A staff report notes that NYSERDA has set aside $1.1 million in rebates for municipal governments that replace inefficient appliances and equipment with energy-efficient models.

Reporter Dan Heath reports that the US Air Force has turned over the last parcel of its former base in Plattsburgh to Clinton County.

Reporter Chris Morris reports that the North Country Regional Economic Development Council labeled rehabilitation of railroad infrastructure as a "key strategy" in its most recent planning document.

Reporter Rick Karlin reports that two environmental groups are suing New York to gain access to possible communications between the governor’s office and developers in the Adirondacks, similar to another lawsuit where an environmental group has gone to court seeking communications that may exist between the Cuomo Administration and segments of the natural gas industry regarding hydrofracking.

Reporter Chris Knight reports that the state DEC is asking for the public’s input on how to classify the former Finch timberlands. DEC Forest Preserve Coordinator Karen Richards said the state plans to provide some public recreational opportunities on the lands once they are purchased but before specific unit management plans are completed.

Reporter Don Lehman reports that passenger numbers on the Saratoga-North Creek Railway are up 54% over last year. 

Reporter Jamie Munks reports that the Lake George Village Board appointed a steering committee to determine if the village’s commercial district should be rezoned. The committee’s formation comes on the heels of a proposal to build an eight-story hotel on the northern end of Canada Street.

Reporter Todd Moe reports that an 1890s schoolhouse in Star Lake has been rehabilitated by a group of Clifton-Fine area residents for use as an exhibit center and tourist attraction. It’s one of six North Country sites that will receive 2012 Stewardship awards for preservation efforts by Adirondack Architectural Heritage.

Editor Phil Brown — who is being defended in a separate trespassing case by Protect attorney John Caffrey —  says that Protect the Adirondacks and the Sierra Club want to review e-mails between the APA and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s staff to determine if the governor’s office improperly influenced the APA’s approval of the Adirondack Club and Resort.