2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)
CONCEIVES EFFICIENCY, SERVICE DELIVERY UPGRADES FOR HOSPITALS ACROSS THE NATION. JOHN BAILEY INTERVIEWS HIM ON HOW PATIENTS, DOCTORS, HOSPITALS ARE GEARING UP FOR MONEY-SAVING, PATIENT TIME SAVING, AND EFFICIENT EFFECTIVE DELIVERY OF SERVICESAND HOW YOUR HEALTH CARE IS CHANGING OVER THE NEXT DECADE
JOHN BAILEY INTERVIEWS HIM ON
HOW COVID HAS CHANGED THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM THE LAST 3 YEARS
THE COMING DOCTOR SHORTAGE AND SOLUTIONS.
BURNOUT REPLACEMENT
HOW MEDICAL SCHOOLS ARE CHANGING
THE NEED TO CUT COSTS OF INSURANCE, SERVICES TO PREVENT COSTS SOARING OUT OF CONTROL
THE SEARCH FOR THE SOLUTIONS FOR BETTER CARE, LESS COSTLY CARE.
GOVERNOR HOCHUL AND ATTORNEY GENERAL JAMES ANNOUNCE $2 MILLION PENALTY AGAINST COMPANY THAT UNLAWFULLY OPERATED OIL WELLS
James Lee Ordered to Plug Hundreds of Oil Wells That Jeopardized Drinking Water in Steuben and Cattaraugus Counties
Decision Includes Largest-Ever Financial Penalty Imposed for Well-Plugging Violations
Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a $2 million judgment in a lawsuit against James R. Lee and his corporate affiliates for flagrant violations of the state’s oil and gas well regulations and endangering communities in Steuben and Cattaraugus counties.
Lee and his companies were ordered by a State Supreme Court judge to pay the penalty – the largest financial penalty imposed in an oil and gas well case – and to bring his oil wells into full compliance with state laws.
For years, Lee and his companies did not properly plug the wells they operated, which posed a significant danger to drinking water supplies and of releasing methane in the areas surrounding the wells.
“My administration is laser focused on taking decisive action in order to protect drinking water in communities across the state, and the record financial penalty announced today is a major victory for New York,” Governor Hochul said. “We remain steadfast in our efforts to hold accountable anyone who jeopardizes the health and safety of New Yorkers. I thank Attorney General Letitia James for her partnership in taking action to protect the public health and environment in Steuben and Cattaraugus counties.”
Attorney General Letitia James said, “This is a crucial win for our efforts to protect New York’s air and water. These unlawfully operated oil wells threatened drinking water for countless families in the Southern Tier and Western New York and posed significant harms to the environment. This case should make it clear that New York will stand up to anyone that threatens the health of our communities or our natural resources. I am grateful to Governor Hochul, Commissioner Seggos and our partners at DEC for their partnership in stopping polluters and protecting the people.”
Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “This judgment is a significant day of reckoning for Lee and his companies after years of blatant disregard for New York State’s stringent requirements at hundreds of oil well sites in Steuben and Cattaraugus counties. I thank Attorney General James and her team and my staff for their tireless work to bring this persistent violator to justice. This precedent-setting case demonstrates that New York State will leave no stone unturned in aggressively pursuing polluters and holding them accountable for the damage they wreak on our environment and communities.”
For many years, Lee and his shell corporate affiliates – Lee Oil Company, Inc., Whitesville Producing Corporation, Whitesville Production Corp., Allegro Oil & Gas Inc., and Allegro Investments Corporation – owned or operated hundreds of oil wells in Steuben and Cattaraugus counties.
These unlawful operations were the subject of numerous enforcement actions brought by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and DEC.
After failing to follow environmental laws and properly plug more than 400 of the wells, OAG and DEC filed a lawsuit against Lee and his companies to force them to comply including properly plugging their wells, as well as to pay penalties for their longstanding and flagrant violations.
The Court ruled in favor of OAG and DEC in their case against Lee, and determined that:
Defendants failed to plug more than 400 oil wells;
Defendants failed to submit over 10 years of required annual reports for the wells;
Defendants failed to file required DEC Organizational Reports for the well operators;
Defendants failed to provide adequate financial security intended to ensure the wells’ plugging;
James Lee is personally liable for the penalty and for bringing the wells into compliance and is not shielded by his defunct corporate affiliates; and
Responsibility to plug the wells can pass on to successor owners of the affected mineral property.
The $2 million penalty was imposed on Lee and his corporate affiliates, based in part, on the fact that the state proved Lee benefitted financially – by at least $1 million – by failing to comply with the state’s environmental law and remitting judgments against them. In its decision, the court found that Mr. Lee and his companies have violated these laws for years and have ignored the state’s repeated attempts to bring Mr. Lee and his companies into compliance.
Unplugged oil and gas wells pose serious threats to drinking water supplies and the overall environment. Several of Lee’s wells have already discharged oil to surrounding waters and pose ongoing public health threats. Additionally, these wells can emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas that greatly contributes to climate change.
The court said its decision needed to carry a strong message to discourage other well operators from considering abandoning their own obligations at oil and gas wells around New York state and leaving taxpayers to pay for their plugging. The decision also establishes important real property law precedent that may be used to require owners of properties with unplugged wells to fully comply with the state’s well plugging requirements.
DEC will continue to provide rigorous oversight of Lee’s wells and work to ensure the court’s order is followed by bringing all wells into compliance. Mr. Lee has claimed an inability to pay for the plugging, but DEC will seek to recover assets he has that may be used to fulfill the obligations imposed by the judgment.
The matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Meredith Lee-Clark and Brian Lusignan, supervised by Senior Counsel for Enforcement Andrew Gershon and Bureau Chief Lem Srolovic of the OAG Environmental Protection Bureau. For DEC, the matter was handled by Office of General Counsel Attorney David Keehn, with support from Division of Mineral Resources Section Chief Ted Loukides, supervised by Lisa Wilkinson and Scott Crisafulli, with DEC’s Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel Thomas S. Berkman.
“With school coming back into session and the summer season coming to a close, I encourage all New Yorkers to keep using the tools we know that work to protect against COVID-19,” Governor Hochul said. “Remember to get vaccinated or boosted when you’re eligible if you haven’t already. Test if you have symptoms, and if you do test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment. By remaining vigilant and responsible, New Yorkers will beat this virus.”
Earlier this week, Governor Hochul announced updated COVID-19 guidance and frequently asked questions for schools and childcare facilities that aligns with the new CDC recommendations.
Among other things, this guidance specifies that asymptomatic children exposed to COVID-19 no longer need to quarantine and that isolation is now only advised for individuals that have tested positive for the virus. Read the updated guidance and frequently asked questions here.
Today’s data is summarized briefly below:
Cases Per 100k – 23.70
7-Day Average Cases Per 100k – 22.78
Test Results Reported – 57,547
Total Positive – 4,632
Percent Positive – 7.86%**
7-Day Average PercentPositive – 6.34%**
Patient Hospitalization – 2,420 (-39)
Patients NewlyAdmitted – 406
Patients in ICU – 255 (-5)
Patients in ICU withIntubation – 99 (+0)
Total Discharges – 334,677 (367)
New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS – 16
Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS – 57,531
** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data — not percent positivity.
The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.
Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State’s percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data — not percent positivity.
Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC – 73,535
This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.
Each region’s 7-day average of cases per 100K population is as follows:
REGION
Sunday, August 21, 2022
Monday, August 22, 2022
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Capital Region
18.49
18.42
17.58
Central New York
17.76
17.98
18.27
Finger Lakes
12.12
12.09
12.88
Long Island
26.76
26.75
26.33
Mid-Hudson
21.93
21.59
21.33
Mohawk Valley
20.02
20.22
20.61
New York City
26.32
26.29
25.95
North Country
19.98
19.98
20.22
Southern Tier
17.47
17.85
17.56
Western New York
16.72
17.58
17.87
Statewide
22.95
22.98
22.78
Each region’s 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows**:
REGION
Sunday, August 21, 2022
Monday, August 22, 2022
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Capital Region
9.53%
9.56%
9.32%
Central New York
8.97%
8.94%
9.02%
Finger Lakes
7.26%
7.26%
7.38%
Long Island
8.00%
8.02%
8.02%
Mid-Hudson
4.30%
4.62%
4.58%
Mohawk Valley
11.60%
11.56%
11.59%
New York City
5.32%
5.48%
5.42%
North Country
10.59%
10.40%
10.36%
Southern Tier
8.46%
8.42%
8.38%
Western New York
12.61%
12.89%
12.88%
Statewide
6.18%
6.37%
6.34%
** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data — not percent positivity.
Each New York City borough’s 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:
Borough in NYC
Sunday, August 21, 2022
Monday, August 22, 2022
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Bronx
7.23%
7.31%
7.29%
Kings
3.42%
3.66%
3.58%
New York
5.68%
5.59%
5.58%
Queens
7.78%
7.79%
7.78%
Richmond
7.08%
7.01%
6.74%
** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data — not percent positivity.
Yesterday, 4,632 New Yorkers tested positive for COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 5,891,946. A geographic breakdown is as follows:
County
Total Positive
New Positive
Albany
70,822
47
Allegany
9,849
7
Broome
52,622
42
Cattaraugus
17,488
23
Cayuga
18,378
12
Chautauqua
26,820
25
Chemung
24,088
25
Chenango
10,610
9
Clinton
20,003
8
Columbia
12,178
15
Cortland
12,028
10
Delaware
9,118
8
Dutchess
75,105
62
Erie
245,750
173
Essex
6,829
8
Franklin
10,859
7
Fulton
14,725
25
Genesee
15,191
4
Greene
9,898
8
Hamilton
990
1
Herkimer
15,915
20
Jefferson
23,573
30
Lewis
6,750
6
Livingston
13,126
10
Madison
15,217
7
Monroe
175,420
132
Montgomery
13,560
12
Nassau
485,033
352
Niagara
54,888
43
NYC
2,744,397
2,171
Oneida
62,420
61
Onondaga
129,874
99
Ontario
23,382
14
Orange
123,532
106
Orleans
9,657
12
Oswego
30,772
40
Otsego
11,945
10
Putnam
27,899
20
Rensselaer
37,710
16
Rockland
106,325
56
Saratoga
55,447
33
Schenectady
39,358
30
Schoharie
5,881
11
Schuyler
3,987
–
Seneca
6,820
7
St. Lawrence
24,057
33
Steuben
22,919
20
Suffolk
500,416
398
Sullivan
21,584
30
Tioga
12,585
15
Tompkins
23,821
34
Ulster
37,928
32
Warren
16,681
10
Washington
14,122
11
Wayne
19,746
16
Westchester
298,641
210
Wyoming
9,241
3
Yates
3,966
3
Below is data that shows how many hospitalized individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 were admitted for COVID-19/COVID-19 complications and how many were admitted for non-COVID-19 conditions:
Region
COVID-19 Patients currently hospitalized
Admitted due to COVID or complications of COVID
% Admitted due to COVID or complications of COVID
Admitted where COVID was not included as one of the reasons for admission
% Admitted where COVID was not included as one of the reasons for admission
Yesterday, there were 16 total new deaths reported due to COVID-19, bringing the total to 57,531. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence:
County
New Deaths
Bronx
2
Cattaraugus
1
Clinton
1
Erie
1
Kings
2
Livingston
1
New York
2
Oneida
1
Queens
2
Saratoga
1
Suffolk
1
Ulster
1
Grand Total
16
New Yorkers looking to schedule vaccine appointments for 5-11-year-old children are encouraged to contact their child’s pediatrician, family physician, county health departments, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), rural health centers, or pharmacies that may be administering the vaccine for this age group. Parents and guardians can visit vaccines.gov, text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations. Make sure that the provider offers the Pfizer-BioNTechCOVID-19 vaccine, as the other COVID-19 vaccines are not yet authorized for this age group.
Visit our websitefor parents and guardians for new information, frequently asked questions and answers, and resources specifically designed for parents and guardians of this age group.
Important Note: HERDS data collection from health care facilities was paused due to the weekend from 8/20/2022-8/21/2022. Data from those days were submitted in Monday’s report. Where noted, totals include three days of cumulative data from 8/20/2022-8/22/2022. As a result, some data may appear higher than recent trends. Data affected is marked with an asterisk.
NOTE: Updates to the CDC’s cumulative death data files are being delayed, as the CDC upgrades its system. Any questions about this should be directed to the CDC. During this time, total deaths and new daily deaths reported through HERDS will continue as normal.
