News

Senator Reichlin-Melnick Blasts MTA Congestion Pricing Plan for Rockland

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ROCKLAND, NY – Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D-Rockland/Westchester) blasted the MTA for moving forward with a congestion pricing plan that could cost thousands of dollars a year for Rockland residents who have no quick or affordable mass transit options to reach New York City. The Senator is circulating a petition for Rockland residents to sign demanding that the MTA delay congestion pricing for Rockland residents until there is a one-seat ride to Manhattan. The petition is available via this link on Change.org. https://chng.it/8YJz6HZ7MH

“Congestion pricing is just the latest tax that benefits NYC at the expense of Rockland residents. For commuters, these costs could be thousands of dollars a year. Unlike other parts of the metro area, Rockland residents have no quick or easy way to get into NYC by mass transit,” Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick said. “Until Rockland has a one-seat ride to Manhattan, congestion pricing is an unfair tax to subsidize a transit system that doesn’t equitably serve our community.”

During the gubernatorial debates in June, Governor Kathy Hochul indicated congestion pricing would not be implemented within the next year. But a statement released yesterday by the MTA announced that congestion pricing is “forging ahead”. 

Senator Reichlin-Melnick called on the MTA to appoint a representative from west of the Hudson to the Traffic Mobility Review Board. Yesterday’s statement from the MTA announced the first five members of the six-member board. One is from Long Island, one from Westchester, and three from NYC. “This whole scheme is a big win for NYC, and those who will pay the biggest burden won’t even get a seat at the table.”

Senator Reichlin-Melnick commented on long-term solutions, “There are plans underway with funding from the federal infrastructure bill to get Rockland a one-seat ride to NYC. Until that happens, forcing commuters to pay thousands of extra dollars to get to work in NYC is totally unacceptable. In the long term, we need to think big and invest in transformative projects like reestablishing passenger service on the Westshore Line which is currently used for freight traffic. Bringing back passenger service would give tens of thousands of Rocklanders a new convenient way to get into Manhattan.”

The petition also alerts residents to upcoming opportunities for public comment on a soon-to-be-released environmental assessment on congestion pricing.

Community Solar Programs Clarification from Upper Nyack

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In the last couple of weeks, the Village office has received a number of calls from residents regarding community solar companies.  This notice is to help clear up any confusion. 

Since November of 2020, the Village has participated in an innovative clean energy program, called Rockland Community Power.  Some of our residents signed up for Community Solar through this program in 2021 with Ampion, a community solar provider.  It takes time to launch these solar farm projects.  Residents were subscribed last year to a solar farm which launched just a few months ago and is now providing solar energy to the grid. 

If you are getting billed by Ampion, then you most likely signed up with Ampion in 2021 and you may have agreed to receive billing notices by email.  You may have overlooked the first few bills because you might even have forgotten that you had signed up – or forgot the name of the community solar provider.

If you previously subscribed, you should now be receiving solar bill credits for your share (or allocation) of the energy output from the solar farm, that is fed into the electricity grid.   Your bills from Ampion should correspond to credits on your Orange & Rockland (O&R) bill. You should see those credits on the first page of your O&R bill, listed as CDG Credits (community distributed generation or community solar) and Value Stack Credit (the monetary value of your share of the monthly output from the community solar project).

To sum up, if you previously signed up with Ampion through the Village program, these bills are legitimate. You should see the credits on your O&R bills.  You are being billed by Ampion for roughly 90% of your electric supply usage, with roughly 10% as your net credit.  

Here are some of the benefits of Community Solar:

  • Annual guaranteed savings (solar bill credits) on your electricity bill derived from State incentives for renewable generation
  • Reduced carbon emissions
  • No rooftop panels required and nothing to install on your property
  • No maintenance costs
  • No sign-up or cancellation fees
  • Support the development of clean, renewable energy in NY State

In addition, we want to remind you that Rockland Community Power program representatives do not go door to door and engage in direct sales. Please be aware that if you sign up through a company going door to door, it is not the Village program.  You must carefully vet the contract for yourself.

For more information on Community Solar or any other aspect of the Rockland Community Power program, please contact the helpline at 845 859-9099, option 1, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.  Or check the website at www.rocklandcommunitypower.com.

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Skoufis, Local Officials Announce Funding for New Law Enforcement Caseworker Position in Orange County

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Senator James Skoufis (D-Hudson Valley) joined Middletown Mayor Joe Destefano, Bureau Commander of Operations/Lieutenant Jeff Thoelen, and local police officers to announce new funding for a novel ‘community caseworker’ position–a model for addressing high call volume related to mental illness, homelessness, and domestic violence to help keep both law enforcement professionals and local constituents safe. 

The state funding, a combination of Legal Services Assistance Fund and Department of Criminal Justice Services grants, will create a first-ever, full-time community casework position within the City of Middletown Police Department. This caseworker will help connect neighbors facing hardship with appropriate services to improve their living situations and limit future interactions with law enforcement.

“When we say public safety is an all-hands-on-deck issue, local leaders mean that all hands need to be engaged – including social service providers who have the know-how to support those in immediate distress,” said Senator Skoufis. “I applaud the Middletown PD for their out-of-the-box thinking on solving the issues within their community. This is truly a model for municipalities throughout Orange County and I welcome inquiries from other departments interested in implementing this novel approach to safety.” 

“I want to thank Senator Skoufis for his quick action,” said Middletown Mayor Joe Destefano. “Middletown has a special-needs population as with any urban setting – with 30,000 residents in 5 square miles – and deserves improved public safety. The early support from Senator Skoufis is commendable.”

“This program was the brainchild of Chief Ewanciw after speaking with many in our community who had needs but didn’t know how to have them met,” said Bureau Commander, Lt. Jeff Thoelen. “As cops, we deal with so many people with different needs. Police officers are expected to be problem solvers, doctors, lawyers, therapists, auto mechanics, teachers – a sort of superhero to save the day. But we can’t do it alone. This new funding is critical to helping us meet our community’s needs.” 

Thoelen also added that the police department is actively hiring. To learn more about the department, visit www.middletownpolice.com.

Mid-Hudson Economic Development Updates

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IMPORTANT REMINDER
CFA Deadline is 4:00pm sharp on July 29!

Please visit
regionalcouncils.ny.gov/mid-hudson
for available resources

Project Highlight

Completion of $20 Million Jawonio Corporate Headquarters and Summer Education Cabins in Rockland County. Read more

Empire State Development announces the completion of phase one of the $5 Million Research Institute For Brain And Body Health at The Center For Discovery® in Sullivan County. Read more

News from Gov. Hochul

Child Care Desert Grant awardees receive nearly $70 million in federal funding – Learn more

Economic Development awards in support of more than 3,700 jobs and significant capital investments – See press release

Milestone in helping businesses owned by disabled veterans – See press release

Completion of $64 million affordable housing development in White Plains – See press release

$3 million now available for Mount Vernon residents impacted by water and sewer issues – Learn more

$5 million to support the launch of new and existing cannabis accreditation programs – See press release

$38 million awarded to conserve nearly 12,000 acres of New York farmland: Mid-Hudson ($6,406,100 for 768 acres) – See press release

Launch of new online dashboards to expand access to unemployment data. Learn more

Economic Development Opportunities

Office of Children & Family Services
Portal now open for $30 million in
additional federal funding to expand existing child care programs 
Learn more here | Access Portal Here 

RESTORE NY
Intent to Apply Form Due: Thursday August 11, 2022, by 5:00pm EST
Final Application Due: Tuesday October 11, 2022, by 3:00pm EST
General Information | Program Guidelines

Upcoming Events

Save the Date
12th Annual New York State MWBE Forum (Hybrid)
October 4 – 6, 2022
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