Presentations: Our Damaged Democracy - Can We Fix It?

Our Damaged Democracy: 

Can We Fix It?

Join us for what is certain to be a lively discussion, inspired by Our Damaged Democracy: We the People Must Act, the recent book by Joseph A. Califano, Jr. 

Featured panelists and their presentations are:
James E. Campbell, PhD, UB Distinguished Professor of Political Science, SUNY University at Buffalo, on polarization in American political life, plus the role and impact of the president
Jamie P. Pimlott, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science, Niagara University, on the role of Congress, plus women in politics or the lack thereof
Peter Yacobucci, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science, SUNY Buffalo State, on the role of the Supreme Court, current issues, plus ideas for conflict resolution

Monday, October 1 - 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site
641 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202 

The TR Site is easily reached via public transportation. Parking is free in the lot behind the building and is accessible from Delaware Avenue or Franklin Street (between Allen and North Streets. Note: Franklin Street is one-way northbound). 

Special thanks to our co-sponsors: The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site and The Association for a Buffalo Presidential Center

 

Refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public. Please let us know you'll attend by making a reservation by calling the League office at 716-986-4898.

Presentation: Resistance and Resilience to Climate Change

Tim DeChristopher is a climate change activist and the co-founder of the environmental group Peaceful Uprising and the Climate Disobedience Center.

As a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School, Tim’s work combines environmental activism and religious thought.

His career as an activist was launched by an act of civil disobedience in 2008, when he disrupted an oil and gas land auction to protect land parcels around Utah’s Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. His efforts led to the protection of the land and his imprisonment for 21 months.


PRESENTATION by Tim DeChristopher: 
‘Beyond Fatalism: Resistance and Resilience to Climate Change’
Thursday, October 4, 2:00-3:30pm
Niagara University
Galisano Center for Integrated Sciences, Room 101
Lewiston, NY [Map]

This event is part of the Office of Multicultural Affairs’ Diversity Thursdays Series, the Political Science Department’s Social Justice Speaker and Discussion Series, and is co-sponsored by the Environmental Science Program, the Sociology Department, and the Earth and Social Justice Program Houses.

WNY Environmental Summit - Saturday, Sept. 29, 8:30am-Noon - Daemen College

Environmental Group to hold Public Event for Endorsed Political Candidates

Sierra Club Niagara Group is holding an Endorsed Challengers Meet & Greet Rally which will be FREE and OPEN to the general public.

The Meet & Greet Rally is an opportunity to hear each candidate briefly describe their platform and views on a variety of environmental topics.

Candidates to be featured at the Rally, along with the offices they are seeking, are shown below:

The Rally will be held on Friday, October 12, 5 PM - 7 PM, at UAW Region 9 Hall, 35 George Carl Boulevard, just off Wehrle Drive near Transit Rd. [Map]

Food & Drink will be provided

This will be one of the most important elections of our time. Control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the New York State Senate is up for grabs. 

We need to elect strong leaders who will stand up for the people and for justice, who will fight to cut pollution and protect public health, and who will help create new, well-paying jobs in a clean energy economy.

New York State needs Commitment to Renewable Energy

By Geovaira Hernandez

On Sept. 8, thousands of people worldwide united for a day of action around climate and economic justice. Rise Up for Climate, Jobs and Justice events, like the one we helped organize in Buffalo at Canalside – which drew several hundred residents – arrived ahead of the Global Action Climate Summit this week in San Francisco.

The summit brings together elected officials, labor unions, thought leaders and nongovernmental organizations to discuss the Paris climate goals, and how to accelerate efforts to reduce global emissions.

Not surprisingly, considering its intent to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris agreement and its assault on basic environmental protections, the Trump administration will not participate in the summit.

With hopes of federal action on climate now dashed, groups like PUSH Buffalo, the Communications Workers of America and the Sierra Club are working in coalition with others across regions and states to pressure elected officials to commit to a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels toward an economy powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

In Washington State this fall, residents will vote on Initiative 1631 which, if passed, would generate $1 billion of revenue annually through a corporate polluter fee. The revenue would be used to fund climate solutions that benefit the most environmentally overburdened communities.

Earlier this week, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that sets California on a path to 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. This is a huge development, and the first law of its kind enacted by a state legislature in the U.S. Importantly, progress in each of these areas wouldn’t have happened without sustained grassroots leadership from so-called frontline communities.

California’s commitment to 100 percent renewable energy sets a compass point for the rest of us to follow. Now, we’re demanding that elected leaders in New York deliver on a progressive climate justice agenda that includes not only a commitment to 100 percent renewable energy but prioritizes clean energy investments in frontline communities and creates good paying, green jobs.

As members of the statewide New York Renews coalition, we’re calling specifically for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to pass the Climate and Community Protection Act (CCPA) in 2019 and to support a corporate polluter penalty and reinvestment policy like the one being advanced in Washington State. Together these moves would position New York as a true global climate leader accountable to a progressive populism that is now rising all around us.

Geovaira Hernandez, climate justice organizer at PUSH Buffalo, co-authored this with Lynda Schneekloth, of Sierra Club Niagara Chapter, and Debora M. Hayes, area director, Communications Workers of America.

This article was published as an op-ed in The Buffalo News

~        ~        ~ 

SEE ALSO: 

- NY RENEWS: Cut Pollution, Fund Solutions for NY

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

EVENT: Rise for Climate, Jobs & Justice - Sept.8, 12:30 PM, CANALSIDE, Buffalo

On Saturday, Sept. 8, People will gather in Buffalo to rally along with others across the USA and around the World to demand that local leaders commit to building a fossil-free world that works for all of us.

Join Us at CANALSIDE in Buffalo 

on Saturday, Sept. 8 !

~ For More Information on the Buffalo Rally, go Here ~

Many U.S. cities will rally for Climate, Jobs & Justice on the same day

Rise for Climate, Jobs & Justice is a Global Event

For more information, and to view locations of Rallys across the USA

as well as in other cities around the world, Click Here

 

Lung Association gave an 'F' to Erie and Chautauqua Counties for Ozone -- Increased Heat due to Climate Change is one Contributing Factor

Erie, Chautauqua counties receive 'F' in Lung Association's annual 'State of the Air'

By Nick Lippa  | Apr 18, 2018 | WBFO

The American Lung Association has released their 2018 “State of the Air” report citing air quality has worsened. It found 9.4 million New Yorkers are breathing unhealthy air.

Credit: American Lung Association

Chautauqua and Erie counties both received an "F" grade for high ozone days from 2014 to 2016. Ozone can have a major impact on children and older adults with asthma and other lung diseases. One of the reasons things look worse is because 2016 was the second hottest year in recorded history for most of America.  Increased heat often means increased ozone.

American Lung Association Vice President for National Policy Janice Nolen said great progress has been made over the past two decades, but rising seasonal temperatures could pose a problem in the future.

“With ozone it does vary a lot because of the relationship with the heat,” said Nolen. “It also means that we have to do more to clean it up because we are battling that heat that is growing as a result of climate change. It’s sort of a continuing struggle. When you look at the trend charts we’re heading in the right direction but we are not where we need to be yet.”

There is also a problem of pollution coming from other parts of the country and settling in certain areas. American Lung Association Vice President of Communications for the Northeast Michael Seilback said New York is part of a region that’s become known as the tailpipe of the nation.
“New York and Connecticut both filed comments with the EPA asking them to take action against a power plant in Pennsylvania, whose air pollution in the ozone is traveling and settling over our region,” said Seilback.

While a hot 2016 year caused serious ozone problems for the region, something New York got “A” grades for was short-term and year-round particle pollution maintenance.

Read more at WBFO 

The American Lung Associations's 'State of the Air 2018' report is here.

~    ~    ~

How is Ozone formed at the Ground Level?

Ground-level Ozone ('bad' ozone) is created by chemical reactions between Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the presence of Heat and Sunlight.

Emissions from industrial facilities, electric utilities, motor vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents are some of the major sources of NOx and VOCs.

How can Ozone affect my Health?

If you have asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema, ozone can make your symptoms worse. Carefully follow your asthma management plan on days when ozone levels are high.

Ozone has also been linked to:

    - Coughing and pain when taking a deep breath
    - Lung and throat irritation
    - Wheezing and trouble breathing during exercise or outdoor activities


Who is most at risk?

Ozone can affect anyone, but it bothers some people more than others. People most likely to experience health effects caused by ozone include:

• People with asthma or other lung diseases
• Older adults
• People of all ages who exercise or work hard outside
• Babies and children

Protect Yourself and Your Family

The good news is there's a lot you can do to protect yourself and your family from the health effects caused by ground-level ozone. Start by learning about the Air Quality Index from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

See information at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention 

See also the New York State DEC Air Monitoring Website

Former Top EPA Official to Speak at Roosevelt Inauguration Site in Buffalo

EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck | AP Photo/Mike Groll

Judith Enck is a former top official in the Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama administration. She previously served as New York’s deputy secretary for the environment. 

Enck has a lot to say about climate change, the assault on environmental regulations and more-talk-than-action involving renewable energy.

Jim Heaney, Investigative Post Editor, will interview Judith Enck.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 6, 2018, 7 p.m.

WHERE: Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, 641 Delaware Ave., Buffalo [Map]

TICKETS: $10 -- Click here


Attendance includes free admission to the inaugural site’s museum between 6 and 7 p.m., complete with docents to help you make the most of your visit. The museum tells the story of Roosevelt’s inauguration in Buffalo and his legacy as president and conservationist. 

Waste Tunnel Collapse at Tonawanda Coke Plant triggers Call for Government Investigation of Emissions

Tonawanda Coke Confirms Waste Tunnel Collapse

Last Friday, The Tonawanda Coke Corporation confirmed allegations by the Clean Air Coalition that the waste heat tunnel at their facility had collapsed, possibly causing toxic emissions to spew into the surrounding community.

The waste heat tunnel is a concrete tunnel that runs underground the length of the battery, all 60 coke manufacturing ovens. The main purpose of the waste heat tunnel is to collect the waste combustible heat from the ovens. Now that the tunnel has collapsed, gases can't normally flow into the facility's chimneys, and the company can't draw enough fresh air into the manufacturing process. Without enough fresh air drawn into the process, the coking process will possibly create toxic releases into the ambient air, and into the surrounding community.

One of the chemical's of concern is benzene, a known carcinogen linked to leukemia and other types of illnesses.

You can view the press coverage here from the Buffalo News, WIVB Channel 4, and WGRZ, Channel 2.

We call on the Environmental Protection Agency, the US Attorney General's Office and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to perform a full investigation of the incident. We are calling on state and federal agencies to determine the cause of the tunnel collapse, risks posed to workers, and risks posed to the surrounding community.

If you live or work in the area and are noticing dark smoke or odors coming from the facility, submit a complaint to the New York Department of Conservation by calling 851-7000 or completing and mailing in this complaint form.

The Clean Air Coalition of WNY will keep you posted as this situation progresses.