Regional

The New York State Senate this week passed two bills related to the regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), more commonly known as forever chemicals, because they don’t break down in humans or the environment. 

Known as the “Affordable Housing Initiatives Act,” the bill says developers struggle to secure investment for affordable housing in rural and urban areas where it is most needed.

Close to 70 percent of the state’s biosolids end up in a landfill, according to the DEC;  just 16 percent is considered “beneficial use,” meaning recycled, while the remainder is set aflame. 

ALBANY COUNTY — Albany County, like all of eastern New York and western New England, will be under an “extreme cold watch,” according to the National Weather Service.

ALBANY COUNTY — The 30-day annual review period for Albany County Agricultural Districts began on Feb. 1. During this period, landowners can apply to have predominantly viable agricultural land included in a certified agricultural district.

According to a recent report from the New York Independent System Operator, the wholesale price of natural gas has more than doubled in the past year. 

One outcome of the brutally low temperatures was fewer power-outages problems than is typically expected of a storm that drops over a foot of powder on the region. The frigid temperatures make for lighter snow that doesn’t stick to utility lines, causing them to break. 

The $1.7 billion facility is expected to be complete by 2030.

Steck’s bill is now state law. The “Trapped at Work Act” in the Senate was sponsored by Rachel May, a Democrat from Syracuse. No longer can contract provisions force workers to repay training costs when they leave a job.

ALBANY COUNTY — A large, long-duration winter storm is expected to bring widespread heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain from the Southern Rockies into the Mid-South beginning Friday, spreading eastward to the Mid-Atlantic and New England this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.