Voters approve land swap with Adirondack mining company

[hrmjustin]

By Quinn O'Callaghan, Roberto LoBianco, and Greg Hudson

Voters, on Nov. 5, approved an amendment to the New York state Constitution that allows the exchange of protected state forestland to an Essex County-based mining operation.

With the passing of proposition five, the state will trade 200 acres of land in the Adirondack State Forest Preserve in Essex County to New York Company (NYCO) in exchange for 1,500 acres adjacent or near to the preserve. The proposition passed with 1,137,047 voting in favor and 1,006,525 voting against, according to unofficial results from the state Board of Elections.

The amendment was required for the deal to move forward because according to the New York state Constitution "the forest preserve...shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, public or private..."

Environmental groups were split on the bill. Groups including the Adirondack Council and the Adirondack Mountain Club supported its passing and said that the state's Forest Preserve would benefit significantly from the additional land acquisitions.


Read more at http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-Top-Stories-c-2013-11-06-85739.113122-Voters-approve-land-swap-with-Adirondack-mining-company.html

[Rhiannon12866]

1. "Land grab" is more like it...

[hrmjustin]

2. Yeah I agree. This should be done by the courts not the voters.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. Exactly! I wonder how many voters just skimmed this one right at the polls...

[hrmjustin]

4. I see your county split on the casino proposal.

But your county voted for the land grab.

The city voted heavily for the casino but split on the 5th proposal.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. That makes me wonder how many voters read it through

Or understood it. Makes me wish I'd set up a Q&A booth in the parking lot...

[hrmjustin]

6. Yeah I wish people got it right.

[Rhiannon12866]

7. The fact that it passed in this area really makes me wonder...

[hrmjustin]

8. Well there are a lot of republicans there.

[ABCin2014]

13. This always puzzled me.

The Adirondack towns are relatively poor, and the Republicans do nothing for them. Yet they generally vote Republican.

This year, the north country leaned heavily Republican because of opposition to the SAFE Act and the dislike of Governor Cuomo. My sense is that a number of Democratic office holders upstate were voted out because of the SAFE Act.

[hrmjustin]

14. The Gop down here did well outside the NYC limits.

[ABCin2014]

16. This isn't atypical.

State elections are largely decided by the New York City vote. Upstate tends Republican, except in urban areas in Albany, Buffalo, Rochester etc. This is what happened with Casinos. NYC supported the amendment, while upstate largely rejected it. Interestingly, the amendment was rejected in Saratoga County, where Cuomo wants to put a casino.

[hrmjustin]

18. Yeah I voted against it. Coney Island will get one as well and I do not like that idea.

[ABCin2014]

15. It couldn't be.

Article XIV of the State Constitution created the Adirondack Park Preserve ("forever wild&quot . Under Article XIX, any constitutional amendment must be proposed by both houses of the legislature and then approved by popular vote (unless a Constitutional Convention is held).

A constitutional amendment cannot be adopted by the courts. It would be antithetical to the state constitution and the doctrine of separation of powers.

[hrmjustin]

17. I did not know that. Thanks for the info.

I hope it all works out but I have my doubts.

[ABCin2014]

9. I voted for it.

Last edited Fri Nov 8, 2013, 08:46 PM - Edit history (2)

I spend a lot of time in Essex County, and the area really is in desperate need of the jobs. I'm also an outdoorsman, an the land that the state will gain is really good addition to the preserve. I'm not crazy about the mining techniques used, but if the land is reforested and ceded back to the State after mining operations cease (around 10 years), this really can be a win-win.

[hrmjustin]

10. I am worries about the enviornmental effects on the land.

[Rhiannon12866]

11. I agree that Essex County is really in need of jobs

I lived in Ticonderoga as a kid. But I can't see that mining are the kinds of jobs we want to attract. Not only is it bad for the land, but it's not much of an alternative to the paper mill.

[ABCin2014]

12. There is no easy answer.

I don't disagree. But the conundrum for the Adirondacks is that the Adirondack Park Act, which protects the Adirondack Park preserve, also severely limits the economic development and growth of communities located within the Park's boundaries. There simply are no jobs.

In regard to NYCO, it has operated in Willsboro, NY since the 1950s. The Amendment was less about creating jobs than preserving (for a time) ones that already exist. My understanding is that the company has largely exhausted the Wollastonite supply it has been mining, and if the amendment failed, hundreds of jobs would be lost.