Issues: Agriculture

ONEONTA, 12/20/10 – State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I–Oneonta) is again calling on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to conduct a full, open review of proposed outdoor wood boiler (OWB) regulations.

“Energy costs are rising on a daily basis and upstate homeowners and farmers struggling to make ends meet are constantly searching for economical and environmentally sound methods to keep expenses in check,” said Senator Seward.  “I appreciate the Department of Environmental Conservation’s efforts in revising outdoor wood boiler regulations but local concerns have not been adequately addressed.”

Yesterday, just 24 hours after it was sent to the Governor for his signature, Senator Liz Krueger sent the following letter to Governor Paterson urging him to sign the Hydrofracking Moratorium Bill previously passed by the State Senate and recently passed by the Assembly (S8129-B / A11443-B).

Dear Governor Paterson:

I am writing to urge you to sign S.8129-B / A.11443-B, legislation that will place a moratorium on gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale until May 15, 2011. As a co-sponsor of this legislation, I support this moratorium so that we may have more time to properly vet a controversial process that has been connected to disastrous effects in other States.

A quick quiz: New York State’s largest industry is:

a.) Tourism  b.) Manufacturing c.) Agriculture or d.) High-tech

We’re beginning this week by celebrating Columbus Day and recalling how that early voyage began opening the way to the settlement of America which, in turn, is remindful of the fact that throughout the centuries we have been a nation of agriculture and farming.

And that’s right, the answer to the above question is this: agriculture remains New York’s No. 1 industry.  In fact, today’s farm economy generates more than $4 billion worth of annual economic activity statewide and provides a livelihood for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.

We can’t afford to forget it.

State Senator John J. Bonacic (R/I/C – Mt. Hope) has asked New York State Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets Patrick Hooker, for help bringing Federal Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to Sullivan County.

New York Farm Bureau President Dean Norton traveled to the 62nd Senate District to personally welcome State Senator George Maziarz (R-C, Newfane) into the Farm Bureau’s “Circle of Friends.”  The announcement came during a visit to Blackman Homestead Farm in the Town of Cambria in Niagara County.