Hayseeds No. 183

Sunday, November 12, 2006

The Reason One Would Live in Plattsburgh-Area. To read news-stories like: Ellenburg man killed by deer. I guess you could say that's a deer's revenge towards hunters, or in this case wildlife reabilitators.

I know I have spooked dears many times in the past in the fields out back and in the woods. And they sure can move, and I wouldn't want to be kicked by one of them. I know people injured by getting kicked by cattle, and I can't imagine deer are that much less painful, despite being typically much lighter. P'Link

The Record on Gillibrand Defeating Sweeney. The Troy Record has an interesting analysis on how the Democrats managed to pick out victory in the Gillibrand race:

"We did not do bad, considering we are outnumbered two to one," said Democratic Election Commissioner Bill Buccheri of Delaware County. "I have never seen anything quite like this before. Obviously some Republicans do cross party lines."Sweeney brought much of the election woes on himself, but Gillibrand ran a tenacious, well-funded campaign, and she took advantage of a national Democratic trend that ended with majorities in both the House and Senate...

The Sweeney camp did not return phone calls for this article, but Gillibrand's spokeswoman Allison Price maintains her camp ran a campaign based on the issues and credited the victory to being effective on the ground.

"The campaign knew we were going to win this with an aggressive field operation, which we implemented with our friends in the labor community and an energetic team of volunteers," she said. "We spent the better part of a year organizing it and the amount of time we spent organizing it paid off on Election Day."

That probably is very true. The Gillibrand grass roots people were nothing short of amazing—I know I was one. P'Link

Monday, November 13, 2006

Now that Sweeney's Gone: The Dredging. Now that John Sweeney is gone, Fred LeBrune has finally picked up on the fact that dredging will finally happen sometime in the future or at least that one less obstical is in the way.

And Sweeney has had his successes. His persistent intervention is credited for the outrageous rewriting of the EPA's 2003 record of decision. It now gives General Electric an escape hatch after the first phase of the cleanup is completed. In addition, Sweeney has frequently provided support and a forum for the more rabid anti-dredgers like Fort Edward Town Supervisor Merrilyn Pulver.

Sweeney's replacement, Congresswoman-elect Kirsten Gillibrand is on record supporting the EPA's dredging plan. She has said she considers removing PCBs from the river sound economic policy that would greatly benefit communities along the upper Hudson.

So with Sweeney potentially off the case, a huge anchor to timely progress of the complicated logistics of a massive river dredging is lifted.

Likewise, we have a governor now who is on the record for supporting dredging. P'Link

IP Reaches Emissions Levels, Reduces Tire Load. As many of you know, IP has been doing their test burn of tires starting last week, and as they increased from 1/2 ton to 1 ton they found they were getting close to permit limits of 0.10/lbs per million BTU and decided to back down the concentration of tires and carefully analysize their results.

That was the right thing to do. They now have a clearer idea what the emissions levels were at 1 ton and probably can balance it somewheres between it and half ton, keeping particulate levels within their state (and therefore EPA) permitted levels. If Vermonters don't like their state-mandated emission levels and have good science to prove it, they can lobby congress to modify the Federal Clean Air Act.

This would be pretty much a non-issue if the Ticonderoga plant was burning coal and not oil. Burning oil, they aren't required to have a electrostatic precipator as is the case with most semi-modern coal plants. Oil doesn't have large quanities of mercury or have some of other nasties that coal has. Oil does produce more sulfur dioxide when burnt, but the Ti plant has a sulfur scrubber system of some sort for compliance reasons.

As many of us remember, recently LaFarge got permission to burn WHOLE tires at their plant in Ravena up to something like 15% of their fuel. Despite getting the heckles of a few environmentalists and a few downwind people on the other side of the river, they didn't have a lot to go on to oppose that proposal. Tires are cleaner burning then coal, particularly when it comes to mercury emissions. Things like dioxin, nickle, and zinc emissions increase slightly but not above the limits.

That said, LaFarge has a electrostatic precipator and Ti doesn't. Coal plants are probably better for burning tires as a supplemental fuel then are oil plants. We have to remember though that the environmental standards are pretty stringent. And that the Ti plant is going to be burning SHREDDED tires with metal removed first—something that greatly reduces the possibility of plant upsets and makes them burn cleaner and hotter. Not to mention you can't really burn tires whole in an oil plant. That said, this plant is already modified to allow burning of wood bark chunks, and that's how they can be burn shreded tires.

Read what the air quality specialists at the NYSDEC Air Resources Division in Region 5 had to say about the proposal and the public comment they got.

I would dare a Vermonter to show what subsantative damage burning tires is having on their lives or their lands. I want to see dead cows, dying trees, or sick children. Then I dare them to show how that impact is greater then the benifits that the plant provides to the residents Ticonderoga. P'Link

Giuliani Announces Bid for President. Hitler has set up an exploratory committee to explore a run for President and try to consolidate power around himself. P'Link

How Vermont Views New York These Days. Well more particularly the Ti tire burn:

I really couldn't believe those Vermonters ranting and raving on Vermont Public Radio today who live downwind from the plant on how they are already noticing the health effects of tire burn, particularly in the light of the fact the amount of particulate matter has not increased much at all from the existing levels (ie. no higher then standard operating permit allows).

You have to wonder what really is bothering Vermonters about the whole tire burn thing—the added pollution or the fact they've never particularly liked the Ti plant on the other side of the lake that smells like every other paper plant. Unless you've lived in a paper plant town like Plattsburgh or Ticonderoga, you might not understand what I mean about that. P'Link

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Joe Mondello to Replace Steve Minark at NY GOP Chairman. Mondello of Nassau county is slated to replace Steve Minark in attempting to revive the NY GOP, who did pretty badly in the last election, despite holding on in both the State Assembly and State Senate and in many local elections. P'Link

An Interesting Tidbit. It looks as though the Saint Lawerence County Democrats now control the SLC legislature. That's interesting as it shows that a fairly strong Republican stronghold has fallen, and at least geographically it is the biggest County in New York.

I know at least one of the people up there in Saint Lawerence County who has made the legislature blue—not that I particularly care for the kind of activism that these people represent. There are a lot of activist kind of towns like Canton and Ogdenberg in which the colleges and their liberals have come to dominate politics up there. P'Link

PSUC Gets ROT-C Program. It looks like the SUNY Plattsburgh President has decided to allow the campus to get a ROT-C program for those students that want to participate in such a program. I think it's a good thing.

I actually testifed at the public hearing on this program, and supported it's creation. I argued that it's worth a try, and that if it doesn't work out the state university college can pull it at a later date. I suggested that if the program has problems, then the college be just as fast in revoking it. Pragmatism at work.

Initially, as a supporter of the peace movement, I was opposed to militarizing the campus. I then learned about how small the program was going to be, and that it wouldn't impact or be noticable to most students. That sold me on the idea.

I still think the Iraq war is a disaster, and it bothers me to hear about the mounting deaths each and every day. Yet, I also realize those people who join ROT-C do it by their own choice. Those professionals who serve the military don't create the war in Iraq. That is the fault of the foolish politicans that we've elected to Washington.

Things are changing with the new Senate and House. I think those people will bring a fresh perspective to the war in Iraq, and eventually find a way to get us out. The destruction over in Iraq is horrific as is hearing the death count everytime I turn on the radio.

It's up to 2,853 Americans since 2003. P'Link

Spitzer Threatens Legislative Leaders. He tells them either go with him on his desired public reforms, or he will go to the public and get them to tell their legislative leaders to support him. That's called a threat.

And Spitzer can probably make out well on such a threat. Everybody loves Spitzer, and most people like him far better then Joe or Shelly. P'Link

Now Git It Done. Spitzer's long list of things to get done on Day 1 are a real challenge he's read to do, says the Times Union. P'Link

Interesting Factoid. From NPR's It's All Politics is that partisan control of the house has never changed without the Senate also changing to be the same party, following the lead of the house. P'Link

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Gillibrand's Little Fight with Pelosi. As many people know, Steny Hoyner challenged Pelosi for Minority Leader in the US House. It turns out that Gillibrand won't back Pelosi's choice for Majority Leader, Jack Murtha who is competing against Hoyner for that post. The thing is that Gillibrand wants to support the side that's winning, something that isn't always that clear in this side. P'Link

GE to Pay for Alternative Sources of Water for Muncipalities Effected By Dredging. A lot of people get their drinking water from the Hudson River. To allivate people's fears of muck getting stirred up when dredging the river, the EPA has decided to force GE to pay for alternative sources of water during the dredging that will hopefully start soon (ie. before the end of the decade). P'Link

NYS Making Payments to Dead People. It looks like Hevesi has audited county books across the state, and has found $3.2 million dollars of overpayment to counties for Medicaid services for 4,277 dead people that shouldn't have been recieving services any more. P'Link

Jon Stewart on Pataki. From the great people over at the Times Union Capitol Blog:

P'Link

Friday, November 17, 2006

An Upstater to Head NYS Democratic Party? NYCO has picked up on a rumor on the TU Capitol Blog that suggests that the next chairman of the State Democratic Party will be somebody from north of Yonkers. Buffalo, Rochester, maybe? It would be interesting to see somebody more from Western New York representing the party, and focusing building the party more Upstate. P'Link

The State of the State Parks. NYCO also reminded me of the controversal report by Parks and Trails New York that suggested that state parks are poorly maintained and are falling apart.

Maybe. If you can afford to go to them. That said, the infrastructure in most of the state parks I've gone in the greater Albany and Plattsburgh areas are in pretty darn good shape, at least as far as State projects go. Any SUNY campus is far more decrepit then state parks.

The real problem is the cost to visit state parks. It costs $7/per car to go to a state park. That's a lot of money for mere mortals who want a day at the park and are paying upwards of $2 per person to get into the pool to cool off ontop of the entrance fees. Yes, you can ride your bike to get to some parks, and park somewheres on street a little ways from the park enterance, but that's not partical for most people.

Other states charge less for access to their parks. For example, if you want to drive to Massachussets and go to the Natural Bridge State Park in North Adams, it will only set you back $2. You can actually find out information in Massachussets about their parks before you go there.

In contrast, it's $7 to go to any state park in New York. New York now only funds 1/2 cost of using it's parks, while the rest is paid through that absurdly high $7 a car user fee. It used to be far more reasonable years ago, when the state contributed 3/4 of the fee.

We want to get people outdoors. For many city slickers, a trip to the state park may be their only option to get outdoors. State parks aren't for me per se, but they should be affordable, especially when it costs so much in fuel to go to the parks nowadays.

Read the full report. P'Link

Sweeney Report Hidden. It looks like our fine former Congressman's wife beating report not only was leaked by the state police or something like that, he had the state police destroy the orginal report that looked bad and had it replaced with an intentually vaugue one so that if it weren't leaked it wouldn't look so bad.

Good for him (I guess !). Too bad it didn't help him out much, and that scandal just seemed to grow more and more around him. Of course that begs the question of who allowed the state police to engage in such corrupt behavior. It's like the scandal never ends.

In case you missed the Legislative Gazette on WAMC tonight, it looks like Sweeney-lover Alan Chartock is now building up John Sweeney to be the next Republican Party Chair person, over the failing Nassau-county Chair Joesph Mondello (ie. in Tom Suozzi Country) who is Joe Bruno's favorite. P'Link

Even More Bad Weather in Binghamton. Interstate 88, otherwise known as the bump-bump highway that gives you a nice smooth ride in your truck (try driving in the passing lane—it's smoother), had some more mud slides the other day which caused a 20-car pileup near Binghamton. It seems that that region can never escape the bad weather these days. P'Link

City on the Allied Landfill Price Break. Oh, ignore that, says Bill Bruce. We have something more exciting for you to look at, the idea of turning excess methane into compressed natural gas (CNG) to power city vechicles. Too bad that isn't exactly a new idea (Bill Bruce has been talking about this for at least a year), and that already something like 2/3rds of the methane they are collecting is being used to power electric generators at Rapp Road.

Nobody is really opposed to the CNG to power city vechicles idea. Methane is a really bad global warming gas, and when you burn it for energy, that's a real improvement. That said, I'm not sure how much that will really reduce the smell, as the landfill is suppost to be burning all excess methane above and beyond the generators in one of the three pretty flares. Producing CO2 rather methane is a lot less smelly, and a lot less global warming.

And that's all just changing the subject to the Allied trash dumping deal, where they got to use the landfill for $38/ton, below cost, instead of the regular $52/ton or more that everybody else is paying. The Common Council is obviously not at all concerned about this deal that's equal to thevery, as the Mayor says it's okay.

And if the Mayor Jennings says it's okay, it's must be okay. P'Link