Public Webinar: Is Enough Being Done to Clean Up Lake Erie?

Click to RSVP for the August 2nd Webinar

It is unacceptable for Lake Erie—or any Great Lake—to be 

 

so polluted that it becomes a threat to our health.

Three years ago, on August 2nd, the unthinkable happened. Toledo, a major Great Lakes city, had to ban drinking the water supply it draws from the lakes. For two and a half days, Toledo area residents could not drink the water flowing from the taps in their homes. Businesses, from restaurants to hair salons to grocery stores, had to shut down or severely curtail operations. Residents waited in long lines for clean water or drove several hours to stock up on bottled water. A few weeks later residents of Pelee Island, Ontario residents faced a similar ban that lasted nearly two weeks.

Two years ago, the Governors of Ohio and Michigan joined with the Premier of Ontario to commit to reducing the amount of runoff pollution, specifically phosphorus, flowing into western Lake Erie by 40 percent. The commitment marked a promise to the people of Lake Erie—promise of a lake nearly free of harmful algal blooms and a significant reduction in risk to people and the lake.

Unfortunately, progress by Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario 

 

has been painfully slow.

Join the Alliance for the Great Lakes and Freshwater Future for a special lunchtime briefing for an update on the Lake Erie crisis, our assessment of progress by Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario, and the next steps that must be taken for the governments to fulfill their promise of a clean Lake Erie. 

RSVP for the Webinar  Here

We’ll also share how you can help and leave plenty of time to answer your questions. Hope you can join!

For the health of the Great Lakes,
Jill Ryan
Executive Director
Freshwater Future

Click here to follow us on Twitter - Click here to like us on Facebook

Community Discussion: Problems and Solutions of Plastic Pollution in WNY

Community Discussion: Problems and Solutions of Plastic Pollution

To REGISTER, click here

Earth Fair 2015 at Daemen College on Saturday, Sept. 26

[Click image to enlarge]

To reserve a display table,  see the exhibitor invitation and email byoung@daemen.edu

For more information, visit daemen.edu/summit

Exhibitor Invitation: WNY Environmental Summit-Earth Fair on September 26

Your organization is invited to exhibit at the 11th Annual WNY Environmental Summit-Earth Fair 2015 at Daemen College.  This year’s theme is “Healthy Living: Water Brings us Together”.

Date:  Saturday, September 26 2015

Time:  8:30am-12:00pm    (table setup begins at 8am)

Location:  Wick Student Center, Daemen College

Cost:  Free for attendees and exhibitors

The annual Summit brings together a wide audience of interested citizens, business people, students, politicians and environmental organizations.  The free event aims to share information on how to improve sustainability in our communities and our homes and appreciate our connection with our environment.  Environmental and civic organizations, green businesses, and government agencies are encouraged to participate.

To reserve your free table, please contact Brenda Young at byoung@daemen.edu with the following:

Organization Name:

Contact Person:

Contact Email:

Contact Phone:

Do you need electricity?  Y/N   (limited spaces, please provide your own extension cord)

Exhibitors will be contacted with setup information in early September and information on submitting up to 2 PowerPoint slides for an ongoing loop displayed during the Summit.  

Exhibit space is limited to a 6 foot table which we provide.  Wall space is not available for all tables, so if you have special requests, please let us know and we will try our best to accommodate you.  Please bring your own tablecloth or cover, if desired.

Current Event Sponsors:  Buffalo News, Entercom Buffalo,  The Knoer Group, Apollo Alliance and Daemen College.

If interested in co-sponsoring the event, please contact Cheryl Bird at cbird@daemen.edu.

Click 'Read more' (below) to see a draft Agenda and check for Updates Here.

RIVERKEEPER FORUM: Unexpected Voices of the Great Lakes

 Join  Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper this Wednesday from 6:30pm-8:30pm for a very special event at the Albright-Knox Gallery: Unexpected Voices of the Great Lakes, a panel discussion featuring internally acclaimed photographer Edward Burtynsky, whose artwork is pictured below. Burtynsky will discuss how his connection to the Great Lakes shaped his craft and the predominant theme in his images, "nature transformed through industry." The panel discussion following Burtynsky's talk will include:
    •    Allan Jamieson, a member of the Wolf Clan of the Cayuga People. He has worked with numerous native communities on issues related to water access. He is a founder of Neto, a Native American nonprofit based in Buffalo that started the Buffalo Creek Treaty Canoe Paddle held annually on the Buffalo River.
    •    Sandy Smith Cunningham, an educator from Nichols School in Buffalo whose innovative seventh-grade science curriculum teaches the principles of chemistry through the lens of the Great Lakes and environmental resources. She has been deeply involved in Great Lakes education and outreach.
    •     Jill Jedlicka, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper. Jedlicka is a recognizable local expert on water quality issues and Great Lakes policy. She will provide a rare insight and reflection of her own personal journey to lead one of the world's largest Waterkeeper organizations.

The panel also will include a student from South Park High School in Buffalo who is active in his school's efforts to educate and inform a new generation about the importance of the Great Lakes and its tributaries.

This event is a collaboration between Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper and the International Joint Commission's Great Lakes Water Quality Board.  


Please RSVP here. This event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery (1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York) on Wednesday, May 13 from 6:30-8:30pm!

The Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper Team

[Click image to enlarge]

Earth Day Lecture & Green Drinks at Tifft Nature Preserve

Join the WNYEA on Earth Day to Celebrate 

THE LAKE ERIE COMMONS: 

The Outer Harbor and the Public Trust Doctrine

Wednesday, April 22nd

Jim Olsen, President of FLOW

For Love of Water

FLOW is an organization seeking protection of

the Great Lakes through Public Trust

Lecture starts at 7:00pm at Tifft Nature Preserve [MAP]

Green Drinks networking with GreenWorks Buffalo Niagara 
and Tifft guided tours begin at 5:30pm

Register for the event at the WNYEA website: Click Here

Advocating in DC for Great Lakes Protection

By Roger Germann
Executive Vice President, John G. Shedd Aquarium

Our lakes may still be frozen but last week there was a wave of Great Lakes activity in Washington, D.C. More than 100 Great Lakes advocates from all over North America gathered together in one place for the Great Lakes Day meeting hosted by the Great Lakes Commission (GLC). I joined several of my fellow Great Lakes champions who headed east to represent Shedd Aquarium, an official Observer for GLC, at the annual event.

It's a pivotal time for the lakes. Resources are strained, but Great Lakes issues remain. Leaders including John Goss, Asian carp director for the Obama Administration, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy led important discussions about the future of our region. Representatives from Canada to Chicago came together to celebrate recent successes while also advocating for crucial funding support from federal, state and provincial governments. But, most importantly, we publicly strengthened our unified resolve to create solutions for the serious issues affecting the Great Lakes.

Of course, the hottest topic both in sessions and in hallway discussions remained how to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. Progress has been made. Recently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS). However, the study is a starting point and there is more to be done to address the Asian carp issue, along with preventing the spread of other aquatic invasive species in and out of the Great Lakes basin.
In a show of solidarity, something not often seen in Washington D.C., the Great Lakes Commission passed four resolutions, with Asian carp at the top of the list:

1. Asian carp solutions Resolution: Taking immediate action on a suite of near-term measures to reduce the risk of interbasin transfer of Asian carp and other invasive species at the Chicago Area Waterways System (CAWS).
   There's an urgent need to implement short-term risk reduction options to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp, and Congress is looking to the Commission for next steps. The Commission recommended several near-term measures, including continuing the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework, such as electric barriers, and implementing additional control measures outlines in the GLMRIS report such as habitat alteration and controlled harvesting. Read more about the proposed near-term measures. 

ENERGY & CLIMATE News

 ENERGY

• Innovative program can create jobs and clean energy By Larry Beahan, Sierra Club Niagara Group

• Sen. Sanders, Environmental Groups Call to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies - Common Dreams

• Coal-fired power proposal attacked By David Robinson, The Buffalo News

• Support the EPA's proposal to limit industrial carbon pollution from power plants - Natural Resources Defense Council

• Where's the Jobs? - How this state’s electricity pricing system is hamstringing investment and renewables and stifling job growth - By David Bradley

• Community Power vs. the Kochs By Aaron Bartley, PUSH Buffalo

CLIMATE 

• Gauging Public Opinion on Climate Change Policy - NPR Talk of the Nation 

• Great Lakes Ice Cover Down 71% Since 1973 By Jeff Masters

Environmental Policy: Heading for a 'Silent Spring'?

Art Klein, member of the Niagara Group of the Sierra Club, wrote a very interesting article entitled "The Echoes of Rachel Carson – Our Dilemma" in the group's newsletter.

The story begins with Art's recollections of fifty years ago after reading "The Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson. It was the birth of the modern environmental movement. The tale moves through the creation of the EPA, the banning of DDT, the loopholes, and ultimately the undeserved character assassination of Rachel Carson. And then there were the echoes of legitimate insights by citizens about Love Canal, and now the controversial process of hydrofracking. Following each of these environmental and human insults, we see more orchestrated doubts cast on well-intentioned people and groups by business and industry.

Art Klein's story ends with challenges and questions for the Niagara Group, but these merit quoting here since they're ones that all people concerned about the environment and humanity must face:
"Our Sierra challenges are two-fold, and not light. First, we must ensure our own state does not threaten the future of our water by permitting hydrofracking in New York. Second, we must work to ensure our Great Lakes do not become contaminated. Our tasks are mighty and noble, and our resolve cannot be weak. It may not be stylish to urge greater Federal Regulation, but obviously bereft of reasonable and rational controls, we are headed for perilous times. If we fail, how can we justify our greedy exploitation of temporary fuel in exchange for poisoned water wells? What will happen to our fragile water system of the future? What will we tell our children and grandchildren? After fifty years of an inadequate effort to protect the environment and human health, will WE, in this generation, be the ones to create a Silent Spring?"
 
Art Klein's article is well-worth reading, and you can view it in its entirety on the Sierra Club Niagara Group's website.

~ ~ ~  

Editorial reflections:

 

"So extraordinary is Nature with her choicest treasures, spending plant beauty as she spends sunshine, pouring it forth into land and sea, garden and desert. And so the beauty of lilies falls on angels and men, bears and squirrels, wolves and sheep, birds and bees...."

-- John Muir, Founder of the Sierra Club 

Niagara Falls Plans to Treat Wastewater from Shale-Gas Drilling

A Public Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 22

In July, the Niagara Falls Water Board was reported to be exploring the possibility of treating wastewater containing toxic chemicals resulting from unconventional shale-gas drilling, known as horizontal, hydraulic fracturing or simply fracking. Water from the treatment plant would be released into the Niagara River which flows into Lake Ontario and provides a source of drinking water. A new report issued last week indicated that an outside firm has completed a feasibility study and that the Water Board is moving forward with the plan to treat fracking wastewater.

The Buffalo Avenue treatment plant was built over 30 years ago to clean up wastewater from chemical industries in the city of Niagara Falls and it benefited the region by generated millions of dollars income annually. The Executive Director of the Water Board, Paul Drof, said "Until the state finalizes their guidelines on the treatment of fracking waste, we can't say for sure even if we can do it." He added, "Frankly, we have a responsibility to our rate payers to at least look at this as a possibility."

However, Walter Hang, Ph.D., an expert in wastewater management and head of Toxics Targeting Inc., has studied the Niagara Falls plant and believes that it can not handle fracking wastewater. Hang said "The wastewaters generated by the chemical manufacturing facilities in Niagara Falls are vastly different from the gas-drilling wastewater that could be generated by horizontal hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale."

Dr. Hang does not stand alone in his criticism of the concept. Over fifty scientists signed a letter warning NY Gov. Cuomo that it would be impossible for municipal systems to practically protect against chemicals used in fracking and others in the wastewater. The scientists indicated that municipal systems were not designed to filter the toxic chemicals, biocides and radioactive compounds, and that some of these would pass through the systems and enter water supplies.

Local environmentalists expressed concern about the Niagara Falls plan. Rita Yelda, organizer of WNY Drilling Defense, said "If this fracking waste is not treated correctly, it could contaminate our water. It's a potential risk."  Brian Smith, with the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said "The Niagara Falls sewage treatment facility is ill equipped to properly treat hazardous fracking waste. Allowing this would risk the discharge of toxic, radioactive, and caustic waste into our fragile Great Lakes ecosystem."

The Niagara Falls Water Board will hold a public meeting on Thursday, September 22 at 5pm in the Water Treatment Plant, 5815 Buffalo Ave, Niagara Falls, NY [MAP]. Concerned citizens are encouraged to attend. Those who wish to speak should sign up before the meeting.

Free Conference: Great Lakes Wind Energy Development in NY State - April 12th

The Pace Energy and Climate Center, in collaboration with Citizens Campaign for the Environment and Alliance for Clean Energy New York, is hosting a free conference.

The conference is entitled “Great Lakes Wind Energy Development in New York State”. It will be held on April 12, 9am to 4pm, at the Center for Tomorrow on the University at Buffalo North campus.

Anyone interested in Great Lakes wind energy - students, government officials, local stakeholders, wind developers, etc. - is encouraged to attend. Please feel free to circulate this invitation.

The conference will include four panel presentations and discussions featuring speakers from industry, government and various stakeholder groups. Panelists will cover a range of issues pertaining to the proposed project including regulatory, technical, economic and environmental. Topics to be covered are listed here.

REGISTRATION: To register for the free conference, please click here.

Restore the Greatness of our Great Lakes

Fouling our own waters
Government, individual effort needed to keep sewage, pollutants out of lakes
EDITORIAL - The Buffalo News

When it goes down the drain -- or down the toilet -- it is because we don't want it in our houses or in our streets.

Nor should we want it on our beaches. But, according to a new report from the National Resources Defense Council, that is where a lot of our runoff and sewage goes, all too often without the benefit of being run through a proper treatment process first.

The fact that recreational beaches along the Great Lakes and elsewhere are being closed to swimmers more often than in the past is an indication that something is wrong. But, says the council, those alerts are only the tip of a very dirty iceberg.

A study released early this week reported that five cities, including Buffalo, dumped 41 billion gallons of storm water runoff and untreated sewage into the Great Lakes last year, through what are known as combined sewer overflows. That may get diluted in the more than 6 quadrillion gallons in the lakes, but it's still as much water as goes over Niagara Falls in 15 hours -- and it's a health risk. Read more here.

Great Lakes Restoration Conference in Buffalo
Wednesday, September 22 – Friday, September 24
Adams Mark Hotel, Buffalo, NY


NY bans phosphorus in detergent, lawn fertilizer
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A new law to improve water quality makes it illegal for stores in New York to stock fresh supplies of household dishwasher detergents that contain phosphorus.

Stores have 60 days to sell old inventories. Sales for commercial use are to end July 1, 2013. Starting in 2012, a similar ban will apply to lawn fertilizers.

Environmental officials say phosphorus drains into New York lakes and rivers, which turn green with algae, degrading drinking water and reducing oxygen that fish need. More than 100 bodies of water in the state are considered impaired, including Cayuga Lake and Lake Champlain. Read more at BuffaloNews.com.
Senator Antoine Thompson sponsored this bill.

Invasive Water Plants Removed from Tonawanda Creek
Tonawanda Creek flows into the Niagara River upstream from Lake Ontario. Invasive water chestnut plants that covered a 6 acre region of Tonawanda Creek including parts of the Erie Canal have been removed recently to curtail their spread. Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER mobilized volunteers who worked in conjunction with U.S. Fish and Wildlife's Great Lakes Fish and Conservation Office which operated a mechanical harvester and with Erie County Parks personnel who loaded the plants into dump trucks and hauled them away.

See the WIVB TV News report below:



Woodlawn hides some varied and valuable wetlands
By Gerry Rising
It is sad to see Woodlawn Beach, one of this area’s prime bathing areas, closed to swimming this summer. That one of the Great Lakes has areas so polluted [is a] testament to our abuse of the resources with which we have been blessed. Read more at BuffaloNews.com.

State of Lake Erie Meeting - May 6

New York Sea Grant's

Annual State of Lake Erie Meeting

Free and open to the public

• Thursday, May 6, 7:00 - 9:00 pm

• ARMOR FIRE HALL, 4932 Clark St., Hamburg, NY [ MAP ]
  

FEATURED PRESENTATIONS

• NY Power Authority - Offshore Wind Generation - Sharon Laudisi, Lou Paonessa

• NYS DEC's Lake Erie Coldwater Program Update - Jim Markham, Senior Fishery Biologist, NYS DEC

• NYS DEC's Lake Erie Warmwater Program Update - Don Einhouse, NYS DEC, Lake Erie Unit Leader

• A Response to the Asian Carp Situation - Thomas Marks, NY Director, Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council

Sponsored by: NYS Assemblyman Jack Quinn, In Cooperation With Southtowns Walleye Association of WNY

For more information or directions, contact: Helen Domske, NY Sea Grant (716) 645-3610 or email sgbuffal@cornell.edu

===========================================

Editorial Opinion:
Those interested in offshore wind power as a source of clean, renewable energy should definitely attend this meeting.

There will be significant opposition to offshore wind at this public meeting from fishing enthusiasts, as indicated in this document.

If you have been following the news on the oil spill in the Gulf, you know what offshore oil drilling can do to harm the fish, sport fishing and the fishing industry.

Consider an alternative energy source: what would happen if there was a wind spill from an offshore wind farm? No harm, no foul...enjoy the breeze while clean energy powers your home, electric car, trolling motor battery, and just keep on fishing!

In the NEWS

Steel Winds project will add six windmills
Six new windmills will be built on the old Bethlehem Steel site this year. According to First Wind spokesman John Lamontagne, the new towers will be about 240 feet tall, and with the blades, the windmills will be about 400 feet tall, the same as the eight turbines that the company operates along the Lackawanna shoreline.

The Thruway Authority will seek proposals from the wind turbine industry to assess the feasibility of constructing smaller windmills at six Thruway sites in Western NY: Batavia, Eden-Angola, Silver Creek, Dunkirk, Westfield and Ripley.

The plan is part of Gov. Paterson’s objective of meeting 45% of NY electricity needs through energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Read the report in The Buffalo News.


Water-focused group tries to steer government money to clean up Buffalo

BUFFALO, New York – When the state of New York and this post-industrial city don’t have the resources to seek government funding for water preservation projects, Julie Barrett O’Neill’s staff step in.

“There is a lack of capacity at the state and city level,” said the executive director of nonprofit group Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, which works to promote, preserve and protect the environments of the Buffalo and Niagara rivers. “There’s not a lot of infrastructure so we have to step in.”

So far the 20 or so staff at Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper have brought up to $12 million in funding to Buffalo, with another $50 million to come over the next two years.

The group is now looking at ways to access some of the $475 million set aside by the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama as part of the Great Lakes Initiative, aimed at restoring the Great Lakes. Together the Great Lakes contain 22 percent of the world’s fresh water.

Read the full report at Reuters.com.


Report finds region ripe for green economic future

Buffalo Niagara Enterprise on Tuesday rolled out what it called “third-party validation” that the alternative energy industry can hold the key to turning this part of the Rust Belt green.

“With its diverse manufacturing heritage and skilled work force, the region can become a key asset in U. S. efforts to expand its competitive presence in emerging green industries and technologies,” wrote consultant Keith W. Rabin, president of KWR International.

The 162-page report, commissioned by Buffalo Niagara Enterprise and funded by a grant from the electric utility National Grid, argued that such factors as idled industrial facilities, skilled work force, varied educational institutions and strategic location should position the region to respond to the nation’s call for renewable, secure and environmentally friendly energy sources.

Beyond the idled factories and the underemployed worker base, Rabin said, Western New York offers the climate and resources necessary to generate wind, solar and water power, plus the transportation network necessary to ship products that could be manufactured here.

Read the report by George Pyle in The Buffalo News.

For a Buffalo Niagara Enterprise Summary Report on the green economy and Western New York’s alternative-energy manufacturing potential, click here.


US Department of Labor announces $150 million in ‘Pathways Out of Poverty’ training grants for green jobs
WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced $150 million in green jobs training grants, as authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). The "Pathways Out of Poverty" grants — as the group of funding awards is known — will support programs that help disadvantaged populations find ways out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency through employment in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.

"These Pathways Out of Poverty grants will help workers in disadvantaged communities gain access to the good, safe and prosperous jobs of the 21st century green economy,"said Secretary Solis. "Green jobs present tremendous opportunities for people who have the core skills and competencies needed in such well-paying and rapidly growing industries as energy efficiency and renewable energy."

Through the 38 grants awards announced today, targeted populations will receive recruitment and referral services; basic skills, work-readiness and occupational skills training; supportive services to help overcome barriers to employment; and other services at times and locations that are easily accessible. Through these programs, participants will receive certifications and on-the-job training that will lead to employment.

The press release is here.

NOTE: A search of grant recipient cities in upstate NY found Rochester and Syracuse, but not Buffalo.

Offshore Wind Power in NY

Power Authority seeks bids for wind farm
Project off the shores of Lake Erie or Lake Ontario could generate up to 500 megawatts of electricity

The New York Power Authority took its first major step Tuesday to advance its efforts to encourage the development of a big wind farm off the shores of Lake Erie or Lake Ontario.
Terry Yonker, the U. S. co-chairman for the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative, said it is important for the Power Authority to make good choices as it proceeds with the project because it will set precedents for other offshore wind farms in the Great Lakes region. “The potential for wind power in the Great Lakes is among the best anywhere on earth,” he said.

Read the report by David Robinson in The Buffalo News.

Lake Erie Map of feasible wind sites (black areas)
Link to Lake Ontario Map is here

Great expectations for Great Lakes
State seeks proposals from private developers to provide wind power ALBANY --

The possible transformation of the Great Lakes into a major source of wind-generated electricity began Tuesday, when New York became the first state to open its share of the lakes to offers by private wind developers.
During a news conference on the shore of Lake Erie near Buffalo, Gov. David Paterson and other officials unveiled plans for the state to reach 20-year agreements with owners of selected projects by December 2010. Proposals would be due at the state Power Authority by June 2010.

Read more at TimesUnion.com.

Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project Request for Proposals
Links to NY Power Authority files are here.

And on the East Coast...
Plan Advances to Build Wind Farm Off New York City
New York area politicians and energy officials are moving ahead with what could be the nation's largest offshore wind farm in the Atlantic Ocean 13 miles from Queens.

The Long Island/New York City Offshore Wind Collaborative, a group of utilities and government agencies, said Wednesday it would request proposals next year from developers for a 350-megawatt wind farm near the Rockaway Peninsula that could cost more than $1 billion and involve more than 100 turbines.

Read more in the Wall Street Journal.

Business Gets Green: December 17th

Senator Antoine Thompson's

Thursday, December 17, 2009
5:30pm to 7:30pm

Frank E. Merriweather Jr. Branch Library

1324 Jefferson Ave, Corner of Jefferson and East Utica [ Map ]
This is a wonderful facility - intimate but spacious.
Lots of Free Parking - 25 spaces in the library lot - and ample on-street parking. Now that it's getting dark earlier, we will provide accompaniment to your car after the meeting if you'd like.

Agenda for the 15 minute featured presentations:

• Terry Yonker - The Great Lakes Wind Collaborative -- See VIDEO here
• David Magid - Hughesco -- See VIDEO here
• Steve and Barry Carr - Clean Communities of Western NY -- See VIDEO here
• Ran Webber - The Skyway to the Future

Descriptions of the businesses in the featured presentations are here. Our presenters will have great information to help your business grow, go green, and save money in the process !!!

The Format for Business Gets Green includes 1/2 hour of 30 second Introductions by businesses, organizations and individuals. See one VIDEO here and another VIDEO here.

The Introductions are followed by 4 - 15 minute feature presentations on businesses or issues that are of special interest, usually with Powerpoint slides.

If you would like to give one of the 15 minute presentations, please contact Bill Nowak with a 2-3 paragraph description of your presentation and dates (3rd Thursdays) you can be available to present.
As usual, this session will be filmed for LCTV and YouTube. Thanks Jon Allen! Videos are posted here.

Restoring Greatness to the Great Lakes

Last year I posted a report on the need to clean up the Great Lakes, including then presidential candidate Obama's campaign promise to do just that.

President Obama has now signed legislation approving $475 million of funding as part of his Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Realizing the importance and scope of the cleanup, he has promised that the funding will add up to $5 billion over five years.

As reported by Jerry Zremski in The Buffalo News on November 6, 2009:

The funding greatly enhances the odds that Buffalo will receive federal funding for a $60 million project to remove contaminated sediments from the Buffalo River, said Julie O'Neill, executive director of the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper. It also boosts the chances of winning local funding for a habitat rehabilitation project on the Niagara River, O'Neill said.

Cited today in an Buffalo News Editorial entitled "Help for the lakes":

Not only will it help put Americans to work during this jobless recovery, it also takes advantage of the Great Lakes Compact, the 2008 agreement by the eight Great Lakes states to do their part to preserve the lakes. Tourism and fishing industries should also benefit, and with Buffalo’s waterfront about to take a giant leap ahead, that’s more good news for Western New York, whose fishing opportunities are unique.

See also earlier Re-ENERGIZE BUFFALO posts dealing with the Great Lakes.

Phone-A-Thon: PROTECT LAKE ERIE

JOIN A

PHONE-A-THON

TO

PROTECT LAKE ERIE

On Wednesday, September 2nd

PLEASE CALL

US Department of Energy Secretary
Steven Chu
202-586-6210

and

NYS Energy Research and Development Authority

President Frank Murray
866-NYSERDA x 3320 or 866-697-3732 x 3320

TELL THEM:

• To DECIDE NOW to FULLY CLEAN UP the West Valley Nuclear Waste Site
• FULLY REMOVE the WASTE so it cannot spread into the water in the Great Lakes

Brief Background:
The Department of Energy is proposing to clean up only 1% of the radioactive waste, delaying cleanup of the remaining 99% of radioactivity for up to 30 years.
Heavy rain and flooding caused a landslide bringing a nearby Creek closer to the radioactive waste trenches in just one day! Recent Severe Flooding highlights the need for a FULL CLEANUP at West Valley.

An earlier blog post, "Nuclear Waste: Not in MY Drinking Water!", contains multiple News links in support of a full cleanup.

Additional information is here.

The Phone-a-thon is sponsored by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, Catholic Charities, Citizens' Environmental Coalition, Great Lakes Sports Fishing Council, Nuclear Information & Resource Service, Sierra Club Niagara Group and others. For more information, contact Diane D'Arrigo, NIRS, at dianed@nirs.org

In the NEWS

Great Lakes, Great Wind bring great Federal Investment
But not in Western New York...see Map

DOE-funded wind energy projects: Great Lakes Region

The Great Lakes region will receive nearly a third of the $8.5 million federal officials recently set aside for wind energy development. The region will see $475,929 to study wind energy environmental impacts, $100,000 for development of small turbines, $1,446,942 for wind energy education and training and $587,029 to bring wind energy to market. The projects are aimed at challenges identified in the Department of Energy (DOE) 2008 report, which sets a goal of using wind to supply 20 percent of the country’s energy needs by 2030. The full report is here.

Donn Esmonde: Future jobs are blowing in the wind - 7/22/2009
The problem, as I see it, is the usual one around here: plenty of talk, not much action. The gap between rhetoric and results in Western New York is as wide as Lake Erie. All of the hot air blown by various officials and politicians would make those eight Lackawanna windmills spin like pinwheels.
We have what it takes—rail and roads, water access, work force, cheap power—to grab a piece of an industry of the future. Manufacturing windmill parts here means, in a word, jobs. The jobs will not come if we just talk about it. Commentary by Donn Esmonde in The Buffalo News.

But look at what's going on in Michigan. More than 30 Clean Energy Manufacturers have established new production facilities in the last 20 months, generating more than 3,000 new jobs! See the blog post here.

Environmental alliance launches bid to increase groups’ impact - 7/17/2009
A group of 150 Western New York organizations launched an initiative Thursday to restore and preserve the region’s natural environment. The Western New York Environmental Alliance is a collective effort that wants to increase the impact of local environmental efforts.
“The health and enhancement of our region’s natural assets is crucial to the revitalization of this area and to the well-being of its residents,” said Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, president and chief executive of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, which helped convene the 150 groups. Read the report by Jake May in The Buffalo News.

Central Terminal is not out as Rail Hub - 7/24/2009
DOT officials reverse stand
State transportation officials did an about-face Thursday, saying it’s premature to rule out Buffalo’s Central Terminal as a train station if New York receives federal stimulus money to build high-speed rail.
The state Department of Transportation said it’s too early to preclude the Central Terminal from being considered. A group that has been working to revitalize the sprawling complex praised the modified stand, as did Rep. Louise M. Slaughter. She called the old train station a “jewel.” “The purpose of bringing high-speed rail to upstate New York is to strengthen and re-energize our region, and if it’s possible, the Central Terminal should be part of this effort,” Slaughter said in a prepared statement.
Skip Carrier, the DOT’s communications director, made it clear Thursday that the Central Terminal has not been ruled out. “It’s premature to be talking about a decision on a passenger rail station,” he said, noting that the looming challenge involves securing $8 billion in federal funds. “When we get to the station issue, we can look at [Central Terminal],” Carrier continued. Read the report by Brian Meyer in The Buffalo News.

State seeks money for Falls Train Station - 7/23/2009
Among 37 rail projects DOT proposes for use of federal stimulus funds A new train station in Niagara Falls and upgrades to the Amtrak passenger station in Depew are among 37 projects for which the state is seeking federal stimulus funds as part of a sweeping plan to upgrade the state’s rail system. The state Department of Transportation next month will submit applications seeking $22 million for the proposed Niagara Falls train station and $573,000 for the Depew station, according to pre-applications that have already been submitted. Read the report by Denise Jewell Gee in The Buffalo News.