The Albany-Trenton-Sacramento Disease

An editorial in today’s Wall Street Journal questions the wisdom of President Obama’s economic policies based on the experience of “progressive” governments in New York, New Jersey and California. The paper writes:  “President Obama has bet the economy o
Continue Reading →

DEC extends Marcellus shale study

News10Now in Syracuse reports that the state Department of Environmental Conservation has extended its study into drilling Marcellus shale. But, one company questions the study. “There has been no horizontal Marcellus wells done in New York which is one of the issues we have. Ho
Continue Reading →

Amid Senate Chaos, Hope Fades for a Bill to Raise Jobless Benefits

Patrick McGeehan of the New York Times writes about how the current battle in the state senate will impact attempts to raise jobless benefits and increase taxes on businesses. “A campaign to increase New York’s unemployment benefits for the first time in a decade has been side
Continue Reading →

States Assert Place in Health-Care Debate

Governors Fear Shifting of Costs Micheal A. Fletcher of the Washington Post writes today about the impact a national health care plan may have on individual states. “A bipartisan group of governors told President Obama yesterday that they share his urgent desire to restructure t
Continue Reading →

Drilling shale for natural gas won’t hurt water

On Sunday June 21, the Schenectady Daily Gazette carried a very well-written piece explaining the process of hydraulic fracturing in response to a letter to the editor entitled “Leave Gas in Rocks” suggesting that the process would be environmentally devastating. It’s worth the
Continue Reading →

The Marcellus Shale Tax Debate

By Jennifer K. Levine. The state legislature in Pennsylvania is pushing a bill that would impose a 5% severance tax on the extraction of natural gas from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale deposits. Revenues are estimated at $107 million in the first year with 60% going into the general
Continue Reading →

Business Council opposes legislation that would create a “North Country Power Authority”

The Business Council opposes this legislation that would create a “North Country Power Authority,” which would either purchase or take by eminent domain National Grid’s existing electric power transmission and distribution infrastructure located within certain Franklin and St. L
Continue Reading →

Putting New York Back Together

Former New York City Mayor and potential Republican gubernatorial candidate Rudy Giuliani calls for a Constitutional Convention to fix New York government in an op-ed in today’s New York Times. Giuliani says the op-ed is not an indication that he will be a candidate for Governor
Continue Reading →

Adams addresses NYS Business Climate and Fiscal Health

Kenneth Adams, president and CEO of the Business Council of New York State and Frank Mauro, Executie Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute appeared yesterday on (WAMC) Northeast Public Radio’s Vox Pop show hosted by Alan Chartock . The three covered a number of topics includi
Continue Reading →

Vote Set on House Climate Bill

The Washington Post reports – “Democratic leaders in the House have scheduled a Friday vote on a climate change bill that would establish a complex cap-and-trade system to limit the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, a priority for President Obama. The House Rules Co
Continue Reading →