Matt Richmond, WSKG

Late last year, the Cuomo administration laid out its agenda to address New York’s future energy requirements. All this week, reporters from the Innovation Trail are putting different parts of that complex energy puzzle under the microscope.

In this first report, Matt Richmond examines the goals of that plan, known as the Energy Highway Blueprint.

It’s easy to miss this red-brick building. It’s on a residential street outside of Albany. There’s no sign telling drivers that the flow of all the electricity in New York State is being controlled inside.

The organization at the controls is the New York Independent System Operators or NYISO. They’re a non-profit created after New York’s energy markets were opened up in the ‘90s.

Every year, New York state gives out millions in tax incentives, loans and economic development grants to the private sector. Every state does it, and New York has little choice if it wants to prevent companies from leaving, but additional attention is now being paid to the incentives going to the state's gun industry.

In a letter sent Jan. 3 to Empire State Development President Kenneth Adams, State Senator Liz Krueger urged an end to incentives for the firearms industry. 

“I’m still awaiting a formal letter of response, but I have been assured that this was a grant made in a previous administration, not in Governor Cuomo’s administration, and the moneys that were committed have been spent,” says Krueger.

Two weeks after passing new gun control measures, New York officials have begun holding public forums to discuss what’s in the law. At Tuesday's forum in Endwell, Broome County, about 100 attendees came out to raise their questions and vent their frustrations over the new law.

State Police Deputy Superintendent Kevin Gagan led the forum and explained how each of the measures will work.

“When it comes to these assault weapons, if you owned one before the law took effect, you can keep it. You just have to register it,” said Gagan.

Tyler Hale is a 25-year-old volunteer firefighter with the Cayuga Heights Fire Department. Wires connecting small plastic sensors snake up his arms and legs and down his back and Huiju Park, an assistant professor at Cornell University, directs Hale through a series of movements.

The sensors send data about Hale's movements to Huiju's laptop.

"The system keeps checking and recording the continuous change in range in motion at each joint,” says Park.

Park’s goal is to test the different ways the body reacts to the rubber boots commonly used by firefighters compared to leather ones. Eventually, Hale climbs into his firefighting gear and slips on his boots, the rubber ones first.

During his State of the State address on Wednesday, Governor Cuomo offered more details on a plan for casino gambling in New York State.

If the governor gets his way, the proposed new casinos would come to upstate first.