Press-Republican

Local News

Related Photos

  • P-R File Photo

    images_sizedimage_297053113

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
October 24, 2007

Schumer fights to restore acid rain funding

Pushes restoration of funds to monitor pollutants

By JOE LoTEMPLIO

PLATTSBURGH -- U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is seeking to have funding for acid-rain monitoring restored to the federal budget.

The Clean Air Status and Trends Network is a federal program that works to combat acid rain across New York state and the country by establishing monitoring stations that provide scientists and legislators with detailed information on acid-rain deposition.

The program has historically been funded at $3.9 million, but the administration of President George W. Bush is proposing cutting the funding level by about $1 million, Schumer says.

He is calling on the Senate committee overseeing the program to restore the funding.

"With acid rain already decimating so many of New York's precious parks, lakes and rivers, it is inconceivable that we would now slash funding to a federal program that is vital to combating acid rain," Schumer said in a news release.

"Acid rain is public enemy No. 1 for the Adirondacks and parks across the state, and it is absolutely critical that scientists and environmentalists fighting this environmental scourge have the tools they need. We have made gains in the battle against acid rain, but we need hard data to win the war."

Data shows that acid rain has severely affected more than 500 of the Adirondack Park's 2,800 lakes and ponds.

Also, thousands of high-elevation red spruce and fir forests have been wiped out, and mercury contamination exacerbated by acid rain has been documented in more than 20 Adirondack lakes, making the fish unfit to eat.

The Clean Air Status and Trends Network operates 80 monitoring stations throughout the country, including some in New York state. The stations measure air quality.

Schumer and fellow Democratic U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York were criticized recently by the Adirondack Council for not doing more to fight the proposed funding cuts.

North Country Congressman John McHugh was praised by the Adirondack Council for having the funding restored to the House bill.

Schumer said he will pursue the fight full bore.

"This proposed cut in funding would slash the legs out from under this crucial program."

jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News

Recent Article Comments
Albany Round-up

Photo of the Day
Strange News
Videos: Editor Picks
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48 Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48 Maine GOP Chairman Says Romney Wins Caucuses Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion' 5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La. Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal $25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses