The Business Council had an unexpected visitor yesterday…

Ryan Whalen reports on YNN in Jamestown - “With the public comment period closing Wednesday, opponents of hydrofracking in Western New York gathered outside the DEC office in Buffalo. They are urging state leaders to listen to what they say is the will of the people.

Rita Yelda, of consumer group Food and Water Watch asked, “Who is going to win? Is it going to be a large industry that maybe has billions to spend on campaign contributions and advertisements, or is it going to be the true voice of the people?”

…Many business leaders say they support fracking.

“Hydraulic fracturing represents high paying job in a part of the state where it has suffered severely during this economic recession,” said Heather Briccetti, president of the Business Council of NY.

Bans on fracking in the Syracuse and New York City watersheds are recommended by the DEC , but not in Western New York. Opponents say that could mean the area gets hit the hardest, noting past mishaps like Love Canal and toxic hotspots in the Great Lakes.”

To read more click here.

Eric Kirss writes in the New York Post - “There’ll be one more politician in Albany next year if state Senate Republicans have their way.

The GOP is proposing adding a 63rd seat to the Senate as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process, to the howls of Democrats who protest the move.

Republicans, clinging to a razor-thin majority in the Senate, claim they’re planning to add a seat because the state Constitution requires that they adjust their numbers to reflect a rise in population.”

To read more click here.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli Friday announced a tentative schedule for the planned public sale of obligations for the state, its major public authorities, the City of New York, and the city’s major public authorities during the first quarter of 2012.

Aaron Scholder and Jon Campbell of Gannett News write:

“The New Year will bring a number of new laws to New York, with a series of measures set to take effect as soon as the ball drops on 2012.

The new laws include big-ticket items passed during the regular 2011 legislative session, such as a 2 percent property-tax cap on local governments and school districts, a measure that was a centerpiece of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign and first year in office.

Also included are many of the provisions in a December deal between the Legislature and Cuomo that overhauled the state’s income tax brackets and partially repealed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll tax.

“These new laws that take effect January … came about because we ended gridlock and partisanship, and worked with the governor to make Albany function again,” Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, said in a statement.

Other laws didn’t receive the same attention. As of Jan. 1, minors will no longer be able to purchase hookahs or water pipes, and all drivers will be required to change lanes if they’re approaching a hazard vehicle on the side of the road.”

To read more click here.

Joseph Spector of Gannett News writes:

“New York grew by 0.4 percent between 2010 and 2011 — remaining as the third-largest state in the nation but growing at a smaller pace than 36 other states.

New York’s population totaled 19.5 million in July this year, according to a report Wednesday from the U.S. Census Bureau. The state added 87,093 since April 2010, the report said.

While the number of people added ranked 10th in the nation, the percentage of growth ranked the Empire State 37th in the country.

The country’s population grew by 2.8 million over the 15-month period, to nearly 312 million. The growth was 0.92 percent, the lowest since the mid-1940s, the latest Census Bureau report said.”

To read more click here.

Last week, Cuomo announced that General Mills will donate 15,000 boxes of cereal and 3,000 cans of soup to food banks:

“The “Help Your Neighbor” initiative encourages New Yorkers and businesses to donate resources to help restock and fill the shelves of food banks across New York State. Regional food banks are the primary source of food for those in need, as they stock networks of food pantries and soup kitchens. As a result of the recent storms and flooding as well as the difficult economic times, food banks have struggled to provide enough food for those seeking assistance. Governor Cuomo launched the “Help Your Neighbor” campaign on November 23 to fill the shelves of food banks across the state to ensure those in need do not go hungry during the holiday season.”

To read the full release from the Governor click here.

Liz Benjamin of Capital Tonight writes:

“In an effort to cut costs, the Assembly majority has decided to end a Capitol tradition of providing members with free copies of the New York Redbook, which has long served as the go-to who’s who and how’s-that-work guide to state government.

A legislative source forwarded this memo sent to Assembly Republicans and staffers to inform them of the Democratic majority’s decision. (Remember: He who controls the chamber controls the purse strings in Albany, so the minority didn’t get a say in this matter).

Michael Whyland, the Assembly majority spokesman, confirmed the decision had been made last year to do away with the Red Books going forward. The move will save about $30,000, he said, noting that the book’s contents will remain available on-line.

(And indeed, it is. Yours for just $125 (plus shipping and handling) for the hard copy; you can also subscribe for a virtual copy).

As you’ll recall, both the Assembly and the Senate proposed flat budgets for the coming fiscal year, including more than $145 million in salaries for legislators and staff.

The Assembly set its limit at $102.3 million for 2012-13, while the GOP-controlled Senate proposed spending $91.9 million.”

To read more click here.

Jonathan Esptein of the Buffalo News writes:

“The U. S. Small Business Administration has provided more than $50 billion in emergency loans nationwide to both individual and business survivors of natural and man-made disasters since 1953 — and much of the more recent aid has flowed through Buffalo.

The SBA, which otherwise provides government guarantees on bank loans to small businesses, provides emergency assistance to people and businesses when the federal government declares a formal disaster. Its only national disaster assistance call center, formed in 1991, was located in Niagara Falls for most of its history, but it moved in 2005 to its current site in downtown Buffalo.

The federal agency’s head of disaster response told a congressional committee recently that the SBA has made more than 1.9 million low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, nonprofit organizations and businesses of all sizes.”

To read more click here.

According to the latest poll by the Siena College Research Institute:

New York State consumer confidence increased 3.1 points in November, while the nation’s confidence increased 3.2 points, according to the latest poll by the Siena (College) Research Institute (SRI). At 62.2, New York’s overall consumer confidence is 1.9 points below the nation’s* 64.1 confidence level.

“As holiday lights brighten the season, and national economic indicators including jobs reports, stock market increases and early holiday spending offer cheer, consumer confidence rose this month for the first time since May,” according to Dr. Doug Lonnstrom, professor of statistics and finance at Siena College and SRI Founding Director. “Good news, but hold your reindeer. Although we see confidence gains among Democrats and older New Yorkers, the overall willingness to spend remains well below the point at which optimism simply equals pessimism and the index is nearly five points under where the state’s confidence was this time last year. New Yorkers continue to be more pessimistic about the current financial landscape than the rest of the country but are more, albeit not very, positive about the future than the nation. This split exists within our own state as well with Upstate being more optimistic currently than New York City, but the city seeing a better future than Upstate.”

To read the entire release click here.