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An ode to the Emerald Ash Borer

Marie Cusick
/
WMHT

Today in your Trail Mix: a bug!

Seriously, you have to click through to watch the Emerald Ash Borer song.  It's really something to behold.

The law that requires some landowners to accept drilling leases is taking heat.

Women might avoid science and math fields to maintain romantic potential.

The regional councils have begun their "public" meetings.

And New Yorkers are split on closing Indian Point.

Environment

Ok, here's the deal.  Normally I put something funny at the end of the round-up, as a treat for those of you who make it to the bottom.  But this is too good to risk that you won't watch.  So without further delay ...

An ode to the Emerald Ash Borer:

Still need convincing to click play?  Here's a sample of the lyrics:

New ash trees to feed upon, So let it be agreed upon For the great and the higher good, Don't transport your firewood.

(h/t to Steve Dawe of WXXI News.  You can follow him here.)

The mercury found in residents living near a cement plant outside Albany isn't high enough to cause health problems according to a review by the state Department of Health (Brian Nearing, Times Union).

You don't have to sort your recycling in Albany anymore (All Over Albany).

Scientists in western New York are counting on you to help them measure stream levels - all it takes is sturdy hiking boots and a cell phone (Daniel Robison, Innovation Trail).

The debt ceiling deal and subsequent budget trimming could have a negative effect on the burgeoning renewables sector (Jim Efstathiou Jr. and Christopher Martin, Bloomberg).

Natural gas

New York's "compulsory integration" law, which forces some landowners to allow fracking, passed under the radar - but now it's taking some heat (Emma Jacobs, Innovation Trail).

A Republican state senator went on a tour of fracking operations in Pennsylvania with anti-fracking filmmaker Josh Fox and says he's concerned about gas companies being held accountable (Colby Hamilton, The Empire).

Pennsylvania could stand to make $60 billion from drilling in its state forests, according to the Department of Comunity and Economic Development (Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

But those findings have the Pennsylvanian Environment Council "dismayed" (Scott Detrow, State Impact PA).

Work on a pipeline in Pennsylvania has resumed after work was stopped following a series of spills (Steve Reilly, Press & Sun-Bulletin).

Higher education

University at Buffalo researchers have found that the social pressure to seek romance can push women away from pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (Rebecca J. Rosen, The Atlantic).

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is having to borrow money to meet its pension obligations, and its losing cash on its Connecticut campus, according to a report from a ratings agency (Scott Waldman, Times Union).

Syracuse-area students are showing off their ideas at the Student Sandbox Demo Day today (Charles McChesney, Post-Standard) and the Innovation Trail's Emma Jacobs will be there to bring you the best and brightest ideas.

Binghamton University has added parking for electric cars, with the option to plug in (William Moyer, Press & Sun-Bulletin).

Regional economic councils

The Buffalo regional economic development council met yesterday and the Innovation Trail's Daniel Robison was there. Emma Jacobs will bring you the details of the CNY meeting today.

The Finger Lakes regional economic development council also met yesterday and hashed out working groups around agriculture, tourism, optics, and other key regional sectors (Tom Tobin, Democrat and Chronicle).

Empire State Development's Ken Adams was in Glens Falls earlier this week to talk about economic development there (Glens Falls Post-Star). He's chatting with the Innovation Trail's Marie Cusick today.

Nuclear

According to a new poll, New Yorkers are split on whether or not to close Indian Point nuclear power plant (Colby Hamilton, The Empire).

Riverkeeper's Paul Gallay was on Capital Tonight to talk about closing the plant (Maureen McManus, State of Politics/Capital Tonight).

About 90 people at the West Valley former nuclear site lose their jobs this month (Matt Glynn, Buffalo News).  The plant has been undergoing a massive clean-up.

Jobs

Businesses continue to gripe about the bill for unemployment insurance that the state is passing on to employers (Matthew Daneman, Democrat and Chronicle).

Senator Charles Schumer meanwhile wants to allow states to borrow from the federal government, interest free, so it doesn't have to pass those charges on to employers (Thomas Adams, Rochester Business Journal).

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing for three programs that she says would boost high-tech manufacturing (Maryellen Tighe, Buffalo News).

A dozen people are getting laid off as a result of the merger of the Ethics Commission and Temporary Commission on Lobbying (Jimmy Vielkind, Times Union).

Kodak’s legacy

The end of film as we know it took a hard toll on Kodak, but now an analysis by MDB Capital says that the firm's patents might be work five times more than the company itself (Danielle Kucera and Rita Nazareth, Bloomberg News Service).

Space technology firm (and Kodak spin-off) ITT is moving out of a former Kodak property in Rochester to the Rochester Technology Park (Matthew Danemen, Democrat and Chronicle).

The firm is funding the move in part with tax breaks from the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (Thomas Adams, Rochester Business Journal).

Development

A "blue collar millionaire" wants to redevelop a neglected corner of a Rochester suburb and turn it into a new town center (Meaghan M. McDermott, Democrat and Chronicle).

Dredging at Buffalo's riverfront began yesterday, marking the start of a $50 million project to reclaim the industrial mess (Kevin J. Bargnes, Buffalo News).

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