Public Meeting: Threats Posed by Derailment of Explosive Oil Trains in WNY

CLIMATE JUSTICE COALITION OF WNY 

Did you know that highly explosive Bakken Crude Oil Trains are traveling through our towns and the city of Buffalo neighborhoods here in Western NY? You are invited to learn more about this potentially disastrous situation and meet the small dedicated group that is working to investigate and take action to protect our homes, families and businesses. Please Join Us!

WNY Drilling Defense Meeting
Thursday, April 7 at 6:00 PM
Crane Branch Library (Upstairs)
633 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo NY

 
Please Join Us  
Let's act to Protect WNY

Read about derailments and explosions of dangerous oil trains rolling across Erie County, WNY and the USA:

- Ban the Bomb Trains Traveling through Buffalo & Erie County
- Oil tankers: Danger on the rails, CNN Report
- Why oil-by-rail is an explosive disaster waiting to happen
- Bombs on the railway:” CP train that derailed in Watertown (Ohio) was carrying Bakken crude oil
- Crude Oil Transportation: A Timeline of Failure

Sierra Club Meeting on Pope's Visit and Climate Rally

The Sierra Club Energy Committee will meet on Monday, August 10 at 6-7:30 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church (Alliance Rm.), 695 Elmwood at Ferry, Buffalo. All are welcome to attend.

Key agenda item:
There are exciting plans developing to generate support for the Papal climate message as Pope Francis visits Washington DC and New York City on September 24th. We're looking to continue to build on the Pope's message to impact the December UN International Climate Change conference in Paris.

See a draft memo about a Rally for Climate Justice at Niagara Square in Buffalo on September 24th in conjunction with Pope Francis’ address to the U.S. Congress in Washington, DC and his subsequent visits to St. Patrick's Cathedral and the United Nations in New York City.

Photo credit: Moral Action on Climate

Move Beyond Coal to Clean, Renewable Energy

WNY Sierra Club Beyond Coal
 Campaign Kick-Off Meeting
Wednesday January 29th, 7:00-8:00pm
RSVP HERE! 

Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo Alliance Room
695 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo

Dirty fuels like coal and gas put WNY families at risk. Not only do they pollute our air, but it also contributes to asthma and climate change. The great news is that WNY can be a leader in clean energy.  We're starting to use our historic manufacturing base as an example of what is possible in a clean energy future, but we can do a lot more.  All we need is for Gov. Cuomo to step up and be a hero for renewable energy.  You can help make that happen!

So please join us at our Kick-Off Meeting on Wednesday, January 29th at 7:00pm to learn more about the campaign and how you can help. With enough people involved, we can introduce new clean energy programs for the state of New York, making our transition from coal to clean energy possible!
RSVP here, and bring a friend!

Planning Meeting for 2011 Buffalo Niagara GREEN EXPO

Message from Bill Nowak:

The next Planning Committee Meeting for the 2011 Buffalo Niagara Green Expo will be on Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 5:30-7:00 PM at Environmental Education Associates, 346 Austin Street near where Grant and Military connect [Map].

The Green Expo will be held at the Walden Galleria on April 30th and we are forging ahead.

We hope you can attend the Planning Meeting on Thursday and get involved with one of the committees.

The following are Committee Chairs for this year's event:

• Recruitment -- Mary Fisher, 833-2929, x117, mfisher@environmentaleducation.com
  

• Marketing -- Melanie Shorey, mshorey107@gmail.com, 845-321-3142
  

• Operations -- Christen Mueller & Mac Zukoff, christen@ecossentials.com, 445-2000; maczukoff@aol.com, 973-997-1883

• Volunteers -- Mike Lindaman & Frank Barciniak, mlindaman@roadrunner.com, 688-3888; fbarci@roadrunner.com, 626-4938

• Budget -- Bill Nowak, bill.nowak2@verizon.net, 316-7674

Planning Meeting for 2011 Green Expo

Invitation from Bill Nowak:

We're holding the first open planning meeting for the 2011 Green Expo Thursday, January 6 from 5:30-7:00pm and would love to have your help. This session will be at Environmental Education Associates in the old red brick Police headquarters at 346 Austin Street near where Grant turns in to Military.

All welcome !!!

The Proposed Agenda is as follows:

1. Introduction - history of the 1st 2 Expos - 5 minutes

2. Location this year - proposed Walden Galleria - 5 minutes

3. Date this year - proposed - Saturday, April 30th - 5 minutes

4. Organization - Do we want to change our organizational status or structure?
We are currently informal and without legal status. Senator Thompson and Keep WNY Beautiful have provided the organizational framework - 10 minutes

5. Meeting Schedule (Proposed 1/6, 1/20, 2/3, 2/17, 3/3, 3/17, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28) - 5 minutes

6. Committees: Operations | Recruitment | Marketing | Budget
- Description of committees - 12 minutes - 3 minutes each.
- Break down into Committees and start organizing - 20 minutes
- Presentations from committee breakouts with feedback from the floor - 20 minutes

Public Meeting: West Valley Nuclear Waste

From the Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes (CWVNW):

The Department of Energy (DOE) will be conducting its Quarterly West Valley Meeting on Tuesday, May 4, 6:30pm at the Ashford Office Complex, 9030 Route 219, West Valley, NY [Map].

This is an important public meeting. IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, PLEASE TRY TO ATTEND as a show of support for the protection of our Great Lakes Erie and Ontario and all the people living downstream.

The Record of Decision, issued 4/15/2010, for the Environmental Impact Statement issued in December 2008, does not afford long-term protection downstream because it does not commit to a complete and full waste exhumation, as recognized and requested by the hundreds of comments, representing hundreds of thousands of affected citizens.

DOE and NYSERDA have to be challenged on this flawed decision that is not supported by valid science, nor was it supported by the impressive and vast majority and sincerity of comments submitted to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

The Cattaraugus Creek and Lake Erie and drinking water for millions of people are at high risk for thousands of generations and we owe them the right decision now.

For more information, contact Joanne Hameister, Chair, CWVNW Steering Committee.

Buffalo News Editorial: West Valley needs more

Earlier blog posts on the need for a full clean up of the radioactive waste are here.

Wind Action Group Meeting - May 6

The Wind Action Group meeting is on May 6th at 5:30 pm.

We will have reports from our various committees:

• The UB Law School Clinic students under the direction of Legal Committee Chair, Bob Berger will present their reports.

• Derek Bateman will be looking for volunteers for the Elmwood Festival of the Arts and we will hear an update on the NYPA offshore wind presentation scheduled for June 25th.

The meeting will be held at the CFGB Office, 712 Main St. Buffalo.

5 Ways to Take Action for Clean Air

This week is full of opportunities to fight for a clean environment and healthier community. We hope you'll be involved in at least one action this week!

1. Vote at our Member Meeting! This month's member meeting might be the most important all year. After months of brainstorming and research we're voting to decide on our Clean Air Agenda for the year. The three initiatives with the greatest number of votes will be the focus of our work in 2010. We're meeting at the Sheridan Parkside Community Center, 169 Sheridan Parkside Drive at 7:00 PM on Monday, March 15. 2. Learn about Coke Ever wondered what coke is? How they make it? What is released in the air when it's produced? What it looks like inside Tonawanda Coke? If so, this presentation is for you! Join us on Wednesday, March 17th at 7:00PM to hear from Nellie Brown about what happens inside a coke facility. As usual, we'll be at the Sheridan Parkside Community Center at 169 Sheridan Parkside Drive. Nellie Brown is a biologist, and chemist and certified industrial hygienist, specializing in occupational safety and health, and a former Tonawanda Coke worker. 3. Sign our petition to save air monitoring Air monitoring has been essential to identifying polluters in Tonawanda and ensuring regulatory action is taken to protect human health. Funding for the air monitoring runs out in April. The NYS DEC intends to continue the monitoring but is uncertain how long they can support the initiative. Sign our petition asking Commissioner Grannis to fund the monitors through 2012 by clicking here. 4. Buy your tickets to our Annual Dinner with Lois Gibbs On April 30th we're coming together to celebrate all we've accomplished and recharge for the upcoming year. We'll recognize our community's most outstanding advocates and hear from our keynote speaker Lois Gibbs. Click here for more details and to order your tickets. 5. Tell Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick your story This week, Legislator Kevin Hardwick & members of his staff will meet with residents through an outreach program to discuss local issues. We want him to know how air pollution has affected you, your family and your neighborhood. Hardwick's outreach meeting, for Town of Tonawanda residents, will be held from 9am to noon Tuesday March 16th at the Kenmore Municpal Building, 2219 Delaware Ave, Kenmore. We're looking for a few folks to share their stories with Kevin and thank him for writing a letter to Commissioner Grannis asking for funding for the air monitoring.

Hope to see you this week! Erin Heaney Clean Air Coalition of Western New York

Meeting of Environmental Group Reps

This is a call for Environmental Group Representatives to attend a meeting on Monday, May 18th, at 6:45pm. The purpose is explained in the message below from Roger Cook, Legislative Committee, WNY Climate Action Coalition:

This is an important meeting as we hope to secure as many commitments from organizations as well as individuals for three NYS legislative initiatives that need to be pushed this session. Two are being sponsored by Senator Thompson: a "Feed-In" law (S. 2715) that would create a favorable climate for businesses to invest in renewable energy like wind and solar and a climate change law (S. 4315) that would set mandate a drastic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. There are companion/"same as" bills in the Assembly (A. 187 and A. 7572). The third piece, a Green Homes/Green Jobs housing retrofit proposal is currently being negotiated with the governor/senate/assembly leadership and, as I understand it.

To get these bills co-sponsored and passed, we're going to have to ramp up public pressure. The WNY CAC legislative committee is on board and we're willing to do grassroots mobilization. But, we would like to be part of a broader coalition. Representation at this meeting from groups like Citizen Action, Apollo, NYPIRG, Audubon, Sierra Club, LCV, Adirondack Mtn. Club, Citizens Coalition for the Environment, Citizens Environmental Coalition, campus environmental groups, etc. would be critical. This will help us find out where we have consensus and allow us to wage a coordinated campaign to secure Senate/Assembly legislative support .

Meeting will be held on Monday, May 18 at 6:45pm at the Tri-Main Center, 2495 Main Street, Suite 438, Buffalo
Questions: E-mail: Roger Cook Phone: 716-833-5416

NEW SERIES: Business Gets Green

Business Gets Green is a new monthly series, sponsored by Buffalo's Green Gold Development Corporation, where businesses get to talk with each other, showcasing and discovering green products, services and initiatives. Come hear what the leading businesses and thinkers in our region are doing!

Business Gets Green will be held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at the Buffalo Museum of Science. Sessions will include an opening half hour where the first 20 businesses to register each get a quick minute to introduce themselves and what they do, followed by lively 15 minute presentations by 2 businesses, a local environmental organization, and a public official. The sessions will last no more than 2 hours and will close with the presenters fielding questions. If you want to become part of this emerging sector of our economy, want to network with other businesspeople who are 'getting green', or are curious about how you might fit in, Business Gets Green is the place for you.

If you would like a chance to introduce your business at the beginning of the session, please be sure to pre-register by contacting Bill Nowak, Green Gold Executive Director, at bill.nowak2@verizon.net . The introduction slots will be on a first come, first served basis, and will be cut off at 20.

Admission to this session will be free! Please arrive before 5:30 so we can start on time.

Guest post by Bill Nowak

.........................................................................................................................

The first session of Business Gets Green is set for Thursday, May 15th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Buffalo Museum of Science with the following lineup:

• Michael Gainer, Executive Director, Buffalo ReUse, Inc.
• Julie Barrett O'Neill, Exec. Director, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper
• Earl Aragona, Vice President, Ecology & Environment, Inc.
• Brian Reilly, Buffalo's recently hired Chief Economic Development Officer

For a printable flyer, click here.

Meeting: Great Lakes Wind Collaborative

1st Annual Meeting

of the

Great Lakes Wind Collaborative

May 6-7, 2008
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Buffalo NY

To go the GLWC Web site, click here.