Assemblyman Scott Gray

I had the privilege of attending the 10th Mountain Division Artillery Change of Responsibility at Fort Drum.

A Change of Responsibility marks the transfer of senior enlisted leadership, and today we recognized Command Sergeant Major Folger for everything he has given to the division and to our North Country community.

CSM Folger has been a tremendous asset both on post and off. The strong relationship between Fort Drum and the communities that surround it is built by leaders exactly like him, and his professionalism, dedication, and commitment to the soldiers of DIVARTY will leave a lasting mark.

To CSM Folger and his family, thank you for your service and your example. You will be missed, and we wish you nothing but the best in the road ahead.

Climb to Glory.
U.S. Army Fort Drum & 10th Mountain Division
10th Mountain Division
Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion HHBN 10th MTN Division
hhb_havoc_10thmtn_divarty

Two hiring events are coming up right here in the North Country, and I want to make sure the word gets out.

The NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision is holding direct hire events at two of our local facilities. Twenty five Correction Officer positions are available at each, with direct placement on the spot.

Gouverneur Correctional Facility
Tuesday, June 16
Wednesday, June 17, 8 AM to 8 PM
112 Scotch Settlement Road, Gouverneur
Hot dogs, soda, and chips will be served.

Cape Vincent Correctional Facility
Monday, June 22
Tuesday, June 23, 10 AM to 8 PM
36560 NY Route 12E,
Cape Vincent

A $3,000 referral bonus is available for employees who bring a qualified candidate, paid after that candidate completes OJT and the one year probationary period.

These are good jobs close to home, but this is about more than filling a roster. Our officers have been carrying the weight of short staffing for too long, and that takes a real toll on work/life balance and safety inside the walls. Bringing these facilities up to strength means a safer environment for the men and women who show up for these shifts every day.

It also opens doors. There are officers serving far from home who are waiting on a transfer back to the North Country. When other facilities staff, it creates the openings that let people get closer to their families.

If you know someone who would be a good fit, or if you have been thinking about this kind of work yourself, stop by. Bring a friend. Help us strengthen the ranks and look out for the people already doing the job.

I want to be very clear about where I stand, because my call for a veto of A11560 has been mischaracterized as advocacy for data centers. It is not!

I am not advocating for or against data centers. That is not my decision to make, and frankly, it is not Albany’s decision to make either. Whether a data center belongs in Massena, in Watertown, or anywhere else in the North Country is a local decision. Local governments, through their zoning, planning boards, and public hearings, are the appropriate forum to weigh whether the construction jobs, the electrical trades work, and the local revenue are worth it for their community. Some communities will say yes. Some will say no. Both answers deserve respect, and I will respect whichever answer a community reaches.

The state’s proper role is to provide a strong regulatory framework that addresses the legitimate concerns residents have raised, and I share those concerns. That means real standards on water consumption and discharge, protections so that ratepayers are not left covering the energy costs these facilities create, proper setbacks, and noise and environmental safeguards. Those protections should apply statewide so that no community, large or small, is left to negotiate them alone against a sophisticated developer.

My objection to A11560 was that a blanket statewide moratorium takes the decision away from the very communities that have to live with the outcome, in both directions. It overrides the community that wants to say no on its own terms just as much as the one that wants to say yes. I have studied this legislation extensively and happy to discuss it with anyone.

It is also worth noting that the Public Service Commission is already conducting a comprehensive study of data centers, covering energy demand, ratepayer impacts, water use, and siting issues, with a report due in February 2027. It makes little sense to impose a statewide freeze before the state’s own experts have finished the work that should inform any permanent framework.

I have heard the concerns raised by residents of Massena, and I take them seriously. Water quality, energy costs, and the health of the community are exactly the issues a proper regulatory framework must address, and exactly the issues I will keep pressing in Albany.

I welcome the continued conversation.

(Good article sans the couple cracks at IDA and Labor those points I take issue with)
Newzjunky NorthCountryNow.com
7 News

New York Has a Data-Center Panic, Not a Policy A proposed bill justifies a moratorium on construction by scapegoating the facilities for rising electricity prices.