Sound Shore

Good Monday morning. Here’s a glance at opinion content published over the weekend in The Journal News:

Sundday, Dec. 18
Tappan Zee Bridge: Editorial
We comment on news that a bipartisan coalition of Hudson Valley political leaders have called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to slow down planning for a new Tappan Zee Bridge; the group said any new bridge must include mass transit options. We agree. We write:

How fast should the fast-tracked plan to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge go? Local elected officials, along with environmental and transit advocates, have an answer: not quite as fast as Gov. Andrew Cuomo would like. In a joint statement Thursday, a bipartisan coalition said it was “not enough” to design a bridge with only the possibility of adding transit later, as the current plan shepherded by Cuomo does. Their concerns should be taken seriously — by Albany and Washington both.

While the new Tappan Zee Hudson River Crossing project has proceeded at breakneck speed in the last two months, the key ingredient is still missing: money to pay for it. That means policymakers still have ample opportunity to consider what 11 elected representatives said in their statement, and what scores have stated at some 280 public hearings: “… the Tappan Zee Bridge must be replaced, but . . . a bridge without public transportation would gridlock the Hudson Valley’s economy and do nothing to prevent rising traffic congestion and air pollution.” …

We’re back with regular round-ups of opinion content after last a respite last week.

Here’s a glance at editorials and commentaries we published over the weekend:

Sunday, December 4
Fracking: Commentary
We comment on the ongoing review of whether or not hydraulic fracturing of New York’s Marcellus shale, through which the extraction of natural gas reserves could be a boon to struggling upstate communities. A public comment period on the review ends Jan. 11. We write:

… Officials of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental watchdog group, highlight numerous flaws in New York’s draft regulations — a report nearly three times as long as “War and Peace.” Shortfalls include a lack of analysis of “significant health and environmental harms”; insufficient setbacks to protect water bodies, homes, aquifers and wells from drilling; inadequate protection for watersheds and aquifers — a theme highlighted at the Wednesday hearing; and inadequate rule-making by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The NRDC officials — acknowledged experts on the concerns confronting state regulators — expect to raise additional concerns with the DEC, addressing air quality, engineering, surface and subsurface water quality, and other matters. The DEC officials must also consider nearly 10,000 new written comments, on top of 13,000 comments submitted earlier, and remarks from 600 hearing speakers — from among 6,000 people who attended hearings. And there could be plenty more feedback before the state closes off public comment Jan. 11; the original deadline was Dec. 12. As forthcoming as the public has been on fracking, the DEC officials should be no less generous with answers that address New Yorkers’ justified concern.

Tappan Zee Bridge: Reisman
Phil Reisman reminisces about the contributions made by Gov. Malcolm Wilson, a Yonkers Republican for whom the Tappan Zee Bridge is named.

Monday, December 5
Tappan Zee Bridge: Community View
Kate Slevin, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a regional policy watchdog organization, comments on the plans for a replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge and the critical need for a mass-transportatoin component.

Here’s a glance at opinion content published today in The Journal News:

Westchester County Board of Legislators endorsements: Districts 9, 13, 14, 15
We offered endorsements for candidates seeking seats on the Westchester County Board of Legislators:
District 9: Catherine Borgia, a Democrat
District 13: Lyndon Williams, a Democrat
District 14: Bernice Spreckman, a Republican
District 15: Gordon Burrows, a Republican

Here’s a digest of opinion content we published over the weekend:

Saturday, Oct. 29
Iran and Iraq: Commentaries
We ran a pair of commentary pieces addressing the American withdrawal from Iraq and the implications of an increasingly powerful Iran:
Withdrawal means a victor for Iran: Commentary, Frederick W. Kagan and Kimberly Kagan
Ending an unnecessary war is cause for rejoicing: Commentary, Bob Ray Sanders

Sunday, October 30
Rockland County Legislature endorsements: Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8
We offered endorsement of candidates seeking Rockland County Legislature seats:
District 1: Michael Diederich, a Democrat
District 2: Michael Grant, a Democrat
District 3: Jay Hood Jr., a Democrat
District 4: Ilan Schoenberger, a Democrat
District 8: Denet Alexandre, a Republican

Westchester County Board of Legislators endorsements: Districts 1, 2, 3, 5 and 17
We offered endorsements of candidates seeking Westchester County Board of Legislators seats:
District 1: John Testa, a Republican
District 2: Peter Harckham, a Democrat
District 3: John Nonna, a Democrat
District 5: William Ryan, a Democrat
District 17: Virginia Perez, a Democrat

Tappan Zee Bridge: Baird
Bob Baird assesses the potential infrastructure losses for Rockland County in the new plans to replace the Tappan Zee bridge.

Monday, Oct. 31
Immigrants and the GOP: Commentary
Justin Akers Chacon, a professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies in San Diego, comments on the Republican presidential candidates’ approach to immigration.

Here’s a look at opinion content published today in The Journal News:

Rockland County budget: Editorial
We comment on the 2012 budget proposal advanced Tuesday by Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef. The proposal would, among other things, defund the county’s nursing home and hospital complex, lay off as many as 800 county employees and ask homeowners for a one-time $160 surcharge. We write:

… Vanderhoef’s proposal makes the kind of hard choices that Rockland has somehow managed to duck — for years. Lawmakers now get their chance to vet the county executive’s proposal and to re-shape the budget plan; taxpayers get to weigh in as well. A final budget must be in place by Dec. 7.

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Good Tuesday morning. Here’s a digest of today’s opinion content:

PEF contract: Editorial
We comment on news that the Public Employees Federation, the second-largest union for state workers, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have reached tentative accord on a new contract. The union voted to rejected an earlier contract last month and faced approximately 3,500 layoffs; the new deal would avert that blood-letting. We write:

… Now it appears there’s hope of averting the mass layoffs — thanks to fruitful negotiations between union leaders and the Cuomo administration. A tentative accord on a new contract still must be approved by the 56,000-member PEF. Members rejected the earlier agreement 54 percent to 46 percent; the state’s largest public employee union, the 66,000-member Civil Service Employees Association, already OK’d a similar agreement.

The union said the new contract “better meets the needs of our members”; Gov. Cuomo said the agreement would remain “revenue neutral” and come at no additional cost to taxpayers. The new contact would be for four years instead of five, and includes reimbursements for nine furlough days instead of four; a $1,000 cash payment over two years was removed.

The concession-laden agreement reflects the kind of shared sacrifice that many public employee unions have made during this period of great economic upheaval, usually in exchange for protection against job cuts. …

Plans are out for a new crossing to replace the aged Tappan Zee Bridge. The new game plan from Washington doesn’t include rail or rapid bus transit, both long-discussed components of the project. What do you think?

Good Monday morning. Here’s a glance at opinion content published in the weekend editions of The Journal News:

Saturday, Oct. 15
Nov. 8 election: Commentary
Marianna Stout and Ina Aronow, officers of the League of Women Voters in Westchester County, offer tips for voters in advance of the Nov. 8 general election.

Sunday, Oct. 16
Tappan Zee Bridge: Editorial
We comment again on last week’s news that a replacement for the aging Tappan Zee Bridge had been fast-tracked by the Obama administration. Mass transit, we argue, must be a component in any new crossing. We write:

The Obama administration, looking to speed up job creation in this stalled recovery, has put plans for a new Tappan Zee crossing on the fast track; the Federal Highway Administration has taken over as lead agency for the project, and public briefings are already scheduled for next week. The new breakneck speed follows a decade during which planning and progress moved as slowly as Rockland-bound traffic on the Tappan Zee during the evening commute.

With the new developments, it is as if Robert Moses was being channeled by the White House. The project’s sudden rapid pace is reminiscent of the master builder behind the region’s highways, parkways, bridges, tunnels, playgrounds and parks. But another aspect of Moses looms large. The man called “the power broker” shoved through massive projects with little (or in spite of) public input, and all but ignored public transportation as he laid the groundwork for suburban sprawl.

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Good Wednesday morning. Here’s a a glance at today’s opinion content:

Tappan Zee Bridge: Editorial
We comment on news that President Barack Obama has fast-tracked a replacement for the aging Tappan Zee Bridge. We write:

Fast-tracking the elaborate permit process for a new Tappan Zee Bridge is just one of a bucketful of initiatives being pushed by President Barack Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. It’s the brass ring, though, for the Lower Hudson Valley region.

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Good Monday morning. Here’s a digest of opinion content published over the weekend in The Journal News:

Saturday, Aug. 20
We carried two essays that assessed the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, which mandates that the manufacture of 100-watt incandescent light bulbs cease on Jan. 1, 2012. By 2014, lower-wattage bulbs are to be phased out, the act mandates. The writers addressed whether or not Congress should take action to reverse the “ban” on incandescents:

‘Bulb ban’ hysteria is off-base, Matthew Auer, ean of the Hutton Honors College and professor at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.
Ban supporters spreading myths, Amy Ridenour, president of the conservative National Center for Public Policy Research.

Sunday, Aug. 21
Infrastructure: Editorial
We call for a national program to assess and repair infrastructure. Such a plan should be aimed at job creation and we encourage Congress to pay more heed to Obama administration proposals for a national infrastructure bank. We write:

Politicians in Washington and elsewhere continue to chant a mantra of jobs, jobs, jobs but, as the financial markets continue to flounder and fears of a sequel to the Great Recession mount, we have yet to see a credible plan that would boost the economy, create jobs and help rebuild crumbling national infrastructure.

President Barack Obama has pushed for a National Infrastructure Bank that would make loans to support public-works projects of regional and national significance with private funding. Congress has essentially ignored that proposal. Let’s hope Congress pays more attention when the president makes the pitch in his anticipated post-Labor Day speech on jobs growth.

Infrastructure investment cannot wait for better economic times. But local and state governments need to do their share, too, by protecting precious public funds used for much-needed infrastructure fixes. …