

Several residents said Otsego County has been slow to join the fight and may have been lulled into a false sense of security because the county was not included on NYRI's primary preferred route.

NY State Admits Ignoring Threat to City's Drinking Water

Officials Suggest Gas Drilling Technique is Safe, Then Acknowledge Lack of Evidence

NYC City Councilman Gennaro Demands Immediate Action from Albany

 WASHINGTON – According to documents obtained by Environmental Working Group (EWG) through New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has not conducted a single test to determine if a controversial technique used to drill for natural gas upstate is a threat to New York City's drinking water.

 The technique, known as hydraulic fracturing or hydrofracing, injects up to five million gallons of water laced with toxic chemicals into the ground at high pressure to fracture rock formations in order to create a natural gas well.  This type of drilling makes it easier to extract natural gas, but at a potentially disastrous cost to the environment, particularly underground water supplies.

 A 2004 report by the U.S. EPA identified diesel fuel as a common fracturing fluid and concluded that 30 percent of four toxic components of diesel fuel --benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene -- remained underground after injection and were "likely to be transported by groundwater supplies."  

 Natural gas companies have expressed significant interest in using high-volume hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling to extract natural gas near upstate reservoirs that provide water to the estimated 14 million people who live in and around New York City.

 In two documents released last October and earlier this month, the Department of Environmental Conservation declared that it "does not…find a significant environmental impact associated with [hydraulic fracturing], which has been in use in New York State for at least 50 years."

 Yet when EWG sent a FOIL request asking the DEC to disclose details of tests of surface and underground waters for contamination by hydraulic fracturing chemicals, department officials responded that "the division of Mineral Resources does not maintain any records which are responsive to your request." EWG senior analyst Dusty Horwitt placed a follow-up telephone call to a state official, who confirmed that the state had done no testing and had no test results. Link to DEC responses:

 "The Department of Environmental Conservation violates the public's trust when it says that hydrofracing is safe for the environment," Horwitt said.  "New York's taxpayers and property owners have a right to know exactly what happens when tons of water laced with carcinogens and other toxics are blasted into the earth near their water supplies.  Whether out of ignorance or deceit, the DEC's policy amounts to 'don't ask, don't tell'."

 New York City Councilman James F. Gennaro, chairman of the council's Committee on Environmental Protection and a vocal critic of drilling near the city's water supply, yesterday afternoon sent a letter to Pete Grannis, Commissioner of the State's Department of Environmental Conservation, calling for the state to acknowledge its lack of testing for contamination caused by hydraulic fracturing.  He also demanded that the state require that natural gas companies publicly disclose the chemicals they are using and that the state perform tests to determine whether hydraulic fracturing has polluted water supplies.

 "This cavalier approach to the science is unacceptable, particularly when the integrity of New York's drinking water is at stake," Gennaro wrote. "Contrary to the DEC's assertion, a consistent body of emerging science indicates that hydraulic fracturing can contaminate water supplies. Though natural gas is often billed as a 'clean' source of energy, the extraction process poses serious risks for water contamination.  The state must conduct its environmental review in a thorough, transparent manner to ensure that the citizens of New York can count on clean, safe drinking water – now and for generations to come."

 According to Congressional testimony in 2005 from the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a group that represents governors from oil and gas producing states, hydraulic fracturing is used in 90 percent of all oil and natural gas wells drilled in the United States.  But recent investigations by the EPA have raised disturbing questions about the industry's assertion that the process is benign.

 Last summer, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management documented that groundwater in Sublette County, Wyoming, had been contaminated with benzene, a substance that has been linked to cancer and nervous system disorders.  Sublette County is the site of one of the nation's largest natural gas fields and hydraulic fracturing is common there.

 A 2008 investigation by EWG and The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, an environmental health group based in Paonia, CO, identified at least 65 chemicals used in gas drilling that were classified as hazardous or toxic under federal environmental laws.  Many of the chemicals are used in hydraulic fracturing.

 Despite this evidence, the federal government and most state and local governments do not require oil and natural gas companies to disclose what chemicals they are using in hydraulic fracturing or any other aspect of their operations, and that leaves government officials and citizens in the dark.

 According to a recent front-page story in The Denver Post by Abrahm Lustgarten of the the New York-based non-profit investigative newsroom ProPublica, EPA scientists said they could not assure the public that the drilling process was safe, nor could they accurately measure its effects.

 Joyel Dhieux, a drilling field inspector who handles environmental review at the EPA's regional offices in Denver told ProPublica that "I am looking more and more at water quality issues…because of a growing concern…But if you don't know what's in it I don't think it's possible."

 New York's Department of Environmental Conservation has announced it is conducting a formal environmental review of "horizontal drilling and high volume hydraulic fracturing" that companies are expected to use for natural gas extraction in shale formations such as those near New York City's drinking water supply.  State officials have indicated they may issue permits for such drilling once the review is complete

 EWG recommends that New York state authorities decline all applications for hydrofracing permits until natural gas companies have publicly disclosed the chemicals they plan to use and until the state has conducted tests on whether past instances of hydraulic fracturing have contaminated New York water supplies.  The state should also decline such applications until it obtains reliable tests from hydrofracing operations similar to those that may be conducted in New York, to determine whether those operations contaminated water supplies.

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EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment.

Ski tax proposal draws ire of resorts

link to complete article is here:
http://www.thedailymail.net/articles/2009/02/20/news/news2.txt

Gov. Paterson’s idea called “shortsighted”

By Colin DeVries

Paterson’s proposed ski tax that could detrimentally affect the industry in Greene County and beyond.

“It’s very shortsighted by our governor,” said Scott Brandi, president of Ski Areas of New York, Inc.

The proposed tax would add a minimum 4 percent state sales tax to all lift tickets and lessons, as well as an up to 4 percent county sales tax. State-owned and operated resorts would be exempt from the proposed tax.

According to Brandi, the tax could not only have an extremely negative effect on ski areas but also indirectly impact area businesses that cater to the influx of skiers to eat at their restaurants, sleep at their hotels, drink at their bars, etc.

“We commissioned an economic study last year and showed that the ski industry in New York generates $1.1 billion,” said Brandi, “and that is only during the four months of winter.”

Greene County resorts Hunter Mountain and Windham Mountain are not happy about the new taxes and believe it will greatly impact their sustainability in these tough economic times.

“This is an industry with very high capital expenses and also very dependent on the weather and the discretionary income of our guests,” said Kirt Zimmer, marketing director at Windham. “At a time when discretionary income is so tight, an increase in sales tax will only hurt our sales.”

Zimmer thought it was also contradictory to impose a tax on non-diet soft drinks, while taxing healthy alternative during the time of year when it is really needed.

Brandi agrees: “We don’t think it’s fair. … You impose a soda tax then you turn around and tax one of the healthiest things for our kids to do in the winter time for our kids.”

The tax is not only limited to skiing either, it also includes golf courses, campgrounds, beaches, swimming pools, sporting arenas, bowling alleys, shooting galleries and motion picture theaters.

Greene County Legislature Chairman Wayne Speenburgh said it was unfair to exclude state-owned and operated recreational facilities.

“If he is going to do a sales tax and exclude state-owned ski areas and golf courses,” Speenburgh said, “I think that is putting private industry at a disadvantage.”

He added that the Greene County Legislature may be introducing a resolution opposing the tax.

A press conference will be held at Windham Mountain today to address this critical issue that many officials agree could severely damage one of Greene County’s most vital industries.

State Senator James Seward and Assemblyman Pete Lopez will be present to show their support for local ski areas.

Log onto www.stoptheskitax.com for more information on Brandi’s organization and initiative.

To reach reporter Colin DeVries, please call (518) 943-2100, ext. 3325, or e-mail [email protected].

For Immediate Release:                                                                                              Contact: Jeff Lieberson

February 19, 2009                                                                                                         202-225-6335 (office)

                                                                                                                                       202-225-0817 (cell)

 

Hinchey Hails Court Ruling Reversing FERC Rules

Impacting Proposed NYRI Transmission Lines

 

 

Washington, DC -- Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today lauded the decision filed yesterday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit that overruled the interpretation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) of federal regulations that would have potentially allowed the agency to overrule state objections and permit the construction of power lines, such as the one proposed by New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI).  Hinchey has long opposed NYRI's proposal to construct massive new electric transmission lines, arguing that the project is not needed to meet New York's electricity needs and will adversely impact local communities and the environment along the proposed routes while taking private property through eminent domain for a private corporation. 

 

In its ruling released February 18, the Fourth Circuit struck down the FERC's December 2006 interpretation of Section 216 of the Federal Power Act -- a provision put in place by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which Hinchey opposed and voted against.  The Fourth Circuit found that FERC's interpretation of the agency's authority under Section 216 was "expansive" and "contrary to the plain meaning of the statute."  In a strong rebuke to FERC's decision, the Circuit ruled that, "The statute (Section 216) does not give FERC permitting authority when a state has affirmatively denied a permit application within the one-year deadline."

 

"The Fourth Circuit's ruling is a decisive and hopefully fatal blow to the power line proposal that NYRI is trying to force upon the residents of New York," Hinchey said. "By reversing FERC's misguided legal interpretation that it had the ability to override state decisions that deny power line permit applications, the court has restored some balance and common sense to this regulatory process.  The courts made it clear that if the State of New York finds that NYRI is not needed and denies NYRI's application within the one-year statutory time frame, FERC has no right to overturn the state's denial.  This ruling is a victory for the residents and ratepayers of New York, and I congratulate and thank all of the parties who successfully pursued and argued this case, including Communities Against Regional Interconnect, the New York Public Service Commission, and the New York Attorney General."

 

Hinchey has previously challenged FERC's authority to designate so-called "National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors" that potentially allow the agency to permit construction of electricity transmission facility under certain circumstances and could have been used to permit NYRI over New York State objections and denials.  Hinchey has also worked with other members of Congress to revoke and amend sections of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that included Section 216 and FERC's permitting authority for power lines in federal law.

 

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