HYDRO FRACKING 101

JAMES NORTHRUP
Former Oil & Gas Producer

BLOCK-BY-BLOCK INSPECTIONS

The Block-by-Block Inspection Program has finally hit the uptown business district. I see in the Freeman that the ratio of violations was dramatically less than previous sweeps in the city. That's a good thing.

Granted they weren't looking at the structure of the canopy while they were up there, but I'm sure that wasn't their focus. But 26 properties out of the 112 they looked at? I'm impressed. Oh, and remember how bad the the old Tea Garden building was before they shut that down? Damn

Salzmann said in the article: “I believe this was the most properties and the least amount of violations.” The fact that most of the violations were in rental residential buildings comes as no surprize. Good thing they werent life threatening too. He added: “We found that the majority of properties were in very good shape." The fact that the owners had gotten letters before the inspection was a factor in the diminished expectations. I don't know about the previous sweeps in the city, but it's a good way to induce compliance with less expense on the owner.

Like any other property violations, owners will have a short period to fix the problems before the return visit. It's not unlike any other time someone calls the Building Department regarding a problem property. It's a process that works.

Now if we could only morph this program into something that goes beyond the structural and more into the health & hygiene of those in stressed neighborhoods, you could really turn the atmosphere of certain streets around very quickly.

To the Building Department, I say thank you for the work you do.

KEEP ALL STUDENTS SAFE ACT

I am happy to report that the House members who represent our region, Maurice Hinchey, John Hall and Scott Murphy, voted in favor of a very important bill last Wednesday. The "Keeping All Students Safe Act" by a vote of 242-153.

Pulling information from the Website: SolitaryWatch.wordpress.com, I discover that H.R. 4247 was introduced in December by Education and Labor Committee chair George Miller (D-CA) and Committee member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). Their goal is simply to “outlaw child abuse in schools.”

The bill’s stated purposes include the following:

(1) prevent and reduce the use of physical restraint and seclusion in schools;

(2) ensure the safety of all students and school personnel in schools and promote a positive school culture and climate;

(3) protect students from physical or mental abuse, aversive behavioral interventions, physical restraint or seclusion;

(4) ensure that physical restraint and seclusion are imposed in school only when a student’s behavior poses an imminent danger of physical injury to the student, school personnel, or others….

Another line in the article I have to republish is: It’s hard to decide which is more shocking: the fact that 153 members of the United States Congress would see fit to vote against such a bill, or the fact that it was needed in the first place.

Doesn't that line startle you too?

Here is a link to the article:
http://ow.ly/1eZNm

Here is a link to the full roll call here.

GILLIBRAND PUSHES TO BAN BPA

Kirsten Gillibrand had recently posted a detailed warning about products that have potential to harm children and pregnant women. I thought I would pass it on to you.

I'm a Mom with two little boys at home and I consider it my duty to be a voice for parents in Washington to fight for and to protect kids in whatever way I can.

Which is why I was so disturbed by a recent study by Consumer Reports that revealed that a dangerous chemical called bisphenol-A, commonly known as BPA, has been found in a wide range of common products used by children – such as baby bottles, canned formula and canned food.

Even more shocking is that, according to the study, BPA has been found in humans at levels higher than previously thought and in food with containers advertised as BPA free.

BPA is an endocrine disruptor, which can mimic the body's own hormones, and the adverse health effects of BPA on women and children, particularly pregnant women and infants, can be extremely serious. According to a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, BPA is potentially dangerous to human development and reproduction. More than 100 published studies have shown possible links to breast cancer, obesity and neurological disorders. Even low-level exposure to BPA may impact neural development and behavior, and lead to early puberty in girls.

Allowing our children to continue to be broadly exposed to this harmful chemical is unacceptable. The time to ban BPA from food and beverage packaging marketed to kids is now.

Like all parents, I expect to have faith and confidence that the products my family consumes are safe. This study shook that confidence and inspired me to take action. Last month, I was proud to join with my colleague Senator Chuck Schumer to announce the BPA-Free Kids Act – legislation that would protect infants and toddlers from the health risks from BPA by banning this chemical from products such as baby bottles, sippy cups, bowls, plates and utensils used by children ages three and under.

In 2008, Canada became the first country in the world to ban plastic baby bottles with bisphenol-A. If Canada can do it, so can we.

Through testing standards, product labeling requirements, and stiff penalties, along with additional research into BPA, this legislation would result in a great step forward towards ensuring the health of our most vulnerable.

But we can’t stop there. The Consumer Reports study showed alarming BPA levels in a range of canned foods – including green beans, tuna fish, and soups. In response, Senator Schumer and I are co-sponsoring legislation with Senator Diane Feinstein that would permanently ban BPA from all food and beverage containers, including canned food.

CLICK IT OR TICKET: NY BUCKLE BLITZ

The warnings are out there. You don’t want to get caught driving without your seatbelt on over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The State Police are expected to really crack down with their Buckle Up New York campaign and it wont be relegated to some random locations. They plan to be everywhere!

The goal is to get more drivers and passengers to buckle up every time they get behind the wheel and ride as a passenger. We all know it saves lives, but this is one of the holidays with the highest fatalities and seat belts are the best defence against crash-related injuries. Law enforcement will be out in force to protect the safety of our roads and highways.

Last year, there were about 400 deaths in the US on Thanksgiving Day. Half of those that died were not wearing seatbelts. Considering this weekend marks the beginning of the heavy holiday travel season, you will have that many more close encounters with on-coming traffic. People die needlessly in traffic crashes every year, the least you can do is be prepared and buckle up!

TRAFFIC LIGHT CAMERAS

One of the many jobs of an elected official, is protecting the public from harm. As budgets tighten and personnel diminished, the duty of protection becomes that much more difficult.

Our police officers cant be in every home or parked on every street corner, but there are ways we can help them do their job.

Acc­ording to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 22 percent of all traffic accidents in the United States are caused by drivers running red lights. You can't say you've never had a close encounter with a reckless driver in Kingston.

If you look at New York State statistics, intersection accidents kill some 800 people every year. What's worse is that these numbers have been on a steady rise for the last decade. Cities like Newburgh, Poughkeepsie and Kingston have followed this trend very closely.

You might think you're cautious and limit your driving to daytime hours, but the overwhelming costs associated with car accidents across the state, forces your insurance company to charge a higher rate for everyone.

So here's the reason I bring this up: Several cities in New York have petitioned our state government to provide funding to install Stop-Light Cameras with the intent to decrease the advent of driving through the RED. Yes, there would be ample warning signage.

They are fully automated and collect all of the evidence authorities need to prosecute light-runners. If a camera catches you speeding through the intersection, you can expect a ticket to arrive in your mailbox a month or two later. [with a picture]

Yonkers, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester are first in line. The Assembly has already voted in favor of this pilot program. I want to know how soon after, our Hudson Valley Cities can apply for this funding?

Understand, this tool can also catch those who drive without insurance or unregistered. Oh yes, they could end up pushing rebel drivers to the smaller towns and villages. Good for Kingston, not so good for Woodstock.

Admit it, you are intrigued at the idea of automated law enforcement. Especially with our forces so limited. When's the last time a Kingston officer gave out a speeding ticket? I'll have to ask the chief.

I did have this arguement about over reaching the duties of the camera with some friends, and we decided the prosecution of non-insurance would be limited to Light Runners who were already being processed. This would cut the paperwork down a bit.

As the week goes on, we'll see what the State Senate does with this issue and then I'll follow up with some conversations with Corp. Counsel, our grant writers and our purchasing agent. Who knows, maybe by fall, we could have some bids on the table!

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION POLICY

The Common Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to accept and enact the Workplace Violence Prevention Policy that was presented by Cheif Salzmann and Cheif Keller.

The City of Kingston had a less defined policy on this procedure, but with tension in some of our departments continuing to simmer, we all felt clearer directives were overdue. It is also more in-line with the requirements of NYS Labor Law 27b and forces all employees to participate in the Annual Training Programs.

There are no more grey areas of improper conduct in the workplace. The verbal or physical threats that may have been ignored by co-workers and superiors in the past will have no free pass, as the process and boundaries are clearly defined for all employees.

Written words, gestures or symbols that depict any degradation of character of anyone will not be tolerated and the workforce is encouraged to notify their immediate supervisors of any such incidents.

Why it took so long to bring this better defined document to light, we can only speculate. Business as usual? Boys will be boys? The employees throughout the city deserve an environment free of threats. Our experiences in recent months have given plenty of opportunity for the Administration to clean up the long ignored and/or lacking workplace safeguards.

During the last decade, homicide was the third leading cause of death for all municipal workers and the leading cause of occupational death for female workers. The risk evaluations under-way will help determine the possible dangers that employees face from workplace violence risks.

Look for the Mayor to appoint personnel to the new Workplace Violence Advisory Team which is sure to include the police and fire chiefs, as well as key safety officers and civilians that provide needed expertise.

May the City of Kingston serve as a shining example of what is expected from every workplace in New York State.

SNOW AND ROAD SAFETY

Have you ever been behind a snow covered vehicle a few days after a storm and been assaulted by a wall of ice from their car roof? We have all been there.
Maybe not on local city streets, but when you hit Rt 28, 209 or 9W at normal speeds, you can expect a few "close calls" now and then.

Well, one of those incidents wasn't one of those spectacles I'm talking about. In New Hampshure back in 2001, a wall of snow caught flight from a tractor-trailer roof and hit a following truck, smashed the windshield; causing the driver to swerve and kill a 20 year old woman. This prompted NH to institute laws regarding ice and snow removal for moving vehicles.

Members of our New York State legislature, both in the Assembly and Senate, have introduced such measures in the past. It hasn't gotten the needed attention from the rest of the public because it faces certain death in committee each year. Should we make this an issue locally?

You may ask, why do we even consider legislating something that should come so naturally to everyone driving. Well, take a look around. Cars full of snow are out there, some managed to get through several storms on our city streets without a ticket, never mind cleaning them off, and then they drive around like a moving snow bank for a week.

So it makes sense. For our safety, I think its worth considering forcing common sense on people when there are cases when the slackers cause harm to innocent people.

18 wheelers are some of the worst offenders on our highways and we all know how much snow can sit on a flat trailer like that. I don't want to become a statistic anymore than you do. Does that mean we have to have additional enforcement officers in the trees? Not at all, you could start by using those cameras on the roof at the Thruway Toll Booth. Thats our best place to start!

What do you think?