U.S. Senate passes legislation to reauthorize Ex-Im

Legislation reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank of the United States–which provides loans and credit guarantees to buyers of U.S. goods–passed the U.S. Senate yesterday by a vote of 78-20. U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue said:

“The Senate’s vote today to reauthorize Ex-Im is great news for thousands of American workers and businesses of all sizes. Taxpayers can also cheer the fact that this bill will reduce the deficit by hundreds of millions of dollars.

“When other countries are providing their own exporters with an estimated $1 trillion in export finance—often on terms more generous than Ex-Im can provide—failure to reauthorize Ex-Im would amount to unilateral disarmament and cost tens of thousands of American jobs.

“The Chamber urges President Obama to swiftly sign this bill into law to guarantee U.S. businesses have a level playing field in export markets.”

Alert: Deadline to apply for economic injury disaster loans in New York is June 13

The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding businesses in New York that working capital loans are still available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private non-profit organizations affected by the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee which occurred from Sept 7-11, 2011.

This information comes SBA’s press release issued this morning:

“Businesses that suffered economic losses as a result of the disaster and want to apply for low-interest loans from the SBA are urged to do so before the June 13 deadline,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA Field Operations Center East.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) up to $2 million are available at 3 percent for private non-profit organizations of all sizes and 4 percent for small businesses, with terms up to 30 years. The loans are intended to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other expenses that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred.  To be considered for this assistance, disaster survivors need to apply by the deadline.

These EIDLs are available to small businesses and most private non-profit organizations in the following counties:  Albany, Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Dutchess, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Orange, Oswego, Otsego, Putnam, Rockland, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Schuyler, Steuben, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster and Westchester in New York; Passaic and Sussex in New Jersey; and Bradford, Pike, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wayne in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

 To obtain disaster loan information and application forms, call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.  Loan application forms can also be downloaded from www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX  76155.

Those affected by the disaster may also apply for disaster loans electronically from the SBA’s website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.

The deadline for economic injury applications is June 13, 2012.

Sen. Maziarz announces legislation to short circuit foreign transmission line

Heather Briccetti Raises Concerns About TDI Project

At a press conference Tuesday morning, State Sen. George Maziarz, R-C-Newfane, joined fellow state senators, union members, power generators and business groups in order to draw attention to what they deem negative impacts of a proposed underwater transmission line from Canada, and to announce legislation prohibiting the use of eminent domain by an electric corporation (or affiliate) that seeks to build a transmission line that originates outside of the U.S. to an ending point within the U.S.

The proposed Champlain Hudson Power Express Transmission Line (CHPE) is a 1,000-mw transmission line that would originate in Canada and end in New York City. CHPE does not allow any other existing New York generators or transmission companies to tie in to the line, nor does it address the issues being faced by certain struggling power plants throughout New York.

While the developers of the project say that it will be funded through private investments, there is a little noticed clause in the proposal before the Public Service Commission that could push some of the costs onto ratepayers, causing already high utility bills to go up, Maziarz’s camp said.

Heather Briccetti, president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State, said: “We appreciate Senator Maziarz’s concerns regarding the TDI project. Our members have raised both economic and technical issues with the proposal. The state’s electric grid connects New York communities that generate electricity with New York communities that consume electricity. Communities from around the state have benefited directly and indirectly through the purchase of in-state power, and projects that could jeopardize this relationship should be carefully examined. The Business Council supports Senator Maziarz’s devotion to improving the reliability of the state’s energy systems and reducing the cost of energy for consumers. We support his efforts to highlight, through legislation, our shared concerns regarding this project.”

University at Buffalo report says fracking is getting safer

The University at Buffalo’s Shale Resources and Society Institute today issued a report, “Environmental Impacts During Shale Gas Drilling: Causes, Impacts and Remedies,” which offers the first quantitative data review of Pennsylvania’s regulation of hydraulic fracturing of natural gas.

The report’s authors — UB institute director John P. Martin, University of Wyoming professor Timothy J. Considine and Pennsylvania State University professor emeritus Robert W. Watson — examined 2,988 violations, from nearly 4,000 natural gas wells, processed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) from January 2008 through August 2011.

The study assesses the effectiveness of the state’s regulations in mitigating environmental impacts associated with the development of Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania by surveying records of notices of violations from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) from January 2008 through August 2011. The major findings are as follows:
• Of the 2,988 notices of environmental violations (NOVs), the majority (62 percent) are administrative violations or violations issued to prevent pollution from occurring. The remaining citations (38 percent) were in response to an event that impacted the surrounding environment.
• Of the 845 incidents that caused measurable amounts of pollution, 820 were classified as non-major, and only 25 involved major impacts to air, water, and land resources. This implies that over the 44 months surveyed, there was a [0.7 percent] probability of a major environmental event.
• Of the 25 problematic incidents that involved major environmental impacts, six cases did not have their environmental impacts completely mitigated.
• Both the number of environmental violations and subsequent environmental events that caused some physical impact on the environment steadily declined over the past four years, in conjunction with action by state regulators. Notably, the percentage of wells resulting in a major environmental event declined significantly; an indicator that the attention of regulators was focused on the areas of greatest concern. The foregoing suggests that surface activity, rather than the drilling or development process itself, remains the greatest ongoing risk.

The findings are significant as they illustrate how the PA DEP has been able to effectively manage the brisk pace of unconventional gas development, while preserving the economic opportunity that development has afforded the community.

Statement from The Business Council on the Assembly passage of legislation raising the minimum wage

“After the passage of Tier VI pension reform, a fiscally responsible budget and other business-friendly initiatives, the Assembly has taken a step in the wrong direction. Raising the minimum wage to $8.50 per hour would cost an extra $2,900 per full-time employee in 2013. It’s unconscionable to place this burden on small-business owners, who are already struggling under state-imposed mandates.

“Not only would this legislation, if enacted, hurt businesses – it would have an adverse effect on the individuals that it is intended to help. Recent studies show that raising the minimum wage would result in lost jobs and a reduction in training opportunities for low-income employees.

“The Business Council strongly urges the Senate and the Governor to reject this anti-growth legislation.”

Heather Briccetti, president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State, Inc.

Assembly & Senate at odds over minimum wage hike

Assembly Democrats Pass Legislation to Increase Minimum Wage

Joseph Spector, Albany Bureau Chief for Gannett, reports on the split over the proposed minimum wage hike that The Business Council strongly opposes. Here’s his report:

ALBANY — Democrat and Republicans in the state Legislature are split over whether to increase the state’s minimum wage, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has cast doubt on whether an agreement can be reached.

On Tuesday, Assembly Democrats passed legislation to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 an hour in January and tie future increases to the rate of inflation.

“I think that when push comes to shove, this is a moral issue,” Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said. He cited a Siena College poll Monday that showed 78 percent of New Yorkers support an increase.

Senate Republicans indicated they do not plan to support the increase, saying it would be bad for businesses. Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, said the Republican-led Senate doesn’t back Silver’s bill, but stopped short of completely shutting the door on any increase at all.

“Our focus in terms of a moral imperative is about creating jobs,” Skelos said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he has supported increasing the minimum wage, but he hasn’t indicated he backs Silver’s bill.

“The governor supports raising the minimum wage, as we have made clear repeatedly,” Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto said. “Unfortunately, we do not believe there will be an agreement this session as we have also said repeatedly.”

Business groups said a minimum-wage increase would hurt the state.

“The Assembly has taken a step in the wrong direction,” the state Business Council said in a statement. “Raising the minimum wage to $8.50 per hour would cost an extra $2,900 per full-time employee in 2013.”

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg applauded the Assembly’s vote, saying New York’s minimum wage is less than neighboring states.

“Over the past several years, the cost of living in New York — like nearly everywhere else — has gone up, but the minimum wage has remained unchanged,” Bloomberg said in a statement.

Hannah Buckler, 12, of New City, Rockland County, joined Silver at a news conference to announce plans to pass a minimum-wage increase. She is a Girl Scout seeking the group’s Silver Award by promoting the need for a higher minimum wage.

She spoke at the Capitol event as her family looked on, saying that a minimum wage increase would benefit the economy because it “will give people more money to spend on basic necessities.”

Marcellus production continues to grow

This comes to us from experts speaking at the fourth annual Benposium, a four-day Bentak-led symposium in Houston: Even with rig cutbacks and lessened production, the Marcellus shale will impact natural gas prices for at least the next decade.

“Marcellus production from both Pennsylvania and West Virginia crossed the 7 billion-cubic-feet-per-day (Bcf/d) hurdle last month,” according to Tony Scott, manager-Oil & Gas Analysis, at Bentek Energy LLC. “[And] it will jump the 8 BcF/d threshold within the next few months.”

Bentak Energy is an energy market analytics company, providing natural gas, power, and natural gas liquids (NGL) industry expertise.

Siena College poll: Voters evenly split on fracking

According to the Siena College poll of registered voters released this morning,  thirty-seven percent support allowing hydrofracking in parts of upstate New York; thirty-six percent oppose.

“Voters remain divided on hydrofracking,” said Dr. Don Levy, Siena College Research Institute Director. “In September of 2011, forty-four percent were in favor of allowing fracking on private lands outside of areas that provide drinking water under strict regulation by the DEC while forty percent opposed. Today voters continue to be split with thirty-seven percent supporting and thirty-six percent opposing a [Department of Environmental Conservation] move to allow fracking in Upstate.”

In an address to Business Council members at the Spring Environmental Conference in April, DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said his agency doesn’t have a specific date yet for an update on the environmental review and proposed regulations for high-volume hydraulic fracturing of shale gas wells. He said the work would go on through summer.

For the complete poll which also takes a look at medical marijuana and mixed martial arts, click here

A change of heart for Mark Schimel?

GOP Assembly Candidate Mark Schimel Won’t Run Against Estranged Wife, Democrat Michelle Schimel

The Daily news is reporting that a source close to Republican Assembly candidate Mark Schimel will withdraw from the race. As reporter Glenn Blain writes, “The War of the Roses on Long Island is on the verge of fizzling out.”

Blain goes on to write: “Republican Assembly candidate Mark Schimel is expected to announce as early as Tuesday that he will not run for the seat held by his estranged wife, Democrat Michelle Schimel.

“‘I expect him to withdraw,’ said a source close to Mark Schimel. ‘He’s human and he’s got a family and he is overwhelmed by the response.’

“Mark Schimel planned to think the matter over during the night and make a final decision Tuesday morning, the source added.

“The Daily News first reported Sunday that Nassau County Republicans had nominated Mark Schimel to run for Michelle Schimel’s seat. The couple separated about a year ago after 32 years of marriage.

“The nomination even took Mark Schimel’s mother, Irma, by surprise — she sided with Michelle — and sparked a firestorm of criticism from both sides of the political aisle.

Michelle Schimel, in a statement, slammed Republicans for taking advantage of a ‘painful and personal family matter’ by nominating her estranged husband to challenge her.”