It’s been an odd summer, with lots of cloud cover folding in and out each day, sometimes fully taking over the sky and sometimes made to give way to the sun. At times the clouds are blue-black and menacing, filled with the fury of storms.…
It’s been an odd summer, with lots of cloud cover folding in and out each day, sometimes fully taking over the sky and sometimes made to give way to the sun. At times the clouds are blue-black and menacing, filled with the fury of storms.…
Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act proponents claim that existing technology is sufficient for the transition to the zero emissions electric grid by the 2040 target and that because wind and solar are free the transition will be affordable. However, the first annual Public Service Commission informational report on the implementation of the Climate Act released last month tells another story. It notes that in 2022 the costs associated with the Climate Act increased the monthly electric bills 7.6 percent…
As someone who follows local and national news reports, I must tell you I am worried about the recent extreme heat and wildfires raging across the country. I feel for people who lose their lives and livelihoods to extreme weather, and it’s only a matter of time until it directly hits me and my community.…
The Partial Observer by Roger Caiazza Cap and Invest: It’s Complicated As part of the Hochul Administration’s plan to implement the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (Climate Act), a market-based pollution control program called ‘’cap and invest” was proposed earlier this year in legislation associated with the budget. It was not included in the final budget bill but it will be considered later this year. This is an overview of this complicated proposal that has affordability and energy use…
First Presbyterian Church Certified Again as Earth Care Congregation COOPERSTOWN For the 10th year, Cooperstown’s First Presbyterian Church has been certified as an Earth Care Congregation by the Presbyterian Church (USA). This certification recognizes churches that make the commitment to take seriously God’s charge to “till and keep” the garden, e.g., to care for God’s earth. To become an Earth Care Congregation, First Presbyterian pledged to integrate environmental practices and thinking into its worship, education, facilities and outreach.…
Letter from Ted Potrikus Mixed Messages Threaten Article IX Last week’s editorial, “Saving Article IX,” appropriately cautions New Yorkers to defend home rule and guard against efforts that would erode our right to govern our localities as we see fit.…
Letter from Justin Wilcox NYers Should Know Cost of Climate Action Upstate ratepayers should not be forced to subsidize downstate as a result of downstate’s over-reliance on fossil fuels. The rushed decisions being made to meet the state’s unrealistic climate goals will make New York State even more unaffordable, send New Yorkers packing, and put family-owned businesses under. The PSC’s latest vote to approve an estimated $6.6 billion in local transmission upgrades is yet another example of how the state’s…
THE PARTIAL OBSERVER Farmland Protection is Everyone’s Concern New York is an agricultural powerhouse, you may be surprised to learn. The state ranks in the top 10 nationally in no fewer than 14 crop and value-added agricultural products: number one in yogurt, number two in apples and cabbage, top 10 in tomatoes and potatoes, to name a few. Forty-three percent of New York’s wine grapes go to California for their wine industry. This productivity is all the more amazing when…
Chamber Kicks Off 2023 with ‘State of the State’ Breakfast Event By CASPAR EWIGONEONTA It was a sellout crowd last Friday, January 20, as the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual “State of the State” networking breakfast. The conference, which took place in the Otsego Grille of SUNY Oneonta’s Morris Hall, was introduced by Sean Lewis, president and chief executive officer of the chamber, as a vehicle to “allow the panelists a chance to express their view of…
Editorial Tread Lightly, Care and Think Every year the growth, and non-growth, of a variety of areas of interest—such as the economy, the population, bird migrations, immigration, wildfires, utilities, stocks, violence, college rankings, China and the like—are subject to intense research and interpretation. Inevitably, the results are published far and wide just after the last drop of the New Year’s ball. One such fast-developing aspect of our life is our carbon footprint (CO2e), the total greenhouse gas emissions that trap…