EnviroPolitics Blog

2024 Black bass season opens in New York State

Quality Bass Fishing Opportunities Available throughout New York State

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar today announced that the open (harvest) season for largemouth and smallmouth bass, collectively known as black bass, begins June 15 and runs through Nov. 30. For most of the state, a catch-and-release season exists from Dec. 1 through June 14. Special fishing regulations exist for some waters, so anglers should check the current fishing regulations before heading out to fish.

Black bass are New York’s most popular sportfish for good reason. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass can be found throughout the state, thriving in waters of all sizes, and are among the most exciting fish to catch. 

In 2023, New York State landed six lakes on Bassmaster Magazine’s top 100 best bass lakes in the country. Among the New York waters included are the St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands), ranked as the second-best bass lake in the nation, and Lake Erie/Upper Niagara River, ranked as ninth-best lake. Lake Champlain, Cayuga Lake, Oneida Lake, and Chautauqua Lake made the list, as well, and are in Bassmaster Magazine’s top 25 Northeastern Best Bass Lakes 2023.

New York’s warmwater rivers also provide outstanding bass fishing opportunities. The Chenango River, Tioughnioga River, Unadilla River, Chemung River, Wallkill, and Seneca River are just a few of the many warmwater rivers worth checking out to find great river bass fishing experiences. Be sure to check out DEC’s Places to Fish and Warmwater Fishing webpages for more information on where to go bass fishing, as well as the Tackle Box feature in the HuntFishNY mobile app.

For tips on how to catch bass, see Fishing For Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass. Those new to fishing can check out the I FISH NY Beginners’ Guide to Freshwater Fishing, which has all the information needed to get started. There’s also a “how-to” video series on DEC’s YouTube channel.

The New York State Department of Health (DOH) provides advice to anglers about what fish are safe to eat and how often. Visit DOH’s website to search by waterbody location.

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Increased vessel traffic linked to East Coast whale strandings

By Sabrina Garone, WSHU

More than 500 whales were stranded on the East Coast between 1995 and 2022. Many of those were discovered in our region.

WSHU’s Sabrina Garone spoke with Dr. Lesley Thorne of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.Thorne led a study that looked into the possible explanations.

WSHU: Of those hundreds of strandings, most of those happened between 2016 and 2022. Your study took a look at some of the reasons for this. Could you take me through the major findings?

LT: We looked at patterns of large whale strandings relative to that of different threats to large whales. And we focused on humpback whales, which are the species that strand most frequently on the East Coast. Vessel strikes, where whales are struck and hurt by vessels, and entanglement in fishing gear are major threats that face whales globally. So, we looked at patterns of vessel traffic and fishing efforts.

And we also looked at activities occurring along the U.S. East Coast associated with offshore wind development. And what we found was that mortalities and serious injuries due to vessel strikes increased threefold during this time period post-2016. We did not find any evidence that offshore wind development, or site assessment surveys for offshore wind development, played a role in the increase in whale strandings. In short, our analysis suggested that vessel strikes were an important driver, and that vessel strikes were exacerbated by increases in traffic in key regions. As well as key changes in humpback whale habitat use and distribution.

Click to read the full story

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Bald Eagles, Peregrines to fly off NJ’s ‘endangered’ list

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Gibbons attorney Christine Amalfe is next NJ state bar president

*Christine Amalfe of Gibbons P.C. – Gibbons P.C.*

Christine Amalfe, chair of the Employment & Labor Law Department at Gibbons P.C., recently was sworn in as president-elect of the New Jersey State Bar Association, the state’s largest association of judges, lawyers and legal professionals.

Amalfe will become president of the NJSBA in 2025.

In addition to the daily responsibilities of the officers and board of trustees, Amalfe will serve on the judicial and prosecutorial appointments committee and the finance and operations committee.

“I am honored and humbled to continue my service to the members of the NJSBA,” she said. “As president-elect, I will work hard to further the mission of the NJSBA and to advance the well-being and success of its members.”

An NJSBA member for over 30 years, Amalfe has served in various capacities, including as an executive committee member of the labor and employment law section, trustee of the women in the profession section, and member of the higher education, judicial administration, legislative, amicus and pro bono committees, in addition to secretary, treasurer, second vice president and, immediately preceding her current role, first vice president of the association. She also served three two-year terms as an at-large trustee.

Click to read the full announcement

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NJ Senate Environment Committee Lineup – June 10, 2024

Senate Environment and Energy Committee, 10:00a, 1st Floor, Committee Room 1, Annex. (For discussion only: S-249, S-3398

S249	Requires BPU to establish beneficial building electrification program and requires electric public utilities to prepare and implement building electrification plans.
S2426	Requires each solid waste management district to develop strategy in solid waste management plan to reduce food waste.
S2879	Creates Office of Sustainability.
S3195	Prohibits food service businesses from providing single-use plastic utensils and condiments to customers, except upon request, and requires certain food service businesses to provide reusable, washable utensils to customers eating on site.
S3398	“Packaging Product Stewardship Act.”
S3399	Requires end-of-life recycling of solar and photovoltaic energy generation facilities and structures.

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The energy grid is being squeezed by a crypto boom in oil country

Illustration by Claudine Hellmuth/POLITICO (source images via iStock)P

By JOEL KIRKLAND / Politico/ 06/03/2024 06:46 PM EDT

The nation’s most prolific oil-producing region is now home to bitcoin miners and digital data centers — forcing more electricity demand onto a Texas power grid that is increasingly plagued by blackouts.

Of all places, this technology revolution is happening in the Permian Basin, the West Texas jewel of the U.S. oil and gas industry. Today’s story by Shelby Webb provides an eye-opening account of surging electricity consumption stemming from America’s technology and industrial booms. The reporting also shows just how quickly the oil industry itself is adopting electric power to meet net-zero goals.

Electric fracking rigs can use about as much electricity as a small town.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, also called ERCOT, the state’s main grid operator, estimates electricity demand from industries in the Permian region will more than double by 2030 compared with 2021. Companies will consume almost 24 gigawatts at peak demand times — more power than the entire state of Tennessee generates during similar periods.

“It’s sort of stunning how much is coming online, and not from oil and gas,” said Cyrus Reed, a member of a state committee studying electricity demand and conservation director of the Sierra Club’s Texas chapter. “It’s almost overwhelming.”