Energy

In a decision released Tuesday, the state Supreme Court in Cortland County upheld the Town of Dryden's ban on drilling.

In his decision, Supreme Court Justice Phillip R. Rumsey says New York's oil and gas law gives the state the authority to decide how, but not where, drilling can be done.

Under this construction, local governments may exercise their powers to regulate land use to determine where within their borders gas drilling may or may not take place, while DEC regulates all technical operational matters on a consistent statewide basis in locations where operations are permitted by local law.

Today in your Trail Mix:

Fracking wastewater issues, and a pipeline in the Southern Tier.

Cornell University reaches new heights.

Buffalo's pricey transition from pedestrians to vehicles.

Plus, a moving argument against the DNA databank.

It's not looking good for subsidies for renewable energy.

A 30 percent upfront tax credit for commercial renewable power projects known as the 1603 program expired at the end of 2011.

Another 30 percent credit for wind projects, that's a part of the long-debated payroll tax bill, is scheduled to expire at the end of 2012.

And while there are still a host of incentives offered by states and the federal government that remain unaffected, the question is inevitable:

Is the federal government preparing to cut loose the renewable power industry?

Today in your Trail Mix:

The comptroller investigates nuclear power safety, as two assemblymen advocate for taking Indian Point offline.

Damage from Lee mounts to $1 billion.

Peace Bridge neighbors seek environmental monitoring.

Executives from foreign solar companies are descending on Rochester over the next couple of weeks, to hear a pitch from Natcore Technology.

“What we’re saying is, ‘If you want our technology, you have to take a hard look at it here,’ ” says Natcore CEO Chuck Provini.

Natcore has a small research facility at Rochester’s Eastman Business Park. For about a year, the company has been looking for money to establish a much bigger manufacturing presence in Rochester. But Natcore says talks with federal and regional officials have yielded no funding.

Now, Natcore is turning to solar companies from India, China and Italy for a possible joint venture that would make flexible solar cells on equipment that once made Kodak film.

But there’s a catch.

“It’s their money,” Provini says of the foreign companies. “And if they say, ‘Chuck, we really enjoyed the visit, but no,’ [then] we’re a business ... and we’ll go where we can best help save the world, not just a country.”

A new program launched by New York's Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) earlier this week aims to make it easier for homeowners to pay for energy efficiency upgrades.

The new initiative is part of the Green Jobs Green New York program, and it's called an "on-bill recovery loan." 

The program allows homeowners to get a low interest loan to finance up to $25,000 worth of energy efficiency upgrades to their homes - everything from improved insulation, to a new boiler, or energy efficient appliances.

The way they pay back that loan? Paying their power bill.