Public hearing on redistricting set for August 11

MONTICELLO, NY — The Sullivan County Legislature is holding a public hearing on Thursday, August 11 to gather comments on the redistricting process now underway for the county.

The meeting will begin at 11 a.m. in the hearing room of the government center, 100 North St., Monticello, with a presentation by county manager Joshua Potosek and real property tax services director Christopher Knapp. They will explain how redistricting works and what data-gathering is involved. Legislators will then discuss the three proposed redistricting maps developed by independent consultant Main Street Communications. They will also take public comment.

A decision on which map to choose will not be made at the hearing but could occur as early as the Thursday, August 18 meeting of the full legislature. Legislators have to decide on the redrawn legislative district boundaries no later than the end of the year. To view the maps and for more detailed information about redistricting, visit www.sullivanny.us/Departments/Legislature/Redistricting.

New York escalates state monkeypox response

ALBANY, NY — Gov. Kathy Hochul on July 29 issued an executive order declaring a state disaster emergency in response to the ongoing monkeypox outbreak. The executive order enables the state to respond more swiftly to the outbreak and allows health care professionals to take additional steps that will help get more New Yorkers vaccinated.

The New York State Department of Health reported a total of 1,383 confirmed orthopoxvirus/monkeypox cases across the state as of July 29, with two cases occurring in Sullivan County. New York received an additional 110,000 monkeypox vaccine doses on July 28, adding to the over 60,000 doses already received; 80,000 will go to New York City and 30,000 will go to the rest of the state.

Gov. Wolf files lawsuit to protect reproductive rights

HARRISBURG, PA — Gov. Tom Wolf on July 28 filed a lawsuit against the Republican-led General Assembly for its attempt to ban abortion in Pennsylvania on the grounds that the attempt was unconstitutional.

The General Assembly proposed several constitutional amendments in a joint resolution, a vehicle that bypasses the governor’s veto and would require re-issuing during the 2023-24 legislative session before the resolution could make it on the ballot. In the court filing to the PA Supreme Court, Wolf asserted that the state constitution explicitly recognizes a personal right to privacy, with such a right including the right to terminate a pregnancy. The proposed amendment on abortion under the joint resolution violates this right. Further, the governor asserted that the multiple, unrelated amendments packaged as a single joint resolution are unconstitutional because the General Assembly pushed the proposed amendments forward without allowing each proposed amendment to be voted upon separately.

NPS superintendent Joe Salvatore passes away

UPPER DELAWARE REGION — National Park Service (NPS) superintendent Joe Salvatore passed away on July 26. Salvatore had served as the superintendent of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River since December of 2020. He had recently been under hospice care for an unspecified illness; he was 53 years old.

Salvatore worked with the park service since 2013, serving as the chief of facility management at the National Mall, then as the deputy chief of park facility management for the Washington support office of the NPS. Prior to those positions, he had served in the military, holding positions in the Navy, as a defense contractor and with the U.S. Joint Forces Command.

House passes bill to address acid mine drainage crisis

WASHINGTON, DC — On July 29, the U.S. House voted to pass bipartisan, bicameral legislation, led in the House by Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-08), that addresses acid mine drainage (AMD)—one of the most visible, costly and hazardous remnants of the area’s coal mining history, a news release stated.

The Safeguarding Treatment for the Restoration of Ecosystems from Abandoned Mines (STREAM) Act was first introduced in March by Cartwright alongside Republican Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia. A companion bill in the Senate was spearheaded by Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey and Indiana Republican Mike Braun.

In communities like northeast Pennsylvania where the coal industry was once dominant, mines that have been shuttered for almost 50 years continue to pollute streams, rivers and creeks. It happens when surface water and shallow subsurface water combine with rocks that contain sulfur-bearing minerals, according to the EPA. The resulting water can contain sulfuric acid, which can leach heavy metals from rock. “The resulting fluids may be highly toxic and, when mixed with groundwater, surface water and soil, may have harmful effects on humans, animals and plants,” according to a post on epa.gov.

These polluted bodies of water are not just an eyesore, they pose an ongoing threat to the health and welfare of residents and wildlife and undermine economic development efforts, the release noted. The STREAM Act ensures that states can use funds from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to support the long-term treatment facilities required to address acid mine drainage.

Delaware Riverkeeper Network addresses threat to Atlantic sturgeon

WASHINGTON, DC — On July 21, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network sent a 60-day notice of intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), also known as NOAA Fisheries, for violating multiple sections of the Endangered Species Act. These violations concern the biological opinions issued to the Army Corps of Engineers for the New Jersey Wind Port project and the Edgemoor Container Port project. According to the notice, these opinions did not rely upon the best available scientific and commercial data and failed to accurately reflect the consequences of the proposed projects.  

If permitted by the corps, these commercial ports could threaten the continued existence of the Delaware River Estuary’s genetically unique population of Atlantic sturgeon. The Atlantic sturgeon has been a federally protected endangered species since 2012, and experts believe that there are fewer than 300 spawning adults left in the Delaware River’s genetically unique line. According to the notice, if these projects move forward, the increase in ship traffic within the estuary will increase sturgeon deaths due to vessel strikes, which could threaten the survival of the Delaware River Atlantic sturgeon.