Sullivan County Legislator
Alan Sorensen
District 9-Town of Thompson
Sullivan County, New York
Monticello, NY 12701
ph: 845-794-3000 x 3300
alansore
Alan on Environmental Issues
Sorensen supports efforts to hold NYSDEC accountable for new regs. of local dams
MONTICELLO – Legislator Alan Sorensen recently presented a resolution in the County Legislature requiring an Environmental Impact Study before the NYDEC can change maintenance and safety regulations of both private and public dams in Sullivan County.
There are many dams located in Sullivan County, many in Sorensen’s district, which are privately maintained at great cost.
Changes in regulations concerning the maintenance and safety of these dams without any environmental review could have a huge financial impact on both dam owners and residents of Sullivan County.
“Many of our finest communities in Sullivan County are built around lakes created by dams, some centuries old. While it is obvious that it is important that these dams are maintained in a safe manner, the new proposed revisions by the DEC could bankrupt homeowners associations,” said Sorensen.
Sorensen explained that a standard environmental review would take into consideration the financial and related impacts of the new regulations.
“The problem is that if the cost of future compliance becomes prohibitive, then dam owners will be forced to remove or breach the dams, causing a drastic change to the environment and property values. This could have major repercussions not only to the local area affected, but to values in real estate which could impact on County tax revenue,” said Sorensen.
“It is important to recognize the importance of these dams in our lives and not let overly broad regulation destroy a way of life. These dams are an integral part of our communities, even our history. Many of the dams in my district were built originally to feed water to the D&H canal and have been maintained over the centuries. Today, many of these same dams control the water flow into lakes that enhance our quality of life in Sullivan County,” added Sorensen.
Under the provisions of the resolution, which was approved unanimously by the County Legislature, the DEC would have to conduct and prepare a full environmental impact study and statement that would consider all the potential impacts of the new proposed rules and regulations.
Sorensen, who is a professional planner, argued at the County Legislature the importance of an Environmental Review for these new regulations. He also stressed the need for the State to provide funding to assist dam owners efforts to comply with the new regulations.
“If there is a review of these proposed regulations as they relate to our dams, then our community will have a say on the regulation of the dams and vital economic interests will also be considered. It just makes sense to add balance to the process,” said Sorensen.
Sorensen begins work on developing Green light industrial business park at Sullivan County Landfill
MONTICELLO – Now that the decision has been made not to expand the County Landfill, County Legislator Alan Sorensen is now to turn the site into a viable component in rebuilding the local economy.
Sorensen, a planner by profession, is now putting forth a plan to develop the landfill site, which is located near Exit 106 of Route 86, into a state of the art “green” light industrial business park that would convert the site from an eyesore to a booming area of commerce.
“We owe it to the taxpayers who have seen their hard earned tax dollars squandered on this mismanaged and poorly planned landfill to get a return on their money and make a “garbage” investment into one that will help pay the long term debt obligations off,” said Sorensen.
With the recent announcement of initial plans by the New York Department of Transportation to establish a Compressed Natural Gas station at the landfill, Sorensen is proposing using the station as an anchor to draw new, green industries to Sullivan County which could use the cheap renewable energy being converted at the landfill.
Sorensen hopes that the development of a major Green Industrial Park powered by the methane created by the landfill would be the beginning of a revival of the Sullivan County economy. He envisions hundreds of jobs being created on the site within the next 10 years.
“With the new direction being taken by the Obama Administration to encourage development of “green” industry, our County should be a leader in New York State in capturing both the economic incentives being offered as part of the Obama stimulus package and to rebuild our economy on by attracting good, clean light “green” industry to the area.
The landfill is located in Sorensen’s district and he has led a vocal opposition toward the expansion of the site since taking office two years ago.
Sorensen also said that he is looking into other viable green environmental ventures the County could plan for the site, including a combined golf course/hiking /ATV park and employee parking site for the future Concord development.
“Hopefully, the surrounding neighbors and the residents of the Village of Monticello will be pleased with the new Green development of the site. They definitely deserve some benefit from the site after enduring years of neglect and poor planning that has surrounded the expansion of a farm site into a major waste facility that is a major drain on taxpayers money.”
Its time to earn green in Sullivan County
ROCK HILL-Recently, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced that it was closing down the beautiful Beaverkill Campground located near Roscoe.
The DEC justified the move by stating that the campground had a very low rate of occupancy compared to other campsites around the state.
The Times Herald Record reported that an effort by the Roscoe Chamber of Commerce is under way to help keep the campground open.
I strongly support the Roscoe Chambers position. In this time of economic crises, the need to keep this campground open is greater than ever.
Our County Government should make every effort to lobby the DEC to keep this important tourist attraction open.
Sullivan County is one of the most beautiful places in New York State . The DEC maintains a number of areas throughout the county that attracts thousands of people each year to hike, camp, and fish in our beautiful lakes and mountains.
This state agency is not only an important environmental regulatory agency, but also a local economic partner as well.
The hamlets of Roscoe and Livingston Manor are important centers for ecotourism, their business models being built around a thriving fishing and camping industry that brings millions of dollars of revenue into Sullivan County. They are adept at exploiting the potential of the economic tourism dollars available in the metropolitan NYC market.
Our County Government must take a visionary approach to economic development, one that builds upon the attractiveness of our area. We must retain business and attract investment in our ecotourism infrastructure. Doing so will make our community a more inviting place in which to live and visit.
Instead of using economic stimulus money to repave roads - that should have been budgeted for already - we should instead invest in enhancements to the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway, O & W rails-to-trails, D&H Canal linear park and other eco-tourism infrastructure that will help to grow our economy.
These amenities will not only enhance our quality of life today but will also provide a solid foundation on which to strengthen our economic base tomorrow.
We have a great opportunity through the federal economic stimulus programs to build an eco-tourism infrastructure that will benefit our community today and leave a lasting legacy for our grandchildren tomorrow.
Unfortunately, one of the important bases of our ecotourism industry is about to be closed by a questionable bureaucratic decision. The closing of the Beaverkill campground is something the County Legislature must fight hard.
The fight to close the Beaverkill campground should also be a start to actually expand our efforts to build our ecotourism industry in conjunction with the Bed and Breakfast industry, Bethel Woods, and even our farming industry.
Lets get Green and not only fight the closing of the Beaverkill campground, but start a new initiative to once again attract tourists from the NYC metropolitan area up to our beauty county.
Let’s applaud the new effort for environmental cooperation
MONTICELLO – Earlier this year, representatives of various Sullivan County environmental groups met in Monticello to explore working together to improve the delivery of green technology and products and educational services to the residents of Sullivan County.
I applaud Dick Riesling, of the Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Development (SASD), who came up with the idea of 
getting all those local organizations concerned with environmental issues to explore sharing manpower and resources, exchanging ideas, and otherwise cooperating with each other.
The idea of brainstorming ideas and pooling assets to deliver the best environmental services and to educate the public is a great idea.
Too often, various grassroots efforts focused on the same goals work alone, and sometime compete against one another.
By opening lines of communication and working together, our citizens will be better served.
The organizations present at the meeting included the SASD, the Special Protection of the Environment for the County of Sullivan (SPECS), the Sullivan Renaissance, the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, the Catskill Mountainkeeper, the Sullivan Peace and Justice, the Basha Kill Area Association (BKAA) and the Sullivan County Division of Planning and Environmental Management. Other not for profit and government agencies are being asked to join the effort.
As a planner, I know the importance of the “green” issues in our society today. A major part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to revitalize the economy center on environmental efforts to reduce energy consumption and preserve the environment.
Sullivan County must be prepared to not only participate, but be a leader in New York State in this new national environmental endeavor.
Our county government also needs to be in the forefront of preserving our pristine environment, which defines Sullivan County as a great place to live.
The beginning of this effort will hopefully result in better environmental practices and the building and revitalization of homes and buildings in Sullivan County that are energy efficient and more environmentally friendly.
I also believe that having an organized coalition will better able the County to balance the interests of the various environmental groups with future residential and commercial expansion in the county.
I will do my share in county government to encourage total cooperation with this new environmental group. I will also propose that we seek funding to buy electric and hybrid vehicles for our DPW and other county departments, that we give tax credits for the use of “green” technology and building supplies, and will urge our County legislators and officials to educate themselves on the “green” issues of the day.
What is also important about this effort is the example this new group is for other agencies in other public domains, particularly the not for profit sector, to pool their resources together and work closely to better the delivery of services to the people they serve. With the massive cuts in Federal and State government assistance and the drop in charitable contributions associated with the recession plauging the nation, it will be important to begin smarter uses of our limited resources.
getting all those local organizations concerned with environmental issues to explore sharing manpower and resources, exchanging ideas, and otherwise cooperating with each other.Monticello, NY 12701
ph: 845-794-3000 x 3300
alansore
