Archive: News

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WF-125) wrote to Governor Andrew Cuomo identifying the many problems that continue with Medicaid transportation in her district and in rural Upstate New York as a whole.

"While we managed to secure some helpful funding for upstate rural transit – additional funding was added in both the 2014 and the 2015 budgets for rural transit – there continue to be ongoing serious problems with Non-Emergency Medicaid Transportation (NEMT), which has been managed by the brokerage firm Medical Answering Service (MAS) since late 2013," Lifton said.

After seven years, the Lansing Town Board accepted the Agriculture And Farmland Protection Plan Wednesday.  The plan was approved in a 5-0 vote after a public hearing before the Board.  While two residents spoke against the plan, most urged board approval.  The main elements of the plan are recommendations to form an Agriculture Committee that will work on ways to implement the plan in the future, and to create a new Agriculture Zone that would replace the current Rural Agriculture zone across much of the northern portion of the Town.

"It's an opportunity to look at what is going on in agriculture," said Cornell Cooperative Extension Agriculture Program Leader Monika Roth.  "We sent the document to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.  The grants manager, John Brennan,  just sent us a letter that said that to date they have received over 100 planning grants that were approved by the commissioner and are in various stages of completion.  He said, 'the Lansing plan goes above and beyond the basic requirements and helps the reader understand the dynamic nature of agriculture in the community.  Additionally the plan illustrates what the Town can do to protect a variety of resources, land and water, needed to maintain a viable ag industry.'  He says he feels this is the best one written so far in New York State.  I am very pleased to have that response from him."

According to environmental consultant Mark Quarles, coal ash from the Cayuga Power Plant's landfill has gotten into groundwater on nearby properties for close to 30 years.  Quarles told the told the Tompkins County Planning, Energy and Environmental Quality Committeethat coal ash has flowed into Milliken Creek, and has contaminated nearby wells.

"There's undefined risk to human health in the environment for the landfill and its water-related discharges," he said.  "There's no doubt about it.  This pollution is not going away.  This is long term, and we've seen it: it's 29 years after the last unlined landfill was operated.  Contamination is persistent and it could be expected for decades."

Tom Reed rejected the President's Nuclear Agreement with Iran, along with the House of Representatives with a formal vote on the deal. "I care about the voices of our friends and neighbors from across the region and the resounding opposition to this agreement was clear," said Reed. "The way the President and the Senate have gone about silencing the collective will of the American people is not only unfair but puts our nation in danger."

Although 269 members of the House voted against the proposal, including 25 Democrats, roughly 41 Senators blocked consideration of similar legislation in the Senate late last week. The move essentially allows the agreement to take effect despite disapproval in the House.

In December 2013 the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a $140 million plan to repower NRG Energy's 592 MW coal burning power plant to a combination of coal and natural gas.  But at the end of August the company announced that it would be shuttering the plant indefinitely, as well as closing down it's 380mw Huntley coal-burning power plant.  Both plants are near Buffalo, NY.  The closings could have a significant impact on the future of the Cayuga Power Plant here in Lansing, and local officials are particularly frustrated by the silence from Albany.

"There's been no decision made, so it's hanging," Lansing Supervisor Kathy Miller said yesterday.  "Why would they cut down on production?  We need energy.  I'm afraid we'll be caught with not enough energy.  What are they doing?"

State agencies spent more than $337 million on overtime in the first six months of 2015, a jump of $21 million over the same period in 2014, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today.   
State employees worked more than 8.2 million overtime hours, up 5 percent over the same period in 2014.

If overtime continues to rise at this pace, total costs for 2015 would exceed $700 million, an all-time record.

“Even without counting the additional overtime caused by the prison-break in June, overtime has escalated at a record pace,” DiNapoli said. “State agencies should scrutinize their management practices and see what changes can be made to reduce their reliance on overtime.”

Tom Reed unveiled a new proposal to make college education more affordable for middle class families.

“Having student loan debt myself and being the father of two teenage kids, I understand the burden that paying for college can be on a family,” said Reed. “I care about ensuring anyone with the desire to educate themselves can receive a fair chance at making that happen without being prevented because of the cost.”

Reed’s proposal would require colleges and universities with endowments larger than 1 billion dollars to distribute a portion of that money as scholarships for students from working and middle class families or face heavy tax penalties.