Politics

According to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services uniform crime report for 2015, more than 70,000 violent crimes were reported and more than 300,000 crimes involving property such as burglary, theft or larceny were also reported across the state. These crimes can leave a lasting physical, emotional, and financial impact on victims and their families.

According to the New York State Maple Producers Association, New York is home to the largest source of tappable maple trees in the U.S., making New York an ideal producer of maple syrup. Maple syrup production has been steadily increasing since the late 1990s. In 2016, New York ranked 2nd in the nation, producing more than 700,000 gallons of syrup and second only to Vermont in terms of production.

The unfortunate stories of Flint, Michigan, and the lead contamination of its water supply and here in New York in Hoosick Falls with the contamination of their water with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) illustrate that we need to do a better job on both the federal and state level to assist localities to maintain and upgrade their water and sewer systems. Upgrading this infrastructure will not be cheap.

March is Women’s History Month and this year marks the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in New York. Many of the early crusaders who fought for the right to vote for U.S. women lived in Upstate New York.

Over the last few weeks, certain self-proclaimed environmental groups have begun an all-out effort to convince the legislature to overturn New York’s newly adopted Clean Energy Standard. The CES is a landmark policy adopted last year by the NYS Public Service Commission with the support of Governor Cuomo, various state legislators (including myself), business groups, environmentalists, and labor organizations.