Saving Seafood

125 square miles off New York coast dedicated for wind power

March 17, 2016 — NEW YORK — Federal officials on Wednesday dedicated more than 125 square miles in the waters off the coast of Long Island for the development of commercial wind energy, pushing forward a renewable energy proposal initially created by New York utilities.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said the state has “tremendous” offshore wind potential.

“Today’s milestone marks another important step in the president’s strategy to tap clean, renewable energy from the nation’s vast wind and solar resources,” she said in a statement.

The Long Island Power Authority, New York Power Authority and Con Edison initially went to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in 2011 with the proposal to build the farm in the Atlantic Ocean that would include up to 200 turbines generating about 700 megawatts of energy capable of powering about 245,000 homes. The price tag was estimated at between $2 billion and $4 billion.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at ABC News

 

NEW YORK: Governor Cuomo Calls For Fair and Gradual Changes to Summer Flounder Fishery

July 16, 2015 — Governor Cuomo called on the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council to reevaluate a potential 43 percent fluke harvest reduction for New York in 2016. The potential reduction would negatively affect both commercial and recreational fisheries in New York State.

“The fishing industry is an important part of this state’s economy and a swift and severe cut in fluke harvests would be devastating to these hard working New Yorkers,” Governor Cuomo said. “This administration has long worked with its federal partners to ensure these livelihoods, as well as our natural resources, are protected. If the science indicates harvest reductions are necessary, they should be implemented in small steps over several years and not through a drastic one-year measure.”

The potential reductions are based on several consecutive years of lower than average reproductive success and not as a result of overharvest in New York or elsewhere on the coast.

Read the full story at LongIsland.com