ESFPA E-News

Happy Thanksgiving!

We at the Empire State Forest Products Association, Empire State Forestry Foundation and New York Logger Training, Inc. are grateful for the support and trust you place in us to pursue our work to advocate for, connect with, and honor and support you thought the year. On behalf of your Boards of Directors and staff we send good wishes to you this Thanksgiving!

May good food fill your table, you have good health as you work hard, and there be good times with family, friends and relatives as you gather. May you have all the best delights in life this holiday season.

Governor Vetoes Streams Bill and Pesticides in Wetlands Bill

Empire State Forest Products Association (ESFPA) is pleased to share that Gov. Hochul has vetoed two pieces of legislation, both of which we encouraged her to do.

The first is S. 1725-A that would have listed all class C streams to DEC’s Protection of Waters Regulatory Program, adding over 16,000 miles of streams. This would have increased costs and permitting regulations for forest landowners, along with many other forest related businesses and local governments.

The other vetoed bill, S. 5957, would have allowed local governments to ban the use of certain pesticides in freshwater wetlands, circumventing the Department of Environmental Conservation's robust pesticide review process.

ESFPA appreciates Gov. Hochul's action on both of these bills, and we would like to thank our members who sent E-Lobby messages to the governor asking her to veto this legislation. Your involvement helped make a difference!

NYSRDA Energy Management Webinar for Industry

We are helping NYSERDA get the word out on their December 7th webinar about the Strategic Energy Management program. Details and registration information are provided below:

Event Name: Strategic Energy Management for Industrial Companies 
Event Date: Thursday, December 7th 
Event Time: 1:00pm-2:30pm  

Interested in reducing your energy costs by 5%-15%?  While costs are rising, one way your organization can combat inflation and reduce your overhead costs is to implement energy efficiency upgrades that provide you with immediate savings.  NYSERDA’s Strategic Energy Management (SEM) program offers free technical support to help you manage energy in a coordinated and strategic way across your organization — helping your business increase profitability, create a competitive advantage, and achieve greater resiliency. 

Join us on Thursday, December 7th from 1:00pm-2:30pm to learn about: 

• This flexible opportunity is tailored to your business’ specific needs, goals, and timeline.
• We focus on low-to-no cost opportunities at your site and help leverage utility programs to support your long-term, capital projects.
• The value SEM provides can support you to optimize operations and give you a competitive advantage.
• This program can kick-start your de-carbonization efforts.

NYSERDA’s SEM coaches have worked with over 100 sites and their expertise will help you establish a holistic program to manage energy usage and reduce GHG emissions. 

A few highlights from past participants: 

• A site in Rockland received a utility lighting rebate for a project they had already completed as a result of the initial call with their Energy Coach.
• After a site visit with an organization in Orange County, an Energy Coach identified over a dozen cost savings measures – one of these immediate savings opportunities included resetting a sump pump float to avoid unnecessary run time – resulting in $1,000 worth of savings annually. This has motivated their ‘energy team’ to find other no cost savings opportunities and to identify capital projects as well.  

Additional program information is available here. 

This webinar is free, but registration is required: