News stories tagged with "border"

(03/06/12) North Country congressman Bill Owens is praising a Canadian company for its plan to move forward with construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Owens' backing for the controversial pipeline comes at a time when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is also pushing a plan to import more hydro-electric power from Quebec.

Canada is already the biggest foreign supplier of energy to the US. And across the political spectrum, American leaders see Canada as a safer alternative to energy suppliers in the Middle East and Central America.

But there are growing questions about the environmental costs to Canada's energy boom and the debate is causing some Canadians to rethink their country's image as one of the world's most environmentally friendly societies. Brian Mann has our story. more

(02/27/12) On Friday, we reported that New York state is pushing Federal officials to toughen proposed new standards for ballast water pollution on freighters using the St. Lawrence Seaway.

In that report, we mistakenly reported that the Cuomo administration is still planning to implement its own set of ballast water regulations, scheduled to go into effect next year.

But officials in Albany say they've decided to scrap the state rules, a move that's drawing mixed reviews from industry groups and environmentalists. Brian Mann has our update.

(02/24/12) A state vs. federal feud over ballast water carried by ocean-going freighters is heating up again.

New York is steward of a long stretch of the St. Lawrence River. Since the St. Lawrence Seaway was opened to international shipping in the 50s, it's been a major route for invasive species that have ended up in the Great Lakes and their tributaries.

The state's Department of Environmental Conservation has tough ballast water standards set to go into effect next year. The DEC -- and many environmentalists -- think the strict new rules are needed to keep more invasive plants and animals from reaching the US.

Officials with the federal Environmental Protection Agency -- along with the shipping industry -- think less stringent laws will keep invasives out - and they say their standards are achievable.

Brian Mann spoke about the debate with Martha Foley.

(02/03/12) A new plan for controlling water levels in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River will be the main agenda item at Save the River's annual conference at the Clayton Opera House this weekend.

The new plan allows water levels to stay high (or low) for longer periods than the current plan does. The more natural fluctuations are intended to restore diversity in the shoreline ecosystems. Martha Foley has more. more

(12/21/11) Most experts agree we need to move toward renewable energy to save the planet. Giant wind farms are already up and running across America - from the high deserts of California to the North Country's Tug Hill Plateau. And from coast to coast, communities have been divided over wind power development. Supporters around the nation imagine wind providing clean energy--and green jobs--for generations to come. But wind farms have a downside.

In 2009, dozens of wind towers were installed on Wolfe Island on the Canadian side of the border, just where Lake Ontario feeds into the St. Lawrence River. The turbines rise like thirty story buildings, transforming the landscape and sharply dividing a once-sleepy farming community. This audio collage, produced by Chris Trimmer and Aleksandra Bragoszewska of Kingston, Ontario for Front and Center, captures the low roar of the turbines and the dissonance they've spread in the community.

(12/09/11) In a ceremony yesterday morning in Albany, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that seven counties in northern New York will receive more than a hundred million dollars in state grants over the next year.

The announcement drew cheers from the audience and sparked a celebration from Plattsburgh to Watertown. Business and political leaders say this money, and this vote of confidence from state officials, could help to spark an economic transformation. Brian Mann was in Albany and has our story. more

(12/08/11) Canadian Prime minister Stephen Harper says the border security deal unveiled yesterday in Washington DC is the biggest step forward in trade with the US since the North American Free Trade Agreement was penned in the 1990s.

The deal is designed to streamline border crossings and synchronize the way both nations track people seeking to immigrate to North America. more

(12/06/11) Yesterday, we brought you our first story on the pros and cons of increasing new York's imports of hydro power generated on Canada's northern rivers.

Today we go to the source: the Churchill River. Innovation Trail reporter Emma Jacobs visited the site of a proposed plan that might send more power our way from the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland & Labrador. As Jacobs reports, the dam could create jobs there, and send more renewable here, but at a price. more

(12/05/11) New York imports hydroelectricity generated by giant dams on Canadian rivers. Lots of it. And some would like to see the state get more of that renewable power. But as Emma Jacobs reports in the first story of our series on New York's imports of Canadian power, there's also opposition to that idea. more

(12/02/11) This week, in partnership with WBEZ public radio in Chicago, Brian Mann has been traveling in Ontario, comparing and contrasting that province's economy during the recession with conditions here at home.

We've talked about everything from Canada's social safety net to immigration to public sector jobs. Brian's back home this morning in New York and he joined Martha Foley on the line to talk about the range of economic and public policy ideas being tested north of the border.