Buffalo ReUse: ReBEL with a Cause

Buffalo ReUse's Michael Gainer visited a training program on the East Side of Buffalo and asked the young men in the room the following questions:
“How many of you know an individual that has dropped out of school?” Everyone raised their hand. “Where will those people be in three years?” Their three responses? 1. In Jail. 2. Hustling drugs. 3. Dead.

Gainer feels that it is devastating that these are the options for our young men and women, and devastating that so little is being done to address this need. So, he and his co-workers are doing something about it.

Under Michael Gainer's leadership, Buffalo ReUse founded the ReBEL Corps to provide the necessary support, mentoring, and training to assist young adults in transitioning from their current situation to a technical training program, employment opportunity, or college. The ReBEL Corps is a vehicle for engaging young people in their neighborhoods, offering diverse skills training, imparting an ecological ethos, and developing a solid foundation of skills and experiences that will enable their future success as leaders, community members, entrepreneurs, and ecological stewards. The program capitalizes on a growing coalition of grassroots organizations in the City of Buffalo, a strengthening partnership between not-for-profit organizations and government, and an increasing consciousness regarding the value of greening our economy.

Young adults work on a crew of ten folks, supported by two crew leaders, and complete action oriented projects that improve neighborhoods, three days a week. Two days a week, they are engaged in community service activities, educational activities, and work to attain their GED and a work readiness credential. The hope is that after one year of participation, young adults will obtain the tools necessary to advance to a job, advanced training, or university opportunity. The program is currently under development with a launch anticipated this Fall. Buffalo ReUse piloted similar programs on a small scale in 2008 in collaboration with Catholic Charities and the Green Summer program.

This is part of the 5th report in a series from Buffalo ReUse, as follows:

1. Overview, History and Programs
2. Buffalo ReUse -- Mission & Vision
3. Values, Take Two
4. Green Demolition, Salvage, & Donations
5. ReBEL Corps Defined
6. Finances and Fund Raising
7. Challenges of Green Demolition
8. What is The ReSOURCE?
   

Cleanup Nuclear Waste at West Valley

Coalition urges complete West Valley cleanup - 9/02/2009

A coalition urged the public Tuesday to contact state and federal officials in the next week to demand full cleanup of the state’s largest nuclear waste site at West Valley.

Surrounded by about 20 people holding mops, buckets and brooms, speakers assembled outside the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority offices in the Larkin at Exchange Building in Buffalo. They called on the agency and the federal Department of Energy to support the complete cleanup of the West Valley nuclear waste site to avoid future radioactive contamination of Lake Erie drinking water.

The coalition, which includes representatives of environmental, religious and sportsmen groups, urged the public to make their voices heard by the public comment deadline, Tuesday, September 8. “Tell them you’re concerned about the water quality of the Great Lakes and the drinking supply of fresh water for yourselves and your children,” said Bob Ciesielski of the Sierra Club.

“We are tired of waiting for New York State and the Department of Energy to make a decision to clean up the nuclear waste at West Valley,” said Diane D’Arrigo of the Nuclear Information and Resource Center.

Read the full report by Mark Sommer in The Buffalo News.

NOTE: I phoned U.S. Dept. of Energy Secretary Steven Chu's office, and they said they had received many calls about this issue. However, they also said that they are taking comments only by U.S. mail or by FAX. Their contact information is below:

U.S. Mail:

Attn: Catherine Bohan
EIS Document Manager
West Valley Demonstration Project, U.S. Department of Energy
P.O. Box 2368
Germantown, MD 20874

Toll Free Fax: 866-306-9094

NOTE: I phoned NYSERDA President Frank Murray's office ( 866-697-3732 x 3320) after hours and was able to record a message and send it to him.

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

Clean Up the West Valley Nuclear Site

Let NY State Know

it's time to

Clean Up the West Valley Nuclear Site

Bring your mop, bucket and broom to a West Valley Cleanup Crew Media Event!

• WHAT: News Conference and Media Event
  

• WHEN: Tuesday, September 1, at Noon (Please arrive at 11:45 AM)

• WHERE: NYS Energy Research & Development Agency, Larkin Building, 726 Exchange Street, Buffalo [Map]

Join a coalition of environmental, religious, conservation and community groups and state policymakers. The media event will alert the public to the end of the public comment period on the West Valley cleanup plan and announce a "Phone-a-thon Day" on September 2nd where people are asked to call the Department of Energy in support of a full cleanup.

The main theme of the event is to have a "cleanup crew" of people with mops, buckets and brooms call on the state and federal agencies to approve a full cleanup of the West Valley site to protect Lake Erie.

Sponsored by 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

Information on the need to cleanup the West Valley Nuclear Site, click here.

Information on the decommissioning of the West Valley Nuclear Waste Site is here.

Jamestown Coal Power: Stay or Go?

Opinion in The Buffalo News
Scuttling the coal plant - 8/21/2009
Jamestown project draws questions, Praxair shifts sites to Michigan

The U.S. Department of Energy has questioned whether Jamestown is the rock upon which someone should build a so-called clean coal power plant. So Praxair, the industrial gas company trying to cook up the technology, and earn a share of the $2.3 billion the Energy Department has available for such experiments, has shifted its focus from the city in Western New York to another proposed project in western Michigan.

Politics cannot be absent, with big names in the Democratic Party lobbying a Democratic administration for the money and the jobs that follow. But the reason for Praxair's shift is about as reasonable, scientifically speaking, as can be imagined. And it demonstrates that the Jamestown Board of Public Utility's (BPU) long-time belief in the project is on shaky ground indeed.

The Jamestown BPU and Praxair, a Connecticut-based company with a plant in the Town of Tonawanda, have had their heads together on a plan to reimagine the coal-fired power plant Jamestown has wanted to build for six years as a demonstration for carbon capture technology. That is something that could, if it works, go a long way to mitigate the environmental damage done by the burning of coal.

The problem with letting Jamestown call its 50-megawatt plant a clean-coal facility is that there is, so far, no assurance that the technology will work. If it doesn't, Jamestown would be sitting there with an expensive, pollution-belching power plant that will cost town residents a lot more money than they would have spent on a similar level of greener power from any of a number of existing or possible alternative sources. Read the full Editorial in The Buffalo News.

But Jamestown isn't quitting. They're scutlling Praxair and applying for Federal funds! See the article below.

A Calculated Long Shot - 8/22/2009
BPU, OxyCoal Alliance To File Funding Application Without Praxair

The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities and members of the New York OxyCoal Alliance have decided to file their own funding application for an oxycoal project at the BPU's Samuel A. Carlson generating plant on Steele Street.

The Post-Journal learned of the decision Friday afternoon, just days before the Monday application deadline for funding through the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Coal Power Initiative.

The decision comes two weeks after Praxair, in a stunning move, decided to demote Jamestown to the alternate slot for an oxycoal project behind Holland, Mich. Praxair said its decision - which came just 12 days before the DOE's application deadline - was made because the Michigan location has ''better geological formations and a more solid financial position.''

Thanks to a boost from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, the DOE has over $1 billion to spend on clean coal projects. It has already agreed to spend $408 million on two carbon capture and sequestration projects - an existing power plant in Beulah, N.D. and a new facility in Kern County, Calif. - that use different technology than the BPU's proposed project.
Read the full article by Kristen Johnson in the The Post-Journal.

[UPDATE: 8/25/2009]
Council Backs Project
City Promises $145 Million For OxyCoal Plant

The Jamestown City Council has thrown its weight behind the funding application filed Monday night by the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities and members of the New York OxyCoal Alliance for an oxycoal project at the BPU's Samuel A. Carlson generating plant on Steele Street.

Council members voted unanimously to approve a resolution that not only expressed the council's firm support for the project but also promised that - should the U.S. Department of Energy fund the Jamestown project with Clean Coal Power Initiative funds - the city would either issue $145 million worth of municipal bonds or guarantee the repayment of $145 million in revenue bonds issued by a special purpose entity. Read the full article by Kristen Johnson in the The Post-Journal.

Earlier articles, viewpoints and letters to the editor:

• Hopes rise for coal plant in Jamestown - 3/15/2009

• Seek sustainable energy, not more coal plants - 3/21/2009

• Jamestown coal plant project is good investment - 7/28/2009

• Jamestown coal power plant is both costly and unneeded - 8/03/2009

• Carbon storage is unproven, too costly for Jamestown - 8/04/2009

• New coal plant will increase electric rates in Jamestown - 8/05/2009

• Schumer should drop plans to pursue ‘clean coal’ plant - 8/20/2009

What do you think about proposed coal power plant in Jamestown...
Should coal stay or should it go?

Ponder this question while listening to The Clash:

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.

Business Gets Green: July 30th

Thursday, July 30, 2009
Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society

25 Nottingham Terrace at Elmwood [Map]
5:30pm to 7:30pm

Comptroller speaks on Green Fund

New York State Comptroller DiNapoli has taken a strong interest in the development of green business in NY State and has been investing portions of the NYS pension fund in green businesses.

In April, 2008 Mr.DiNapoli launched his Green Strategic Investment Program to increase commitments to environmentally focused investment strategies by $500 million over the next three years across the New York State Common Retirement Fund’s entire portfolio.

“Clean technology and renewable energy have become increasingly profitable,” DiNapoli said. “It’s not just about doing good for the environment; going green is good for the bottom line too. The Common Retirement Fund has a unique opportunity to produce strong, risk-adjusted returns while at the same time supporting our goal of curbing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing our dependence on foreign energy sources. This investment commitment will put us half a billion dollars ahead of the green curve.”

The Fund has been reviewing the clean tech and renewable energy sectors for potential private equity investments since 2005. DiNapoli’s Green Strategic Investment Program allows for the expansion of the Fund’s private equity exposure to these sectors while encouraging additional investments across the Fund’s entire portfolio.

We are excited to feature Comptroller DiNapoli at the July session of Business Gets Green.

Please note our new venue. Due to the BodyWorld exhibit, the Science Museum is no longer available to us. The Historical Society is graciously making their fantastic auditorium available.

As usual, this session will be filmed for LCTV and YouTube. Thanks Jon Allen!

The Agenda for the July 30th Business Gets Green session will consist of:

• The introduction of local green (and going green) businesses to the Comptroller
• Introduction of the Comptroller by Senator Thompson - VIDEO
  
• Comptroller DiNapoli's talk on the Green Fund -- VIDEO
  
• John Stouffer, Team Leader of the Comptroller's Green Initiative will describe the Initiative.
• Questions and discussion on the development of the Green Business Sector in NY State.

To learn more about Business Gets Green, see the Agenda, Speakers list and VIDEOS from the June 18th meeting at Re-ENERGIZE BUFFALO.

There won't be an August session due to many folks taking a summer break. The September session will be on Thursday the 17th.

Questions? Contact Bill Nowak, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Director of Policy Research for NYS Senator Antoine M. Thompson.

In the NEWS

Riding the wind to new jobs - 7/16/2009
Wind power seen as a hot industry
Speakers at a conference hosted by Buffalo Niagara Enterprise suggested the Buffalo Niagara region is well-positioned to tap into the wind power manufacturing industry, if it can capitalize on resources it already has. The wind power industry is gaining appeal as other economic sectors struggle, and renewable energy draws more interest with the fluctuations in the cost of oil and environmental concerns. Read the full report Matt Glynn by in The Buffalo News.

Upstate NY representatives get money for high-speed rail line - 7/14/2009
The Upstate New York congressional delegation today secured federal money needed to lay the groundwork for a high-speed rail line from Buffalo to Albany. Five House members gained a subcommittee's approval of nearly $4.6 million to improve tracks and grade crossing safety across Upstate which is essential work for a high-speed passenger rail line. The money will pay for work to reconfigure existing tracks and improve existing warning devices, allowing for Amtrak's passenger rail to travel at higher speeds, according to Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, chairwoman of the House Upstate New York Caucus. Read the full report in The Post-Standard.
See an earlier blog post on NY high-speed rail here.

Central Terminal won’t serve as rail hub - 7/15/2009
Buffalo’s Central Terminal will not be used as a train station if New York receives stimulus funds to build high-speed rail, a key Congress member said Tuesday. Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, who heads the Upstate New York Caucus, which has made bringing high-speed rail to Western and Central New York a top priority, said the station is ill-suited to become a rail hub again. “At first I had hoped [it could be], but I don’t think it’s situated in the right place,” said Slaughter, DFairport. Read the full report Mark Sommer by in The Buffalo News.
See an earlier blog post on an intermodal transportation center for the high-speed rail hub here.

Let’s rename Buffalo the Emerald City - 7/10/2009
Frank J. Hotchkiss, of the Western New York Apollo Alliance, believes in Buffalo’s green future.
Buffalo and the surrounding region have the potential to become the greenest location on the Great Lakes. The Emerald City will be the city that recognized the opportunity and seized the moment to build the yellow brick road to prosperity as the largest green manufacturing and services city in the United States. Buffalo and Western New York are in a competition to capture the new manufacturing businesses as our old established industries fade from the scene. We need to transition from “brown” smokestacks of old to “green” smokestacks of the future. Read the full My View article in The Buffalo News.

Gillibrand seeks aid for manufacturers - 7/8/2009
Western New York has lost 23,627 factory jobs since 2001, and the decline is accelerating
U. S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said that Congress should promptly pass legislation to help struggling New York manufacturers afford health insurance for their workers, open and expand new markets, and switch to cleaner energy production. Touting the historic importance of manufacturing to the state, she said support is critical, as the state “cannot rebuild our economy without our manufacturers.” The Democratic lawmaker said manufacturers “powered us through the 20th century, but have been among those hardest hit by these difficult economic times.” Read the full report by Jonathan D. Epstein in The Buffalo News.

In the NEWS

The Buffalo News endorsed Senate passage and Obama signing of a climate change bill, stating that the House bill which passed is not perfect, the Senate version could be improved, and the version that the president signs could be better still. See the Editorial below.

Action on climate change -- 7/02/2009
House passage of an emissions bill starts nation toward global solutions
"This time, we’re all going to the moon. The climate change bill that narrowly passed the House of Representatives Friday recalls nothing so much as President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 call for the United States to send a man to the moon within a decade."
"But we need a bill passed and signed, or we will never get this mission launched." Read the full Editorial in The Buffalo News.

Video interview on the climate change bill - 7/01/2009
Buffalo native Jason Kowalski, Policy Analyst at 1Sky.org in Washington DC, favored strengthening the recently-passed House climate change bill in support of renewable energy, green jobs and a global emissions agreement in a TV news interview.

Obama pressures Senate to pass climate change bill -- 6/28/2009
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hailing the House, President Obama put pressure on senators Saturday to follow its lead and pass legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions, helping usher the U. S. into a new age of energy efficiency.
“Now my call to every senator, as well as to every American, is this: We cannot be afraid of the future. And we must not be prisoners of the past,” the president said in his weekly radio and Internet address. “Don’t believe the misinformation out there that suggests there is somehow a contradiction between investing in clean energy and economic growth. It’s just not true.” Read the full Associated Press report in The Buffalo News.

White House says global warming is already here and getting worse -- 6/17/2009 WASHINGTON (AP) — Rising sea levels, sweltering temperatures, longer droughts and heavier downpours — global warming’s serious effects are already here and getting worse, the Obama administration warned Tuesday in the grimmest, most urgent language on climate change ever to come out of any White House.
But scientists and government officials seemed to go out of their way to soften the message. It is still not too late to prevent some of the worst consequences, they said, by acting aggressively to reduce world emissions of heat-trapping gases, primarily carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. Read the full Associated Press report in The Buffalo News.

Hurray, Yahoo! -- 7/03/2009
Hope for boost to ‘new economy’ helps justify costly incentives
Yahoo! is coming to Western NY. The NY Power Authority, urged by Gov. Paterson, is selling Yahoo! discounted hydropower, a subsidy of $33,000 to $54,000 per job, per year, for jobs that pay $65,000 to $75,000 plus benefits. That's more than four times the average annual per-job power discount of $12,446. Read the full Editorial in The Buffalo News.

Solar panel maker gets low-cost electricity -- 7/01/2009
Sunworks pledges to create 175 jobs
"The state Power Authority has awarded a large block of low-cost hydropower to a fledgling California company that plans to build a plant in Western New York to manufacture solar panels."
"Sunworks Solar plans to spend $200 million to build a plant that would employ 175. The New York Power Authority on Tuesday agreed to allocate five megawatts of hydropower, which it will sell to the San Francisco-based company for about one-quarter the market rate." Read the full report by James Heaney in The Buffalo News.