It’s a shame that any new energy project anywhere in New York state is opposed by the zealots. Anything from wind farms to clean energy produced by liquid natural gas faces knee-jerk opposition from a small handful of very loud people. Yes, someday there will be a new, proven source of energy, but for now it just isn’t going to happen. It’s only a matter of time before the lights start to flicker, and we know who to thank for the next energy crises.

It’s a shame New York state is losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year to illegal sales of cigarettes. Every day, trucks come and go in and out of the state with thousands of cartons of untaxed cigarettes purchased in southern states. New York has done a poor job of enforcing the laws, and every time the State Legislature raises taxes on cigarettes, the illegal market grows bigger.

It’s a shame that our two major league baseball teams can’t get their acts together. Mets fans are desperate for a winning team, and their management, still hobbled by the Madoff money losses, can’t do the job. The Yankees aren’t much better. George Steinbrenner would be livid with the club if he were still alive. The team paid the price this year with smaller crowds and fewer television viewers. New Yorkers are entitled to a first-class effort by both teams.

Jerry Kremer was a state assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? JKremer@liherald.com.