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Legalization in NY: A New Hope

I have known Kathy Hochul for nearly 30 years, both as a friend, fellow Western New Yorker, colleague, and I’ve seen her hard work and dedication over the years at the local, state, and federal level while I served for 20 years in the NY Assembly and as as the head of the Western NY Empire State Development under the previous Governor. In every position she has held she has been a no-nonsense, get-the-job-done type of leader. 

Governor Hochul knows that there is no issue too small when it impacts the viability and success of small businesses and she, more than anyone else, understands how new opportunities can positively impact livelihoods and the entire state economy. As a town board member in Hamburg, she mastered grassroots advocacy, pushing for initiatives that impacted the bottom lines for her constituency, like removing the Thruway toll barriers. She has served as County Clerk and, after working as a staffer for the legendary late Senator, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, became a member of Congress, winning a seat that few expected her to win. From my experience working with Governor Hochul during her term as Lieutenant Governor, I can speak first hand about her work ethic and the many miles she traveled each day to meet with and serve New Yorkers.

Governor Hochul approaches every issue with a sense of urgency and will not let any more dust settle on the recreational cannabis industry impacting hundreds of people looking to grow, process, and retail recreational marijuana and infuse much-needed money into the state economy. It is no surprise that one of her first acts as Governor was to begin appointments to the Office of Cannabis Management necessary to implement the Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act.

She will build coalitions and identify partners to help her achieve her goals. As evidenced by her early and decisive actions regarding the OCM and CCB, I believe we have a leader who will work tirelessly to assure that New York’s adult-use law is the catalyst for establishing the finest and fairest cannabis program in the country. She will work hard to implement the improvements and expansions to the State’s existing medical cannabis and hemp/CBD programs so that the cannabis industry may reach its full potential here in New York, and upstate farmers can have opportunities in this emerging space. 

I anticipate that Governor Hochul will completely embrace the importance of social equity and will fight to assure that the communities that were hit the hardest by the shortsighted and ineffective “war on drugs” will be given a fair chance to compete and prosper in this new industry. Based on the appointments made to date and the Governor’s passion for Upstate New York, I am confident that there will also be geographic equity when it comes to the distribution of licenses across the state and the cannabis industries will breathe fresh air into our upstate communities.

Much of what happens next in the industry depends on the regulations that are being developed, Governor Hochul will be sensitive to the need to balance expediency and sensible policy. She will demand that her team at OCM do whatever is necessary to make up for lost time and get licenses out the door as quickly as possible. 

More than 15 years ago, I called for replacing the embarrassingly inadequate downtown Buffalo train station and with a modern, intermodal station.

Buffalo, NY (November 19, 2020) — New York invested $72.8 million in new passenger stations in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. The Nov. 8 opening of the Exchange Street station has prompted some to begin lobbying Amtrak to add more trains here. Amtrak’s primary routes from Buffalo and Niagara Falls are the Niagara Branch of Empire Corridor run, which ends in Albany, and the Maple Leaf Run, which begins in Toronto and ends in New York City….

 “It is really a chicken-and-egg situation,” said former State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, now a lobbyist. Hoyt believes the $29.8 million Exchange Street station, coupled with the $43 million invested in the Niagara Falls station, gives local leaders an edge when pressing Amtrak. Additionally, with people looking for alternatives to air travel in the Covid-19 world, there may be an opportunity for more Amtrak routes.

Read more at: https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2020/11/19/track-issues-decreased-ridership-main-reasons.html

— from the Buffalo News Editorial Board, Sept 20, 2020

Humankind has not yet invented a perfect way to generate electricity. Coal was king for more than 70 years, but mining it scars the earth, burning it releases toxic chemicals into the atmosphere along with carbon dioxide that is overheating planet Earth.

Hydraulically fractured horizontal wells made the U.S. the top producer of oil and natural gas in the world in 2018, but fracking – now outlawed in New York State – can have adverse effects on air and water quality.

Renewable energy sources – primarily solar and wind – represent the next frontier in power generation. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the State Legislature established in 2019, through state law, a target of 70% of the state’s electricity must come from renewable sources by 2030. To make that possible, the governor signed a law in April to expedite the approval of large-scale wind and solar projects.

The law removes influence that local governments and citizens have on whether those projects win approval, replacing siting boards – which included residents – with a new office to rule on such projects.

Renewable energy sources are imperfect, too. Wind turbines don’t generate power when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t always shine on solar panels. But as the technology becomes more sophisticated, including the development of batteries to store power, wind and sun energy will play a greater role in New York’s power grid. READ MORE >>

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the availability of proposed regulations that would implement the nation-leading Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act. The draft regulatory framework will dramatically speed up the siting and construction of major renewable energy projects to combat climate change and help jumpstart the state’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act and the resulting regulations will also accelerate progress toward the Governor’s nation-leading clean energy and climate goals – including the directive to obtain 70 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources – as mandated under the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.  

“The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are two of the greatest challenges New York has ever faced, but we are tackling both head-on and our nation-leading climate agenda is quickly creating good jobs and generating billions in economic investment, while ensuring that our most vulnerable communities have clean air to breathe,” Governor Cuomo said. “These regulations will supercharge our growing green economy and reaffirm New York’s position as a definitive hub of the clean energy sector through a revamped and rapid process for building and delivering emissions-free power.” READ MORE >>

For Immediate Release: 7/30/2020

GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES 12 NEW YORK COMPANIES TO START PRODUCING COVID-19 RELATED EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES TO SUPPORT IN-STATE NEEDS

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced 12 New York companies have received support from the State to produce needed supplies to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. While the State currently has some of the lowest transmission rates in the United States, preparing for a possible “second wave” is vital to protecting essential healthcare workers and the public. These grant funds will help alleviate product shortages due to supply chain issues that could lead to unfair pricing practices. These companies will also increase the State’s manufacturing capacity while creating new jobs and market opportunities. To date, more than $11 million in grants have been awarded to 20 qualifying New York-based companies to retool their business lines and pivot to manufacturing vital supplies for ongoing response and recovery efforts.

“During the pandemic, the nation has learned a hard lesson about not having a supply chain for vital supplies based here at home in the U.S. and as a result we had to scour the globe for live-saving products that are mainly manufactured overseas,” Governor Cuomo said. “That won’t happen again in New York – we are building the infrastructure needed for the future and by supporting local companies’ pivot to new areas of production, we will be in a better position to avoid supply and demand issues and secure the items we need both quickly and at reasonable prices.”

Empire State Development Acting Commissioner and President & CEO-designate Eric Gertler said, “Many of the world’s premier and most innovative companies are in New York State. ESD’s support for these businesses not only answers Governor Cuomo’s call for homegrown industries to assist with the state’s efforts to combat the coronavirus but reflects the investment that is being made to strengthen New York’s manufacturing sector, enhance a diverse, dynamic private sector partner that can adapt quickly to new market opportunities, and continue its record of smart growth as we reopen and grow statewide.” 

In March, Governor Cuomo asked companies with New York-based operations to retool production lines in order to manufacture approved COVID-19 critical supplies, such as ventilators, test kits and PPE, including N95 respirators, surgical masks, disposable surgical gloves, gowns, face shields, and biohazard bags. More recently, the Governor announced ESD had identified 20 companies for State investment to manufacture supplies to address COVID-19, eight of which were previously awarded $4 million to help make the products here in New York State. 

Additional information about the companies announced today:

Shatkin F.I.R.S.T, LLC, Western New York: $675,000 — A dental and medical supply company based out of Amherst, Erie County. With the assistance of Empire State Development, Shatkin F.I.R.S.T. purchased an N95 respirator-making machine to manufacture hundreds of thousands of N95 respirators for their customers in the health care industry. In total, Shatkin F.I.R.S.T. has invested more than $500,000 to date, hired at least 30 people, has manufactured more than 200,000 N95 respirators, and recently procured a second machine to be able to manufacture millions of N95 respirators.

View More: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-12-new-york-companies-start-producing-covid-19-related-equipment-and

The Buffalo News (July 16, 2020) — Every school bus used daily in Niagara Falls will be equipped with exterior cameras this fall to catch drivers who illegally pass the buses, School Superintendent Mark R. Laurrie said Thursday.

The City Council on Wednesday completed approval of the five-year contract that gives BusPatrol America, the camera company, 60% of all the fines imposed on drivers caught by the cameras.

Laurrie said the company won’t charge anything to install the outside cameras or new surveillance cameras inside all 80 Niagara Falls Coach Lines buses.

The images are given to the Niagara Falls Police Department to issue the traffic tickets, Laurrie said. The fine is $250 for a first offense. The cameras are activated with the safety arm that drops when a bus stops.

READ MORE >>

May 11, 2020

Friends:  

Below is the latest press release from Governor Cuomo.  As you can see, he announced that three Upstate regions have met all of the metrics to qualify for a partial re-opening on Friday.  Unfortunately, Erie County, at this time, does not meet the criteria. 

That said, The Buffalo News just reported that Mark Poloncarz believes it is possible that we will have met the criteria by Friday and that WNY may qualify for a re-opening then or soon after.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions.

Stay safe.

Best,

Sam Hoyt
President
Upstate Strategic Advisors, LLC
716 830 1958

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For Immediate Release: 5/11/2020

GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO

VIDEO, AUDIO, PHOTOS & RUSH TRANSCRIPT: AMID ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC, GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES THREE REGIONS OF NEW YORK STATE READY TO BEGIN REOPENING MAY 15TH

• Finger Lakes, Southern Tier & Mohawk Valley Regions Have Met the 7 Metrics Required to Begin Phase 1 of Reopening Plan, Which Includes Construction, Manufacturing, Retail for Curbside Pickup, & Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing

• The North Country and Central NY Close to Meeting All Metrics

• Governor Cuomo Releases the “NY Forward Reopening” Plan, Available Here

• Certain Low-Risk Business and Recreational Activities –including Landscaping, Gardening, Tennis & Drive-In-Movie Theaters — Will Reopen Statewide on May 15th

• Launches Regional Monitoring Dashboard — Available Here

• Announces Members of Regional Control Rooms to Monitor Regional Metrics During Reopening Process

Governor Cuomo: “This is the next big step in this historic journey. First phase was to figure out what we were dealing with because we had no idea. Scramble, frankly, to deal with the situation that dropped from another planet. Stabilize, ramp up the healthcare system, inform people, get people to understand what we were dealing with and control the damage. That’s the mountain to me. We’re now on the other side of the mountain. Next step, how do we reopen, how do we reopen intelligently and how do we reopen without taking a step back? What we have done thus far is really amazing. And it was because we were smart and because we were unified, and because we did that, we averted tragedy.”

Cuomo: “We start with businesses that are more essential and pose a lower risk because once you say we’re going to reopen they say, well what first? Well really everybody says, me first. After me first what businesses first? Those that are most essential and those that pose a lower risk because you can socially distance, et cetera. That’s the matrix to make the decision and then businesses have to do their part also. It’s not a one-sided affair.”

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that as of today, the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions have met all seven metrics required to begin phase one of the state’s regional phased reopening plan when NYS on PAUSE orders expire on May 15th. If the trend continues, starting on May 15th, these three regions can begin opening businesses for phase one, which includes construction; manufacturing and wholesale supply chain; retail for curbside pickup and drop-off or in-store pickup; and agriculture, forestry and fishing. The North Country and Central NY regions have met 6 of the 7 metrics and could be ready at the end of the week. A guide to the state’s “NY Forward Reopening” Plan is available here. The Governor also launched the state’s regional monitoring dashboard, which is available here.

The Governor also announced that certain low-risk business and recreational activities will be ready to reopen statewide on May 15th, including landscaping and gardening; outdoor, low-risk recreational activities such as tennis; and drive-in movie theaters.

VIDEO of the Governor’s remarks is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here, with ASL interpretation available on YouTube here and in TV quality format here.

AUDIO of today’s remarks is available here.

PHOTOS are available on the Governor’s Flickr page.

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Additional news available at www.governor.ny.gov
New York State | Executive Chamber |press.office@exec.ny.gov | 518.474.8418