BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

CANTON — St. Lawrence County legislators passed a resolution opposing a bill recently passed by New York State that would ban government agencies from purchasing salt not mined in the U.S.

The move to pass the resolution came during a special board meeting prior to the Legislature’s Finance Committee meeting on June 27.

Officials say the new bill, which has yet to be signed by Governor Hochul, could have dire consequences for the North Country and in particular the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority.

Legislator Jim Reagen commented that the move could have a wide ranging impact that could cost the local economy millions of dollars and many jobs, including in the shape of port workers, local truck drivers and other municipal positions due to the extreme rise in expenses that would be incurred by the move.

Roughly 75% of all salt that comes through the port comes from Canada, according to the OBPA.

The OBPA continues to struggle, with revenues still currently below pre-pandemic levels, though officials say the numbers are rebounding with additional traffic through the port and passengers from Canada finally taking flights out of Ogdensburg again.

Legislator Kevin Acres took exception not only to the financial impacts but the grandstanding being committed by Western NY senators in the name of political capital. “You look at the senators that are supporting this bill, they’re all from western NY. The false cry of patriotism by “Buy American salt”, it’s really, it’s buy western NY salt. That’s all it is. It’s an egregious, blatant act, self serving of the senators representing that part of the state,” Acres said.

Acres said the county needs to be able to purchase the best salt possible at the lowest price possible to save the taxpayers money.

Legislator Joseph Lightfoot also spoke in support of the county’s resolution, commenting that the state rarely factors in the effects such bills would have on the North Country economy.

“This is just a typical way a lot of legislators in Albany pick the mantle of some of this stuff without reading the fine points. And the fine points is what it will do to the local economy,” he said.

Lightfoot commented that the state never factored in what would happen to the local economy and how many jobs would be potentially impacted.

“The economy in St. Lawrence county would take a huge hit at a time when everything is the most expensive, right in the middle of winter, of course,” he said.

Lightfoot further criticized Albany, saying that it appeared little forethought went into passing the legislation.

“If they would read some of this stuff and do a little research once in awhile, we might not see these kinds of accidents, as I would call them, that never should have seen the light of day, never should have been enacted into law and I hope to god that the governor doesn’t seem fit to sign it while we’re here debating it,” he concluded.

Legislators passed the resolution during the special board meeting, with Legislator Nicole Terminelli recusing herself due to a conflict of interest. Terminelli serves on the OBPA Board of Directors.