News stories tagged with "fuel"

(03/14/11) With oil prices skyrocketing, transportation companies around the country are struggling to cope with higher fuel costs. But as the Innovation Trail's Zack Seward reports, a Rochester company is using nanotechnology to help ease the pain.

(03/10/11) The trailers you see on semi-trucks are great for packing and moving goods, but aren't good for fuel economy. As the Innovation Trail's Ryan Morden reports, researchers at Clarkson University have designed a product to reduce drag from those trailers and improve gas mileage. more

(08/17/10) Some farmers in the Northeast are in the midst of an experiment in energy independence: They're growing crops that produce the fuel to run their tractors and equipment. As part of a collaboration with Northeast stations, Vermont Public Radio's Susan Keese reports. more

(10/06/09) Every fall, low-income families across the North Country face a painful question: do I have enough money to pay the heating bills this winter? Fuel prices are almost half what they were last fall. Still, thousands of people will rely on government help to stay warm. A group of St. Lawrence County agencies and energy experts meet each year to develop a strategy for helping people pay their heating bills. At yesterday's meeting in Canton, there was concern about a surprising new at-risk population, middle class people who lost their jobs. David Sommerstein reports.

(05/06/09) It's gardening season and we're heading into the peak week for many garden centers and nurseries. A St. Lawrence County greenhouse went greener this winter when owners switched from oil to a type of biofuel heating system. Wheat's Greenhouse has been a gardening mainstay in Edwards for more than twenty years. But when fuel oil prices rose last fall, Bill Wheat took steps to help save money and the environment. Wheat collects used cooking oil from restaurants in Gouverneur for use as fuel in a boiler. It's a bit of an experiment, but he says, so far, it's worked in three of his six greenhouses. Todd Moe took to a tour in late February to find out more about a place where used vegetable oil kept veggie and flower seedlings warm this winter.

(12/04/08) The price of gas is a common complaint in the North Country. And a big part of this complaint is that gas prices go up as you go north. There are exceptions, of course, but the theory that gas costs more in northern New York is corroborated by a drive through the region - or even surfing the many web sites devoted to finding the cheapest price per gallon. According to Motor Trend.com, gas costs less in Glens Falls than in Plattsburgh. It's less in Syracuse than Watertown. And some of the highest prices at the pump are in St Lawrence and Franklin Counties. Jonathan Brown tried to find out why.

(12/01/08) Since August, people who buy heating oil for their homes have seen the price go in only one direction - down. That's not the case for fuel sellers. They get oil on the wholesale market where prices can shoot up one minute and drop off sharply the next. Jonathan Brown talked with one seller who says this fluctuation is making a tough business much harder.

(07/21/08) For the past few years, ethanol's been a political darling, but lately it seems the party's over. There's concern the industry's using too much corn. That's contributing to rising food prices. Well, some companies want to avoid the controversy. Reporter Shawn Allee explains they want to make ethanol from stuff we leave behind at the dinner table.

(07/07/08) The sagging national economy is proving especially painful for many families here in the North Country. According to statistics gathered by New York state, many counties in the region have seen the number of food stamp recipients grow by ten percent in the last year alone. High gas and fuel oil prices, combined with rising grocery and property tax bills, have pushed a lot of people to the edge. In just a moment we'll hear from a woman in the St. Lawrence Valley who's working extra hard to maintain her family's middle-class lifestyle. But first Brian Mann checked in with Al Beideck, an economist with New York's Department of Labor, based in Saranac Lake.

(06/23/08) State Senator Betty Little says she supports the idea of a property tax cap and hopes to return this summer to debate the issue during a special session. But Little told Brian Mann that she's concerned about the possible impact of a cap on local school districts that are faced with spiraling costs.