NYS Assembly Passes Climate Bill Promoting Renewable Energy, Green Jobs, and Community/Worker Protections

THANK YOU New York State Assembly, Assemblyman Steve Englebright, Honorable Speaker of the New York State Assembly Carl E. Heastie, for passing the Climate and Community Protection Act by a huge margin!

Now we need the same climate leadership from Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York State Senate, so we can get this critical bill passed in 2018, fight climate change, protect frontline communities, and ensure green jobs are good jobs.

Big THANK YOU to Assembly Members who changed their votes from No in 2017 to YES in 2018! To see how Your Assembly Member voted, click here.

For a Summary of the Bill, click here.

Public Meeting: Connecting Buffalo-Niagara and Toronto with Commuter Rail

CITIZENS FOR REGIONAL TRANSIT Quarterly Meeting

 
Connecting Buffalo-Niagara and the Larger Bi-National Region with Commuter Rail:
What's Feasible? Where to Start?

Free and Open to All
 

Tuesday, May 1, 2018
5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Doors open at 5:00 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church [Map]
1 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY
 

The Citizens for Regional Transit quarterly meeting will feature Congressman Brian Higgins with panelists Pat Whalen, Director of the Niagara Falls Global Tourism Institute, and Bruce Becker, Vice President of the National Association of Rail Passengers.
 
When looking at a satellite image of the region between Toronto and Buffalo-Niagara, it becomes clear that it’s a contiguously urbanized area; we are part of a binational mega-region. This linear arrangement of urban centers has a population of nine million people and a combined GDP of $450 billion.

However, this mega-region is lacking one important feature: transit connectivity. With only one Amtrak train per day (in each direction), travel between U.S. cities and Toronto is largely limited to car. This creates recurring traffic congestion – especially at the international bridges and near Toronto. This impeded mobility also restricts economic opportunities.

 

The good news is that there have already been several steps toward making transit connectivity a reality, such as the opening of the new Niagara Falls, New York Amtrak Station; the planning of the new Buffalo downtown station; and the future extension of commuter rail from Toronto to Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Join Citizens for Regional Transit on Tuesday, May 1 to learn more about plans, challenges, and possibilities for the future of rail connections between Buffalo and Niagara Falls as a first step in linking Western New York to Toronto.

Public Comments on Decommisioning of the West Valley Nuclear Site Extended to May 25

Positive Declaration Extension of Scoping Period

 

Cattaraugus County - The New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYS ERDA), as lead agency, has determined that the proposed Phase 2 Decommissioning of the West Valley Site may have a significant adverse impact on the environment and a Draft Environmental Impact Statement must be prepared.

On February 21, 2018, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYS ERDA) and the United State Department of Energy (US DOE) announced their intent to jointly prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Decommissioning and/or Long-Term Stewardship at the West Valley Demonstration Project and Western New York Nuclear Service Center (DOE/EIS-0226-S1) (SEIS) and to conduct a public scoping process. The SEIS will assess the range of reasonable alternatives for Phase 2 decommissioning of the West Valley Site.

NYS ERDA and US DOE invited public comments on the scope and content of the SEIS for the West Valley Site during a public scoping period through April 23, 2018. NYSERDA and DOE have determined to extend the public comment period deadline from Monday, April 23, 2018, to Friday, May 25, 2018.

Written comments on the scope of the SEIS, requests to be placed on the SEIS mailing list, and requests for information may be submitted by U.S. mail to the DOE Document Manager, Martin Krentz, West Valley Demonstration Project, U.S. DOE, 10282 Rock Springs Road, AC-DOE, West Valley, New York 14171-9799, by e-mail to SEISWestValleySite@emcbc.doe.gov, or via the SEIS website at www.SEISWestValleySite.com. The Notice of Intent and Draft Scope is available on the SEIS website and on the NYSERDA website at www.nyserda.ny.gov/-/media/files/ee/west-valley/Supplemental-Environmental-Impact-Statement-NOI.pdf.

Further information, including a form for submitting comments, is available on the project website at www.SEISWestValleySite.com.

The project is located at 10282 Rock Springs Road in West Valley, New York.

Contact: Dr. Lee Gordon, NYS ERDA, 9030-B Route 219, West Valley, NY 14171; Phone: (716)942-9960, extension 4963, Fax: 716-942-9961, E-mail: lee.gordon@nyserda.ny.gov

Presentation: EARTH DEMOCRACY - Sustainability, Justice and Peace

RENEW Distinguished Lecture Series Presents

Dr. Vandana Shiva

LECTURE: Earth Democracy - Sustainability, Justice and Peace

Friday, April 20 at 3:00 PM

UB  Center for the Arts Screening Room, UB North Campus [Map]

Free and Open to the Public

RSVP if you plan to attend - Click Here

Although a Quantum Physicist by training, Dr. Shiva has spent her life on interdisciplinary work related to science, technology and environmental policy.  Time Magazine identified Dr. Shiva as an environmental “hero” in 2003 and Asia Week has called her one of the five most powerful communicators of Asia. Forbes magazine in November 2010 has identified Dr. Vandana Shiva as one of the top Seven most Powerful Women on the Globe.

Presentation: PROTECTING OUR WATERS -- From the Lake of Betrayal to Defend the Ohiyo

The Sierra Club
Climate and Clean Energy Writers Group

Thursday, April 19, 2018 

 PROTECTING OUR WATERS

From the Lake of Betrayal to Defend the Ohiyo

By Caleb Abrams, Onödowa’ga:’ (Seneca) filmmaker and multimedia artist

Caleb’s presentation and discussion will cover impacts on water and the Seneca people from the displacement and damage caused by the Kinzua Dam to nuclear waste at West Valley. He will give an overview of the now successful Defend the Ohiyo campaign to protect the Allegheny River from a proposed frack waste facility at the river’s headwaters in Coudersport, PA. With local interest now reinvigorated towards clean-up of Cattaraugus Creek, join us and learn how to support this effort.

6:00-7:30 PM
Crane Branch Library
633 Elmwood at Highland
2nd Floor Meeting Room

Free and open to the public – writers and non-writers alike