GOLDEN CRESCENT AND 1000 ISLAND NEWS

  By  Haley Zaremba   -   Jan 09, 2026   New York City's municipal government has dramatically cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 31 percent since 2006, reaching the lowest levels in decades, but the Department of Education remains a major challenge with only a 14 percent reduction.   The vast majority (70 percent) of citywide emissions still come from buildings, followed by the transportation sector, indicating that significant energy inefficiencies persist outside of municipal operations.   New York State is at risk of missing its clean energy targets but has introduced a new energy plan that explicitly includes nuclear power as a critical component of its decarbonization roadmap to achieve its 2040 goals . New York City’s government has achieved a remarkable drop in greenhouse gas emissions. A new report shows that the city’s municipal operators are using less energy and emitting less carbon than they were twenty years ago. In fact, while greenhous...

  On Dec. 18, two government bodies — one in Albany, the other in Manhattan — were both holding votes related to  New York City’s looming electricity shortage . Unfortunately, one was actively trying to make it worse. The City Council that day passed Introduction 994, which, beginning in 2030, will require every private landlord, upon a tenant’s request, to install air conditioning in at least one room. Mayor Eric Adams hasn’t yet indicated whether he’ll sign or veto the bill  before he leaves office  this week. About 9% of New York City homes lack AC — and while excessive heat indeed carries negative health effects, the council’s vote paid short shrift to the question of how the city can power a few hundred thousand additional cooling units during the hottest days of the year. A “reasonable worst-case” estimate by city officials warning that the measure could push up electricity demand by hundreds of megawatts — the output of a medium-sized power plant — got li...

  ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul has spent the last six months crafting an energy affordability message that has often put her at odds with fellow Democrats.​  The state needs an “all-of-the-above approach,” Hochul has often said, including more nuclear power and natural gas pipelines.   “The long-term answer to affordability is not scarcity; it’s building more in-state power,” Hochul wrote in a letter supporting the state’s recently adopted 15-year energy plan.​   When the state Legislature returns to the Capitol Wednesday, it will have the power to propel Hochul’s “all-of-the-above approach,” or to try and shut it down. So far, many Democrats, who hold commanding majorities in both chambers, are not thrilled.   When Hochul  directed  the New York Power Authority to develop 1 gigawatt of nuclear power in June, it was widely applauded by Republicans, the business community, labor organizations and observers who saw it as  a way to help ensur...

  Governor Kathy Hochul has an editorial  out yesterday on Empire Report New York.  In it, the Democrat Governor criticizes Republican President Donald Trump for shutting down offshore wind projects in downstate New York.  We asked the Steuben County Industrial Development Agency how things were for Steuben County wind projects.    From IDA Director Jamie Johnson:  ”Both the Canisteo and Prattsburgh wind projects have been delayed because of recent federal actions related to the inability to get necessary permits and cost increases because of tariffs on certain materials and equipment.  Both projects have said they are committed to building these projects in our community and will reassess their viability as policy changes occur.  The local impact will be substantial with each project expected to generate $12M – $14M in property tax revenue through the PILOT in addition to the landowner and host community revenue paid out by each.” The Trump ...

  Today is January 4, 2026. One reason today is significant is that July 4, 2026 is now exactly just six months away. And that is not a long time. July 4, 2026 is the cutoff date after which new wind and solar projects will no longer qualify for federal tax credits ----  unless  construction begins by that date,  and  they are placed in service by December 31, 2027. This creates a compressed development window for developers. To determine a “begin construction” date the IRS will apply a “significant physical work” standard, not just safe‑harboring equipment or spending money on a project yet to be built. The IRS says that significant physical work must be understood to be integral to the specific project in question, thoroughly documented, and with continuous onsite activity all the way through to completion. And -- even if a project begins construction before July 4, 2026, it must be “placed in service” by December 31, 2027 to receive credits. This means that d...

  The New York Power Authority has unveiled the list of companies and communities willing to help with its quest to build a 1-gigawatt nuclear energy plant in the near future. On Tuesday, NYPA published a list of 23 companies and eight upstate communities that have expressed strong interest in being a part of the project. The north country is heavily represented. St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Oswego counties are all on the list of willing host communities, alongside other upstate locations like Rochester, the city of Dunkirk in Chautauqua County, as well as Wayne, Schuyler and Broome counties. In Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, Assemblyman Scott A. Gray, R-Watertown, has been working for months to ensure the region is involved in the nuclear project. He has hosted informational meetings across the region and met with local stakeholders to get them on board with the project. “The north country showed up in a big way, with St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties leading the charge,” G...