Midday Magazine on WAMC

New York State officials are facing some hard deadlines over the next few weeks with regards to whether or not the state will allow the drilling of natural gas extraction wells using the controversial process known as hydrofracking.

WAMC’s Patrick Donges spoke recently with Gannett New York State Government reporter Jon Campbell for an update on state’s fracking decision making process.

The Massachusetts Republican Party remains optimistic about the upcoming special election to fill the senate seat formerly held by Secretary of State John Kerry.  But it appears the minority party in the Bay State is facing long odds. 

   Republicans are facing a number of challenges in their quest to pick off a Democratic seat in the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts.  The immediate challenge for the party is getting a candidate willing to commit to the race, according to Tim Vercellotti, a political science professor at Western New England University.

A New York State Senate Bipartisan Task Force on Hurricane Sandy Recovery has released its first report. The senators have come up with preliminary recommendations to help recovery efforts and assist in disaster planning.

Saratoga City and County leaders showed up in Albany Wednesday to make a case for building a casino in the Spa city.

Hundreds of anti-fracking advocates gathered Monday at the State Capitol to rally against the gas drilling process.

Gasland director Josh Fox, Actor Mark Ruffalo and Arun Ghandi, the grandson of Mahatma Ghandi had been with  rallygoers outside a hearing room at the state Capitol, where Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens was questioned regarding his agency's proposed 2013-14 budget.

When the meeting was over, the crowd of activists moved to the Million Dollar Staircase.

A New York State Senator from the Hudson Valley has introduced a bill he says will keep legislators from voting under the cover of darkness.

Democratic State Senator Terry Gipson, who represents most of Dutchess County, and parts of Putnam County, has introduced the following measure.

So far, Democratic Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk is a co-sponsor; she represents Greene and Montgomery Counties, as well as parts of Ulster, Albany, and Schenectady Counties. Gipson says others have expressed interest, though he declined to name names. Again, here’s Gipson.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed 2013-2014 budget includes several changes to the Bottle Bill. Various stakeholders have both praise and concern.

Laura Haight is one who testified Monday at a budget hearing in Albany about the proposed changes to the Bottle Bill. Haight is senior environmental associate for the New York Public Interest Research Group, or NYPIRG. She says there are 20 pages of proposed changes, one of which she applauds, and says would be a first for the state.

Hydrofracking remains a controversial topic across the country, and perhaps no more so in New York, where state environmental and health officials are still determining if fracking can be done safely.

Yesterday, during a joint legislative hearing on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed executive budget, Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens was peppered with questions from legislators about the administration’s fracking plans.