Nuclear Waste: Not in MY Drinking Water!

Speakers urge full cleanup of West Valley waste site - 05/31/2009
With only eight days left for public comment and no final repository decided upon for the most dangerous radioactive wastes at the West Valley Demonstration Project, a coalition of environmental groups is trying to steer the decades-old debate over how to clean up the former nuclear fuels processing center.

Federal and state officials wish to defer for up to 30 years the question of whether to leave some radioactive waste forever buried, but according to Brian Smith, western New York program director of Citizens’ Campaign for the Environment, a full cleanup of the waste site is the only “responsible option to protect our Great Lakes, health and economy.”

Smith was one of five speakers at the Erie Basin Marina Saturday, urging people to make their opinions on the issue heard. The speakers urged state residents to tell the Department of Energy (DOE) and the NY State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to fully excavate and clean the 3,300-acre site 30 miles south of Buffalo.

“Now is our chance to protect our drinking water from intensely radioactive nuclear power and weapons waste buried upstream decades ago but still able to cause large numbers of cancers now and in decades to come,” said Diane D’Arrigo, radioactive waste project director at Nuclear Information and Resource Service. “The [DOE] and [state] won’t commit to dig it all up before it leaks further unless every one of us tells them they must,” she said.

Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, spoke at the Erie Basin Marina on Saturday and he supports a full cleanup. He, along with Rep. Eric Massa, D-Corning, will ask Energy Secretary Steven Chu for a 90-day extension of the public comment period that began in November.

The public comment period on the issue ends June 8, and environmental officials and the congressmen encourage New York residents to file comments and complaints about the West Valley site [click here].

For the full Buffalo News report by Jake May, click here.


Related Reports and Information:
Study urges removing all waste from West Valley nuclear site - 12/03/2008
Excavating and removing all the radioactive material from the West Valley nuclear waste site is costly in the short term but cheaper and safer for area residents in the long run, a new study of the site cleanup found.Study urges removing all waste from West Valley nuclear site. The study’s authors say permanently burying nuclear waste at the Cattaraugus County facility would lead to higher costs and risks of radiation poisoning. Click the title for the full report by Stephen T. Watson in The Buffalo News.

Senecas endorse plan for radioactive waste cleanup - 03/24/2009
The Seneca Nation of Indians has endorsed a plan calling for the digging up and removal of all radioactive waste from the West Valley nuclear waste site in Cattaraugus County. The nation agrees with a recent cleanup study that found removing toxic material from the site is the best way to ensure the health and safety of the population and ecosystem.
Click the title for the full report by Stephen T. Watson in The Buffalo News.

West Valley: Washington, Albany must remove all nuclear wastes - 03/24/2009
Radioactive waste has leaked into West Valley’s ditches. It sends a plume of radioactive groundwater toward Buttermilk Creek. Buttermilk’s 160-foot bluff, a few hundred yards away, has had a landslide. Plutonium has been found in Cattaraugus Creek behind Scobey Hill dam. There is the potential of polluting the waters of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River with West Valley’s poisons. Clearly it was a terrible mistake to put such a dangerous facility into such unstable terrain. The only conceivable answer now is complete removal of nuclear materials from West Valley.
Click the title for the The Buffalo News article by Larry Beahan, conservation chairman of the Sierra Club Niagara Group.

Complete cleanup of West Valley site is the only real solution - 04/01/2009
The more than 600 metric tons of solidified nuclear waste, plus toxic leaks that have already been detected in surrounding water supplies, is no gift for us to leave future generations. It will be expensive, and it will take time, but the best approach to the West Valley waste site is to remove it, completely, once and for all. Editorial in The Buffalo News.

Push is on for full cleanup of NY nuclear site - 05/29/2009
Environmentalists and others say removing all traces of high- and low-level waste is the only way, given the erosion-prone geology, to ensure that it will not eventually seep into nearby creeks, make its way into Lakes Erie and Ontario and contaminate drinking water supplies.
Among others weighing in to support a full cleanup have been the Presbytery of Western New York, which passed a resolution citing its "Christian commitment to caring for creation," Catholic Charities and the Western New York Council on Occupational Safety & Health. Read the full report by Carolyn Thompson, Associated Press Writer.

The public comment period on the issue ends June 8, and New York residents can file comments and complaints about the West Valley site by clicking here.

In the NEWS

Paterson's solar power plan envisions 50,000 jobs - 05/15/2009
Gov. David A. Paterson will announce today that the state’s two power authorities will purchase up to 150 megawatts of solar power through a program aiming to make the state the nation’s second-biggest solar power producer.
Paterson chose a solar power conference in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center attended by about 3,000 people from around the nation to unveil the plan, which his staff says eventually could create not only a new source of electricity but also 50,000 jobs in an entire new manufacturing industry. Read the report by Robert J. McCarthy in The Buffalo News.

Paterson backs local sharing of NYPA hydropower profits - 05/16/2009
Governor opens possibility for economic development
Western New York’s long-standing argument that profits from unused hydropower generated at Lewiston should remain in the area gained Gov. David A. Paterson’s preliminary approval Friday, setting the stage for a potentially significant influx of money for infrastructure and economic development projects.
Paterson’s promise to reassess what many Western New York officials have long considered an injustice marks a major victory for Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, who filed a bill last month requiring the Power Authority to turn over future proceeds from the sale of unused power to a locally controlled economic development corporation. That agency would use the money to fund infrastructure work and capital improvements for public facilities in Erie and Niagara counties.
The congressman said late Friday he is pleased with the new developments, but also promised to continue to monitor the situation. Read the report by Robert J. McCarthy and James Heaney in The Buffalo News.

State OKs low-cost power for Yahoo! facility - 05/20/2009
Gov. David A. Paterson announced Tuesday that Yahoo! would bring a new data center and more than 100 jobs to Western New York, but the Internet company said it is still considering other states.
Paterson said Tuesday that Yahoo!, one of the world’s best-known Web sites and search engines, will spend $150 million to set up a new East Coast regional data center here, with at least 125 new high-tech jobs. As an inducement, the company will receive low-cost hydroelectric power from New York State. No other state taxpayer dollars will be spent on the project, officials said. The company has not chosen a site, but it is looking at two locations, one in Niagara County and one in Genesee County, Paterson said. Read the report by Jonathan D. Epstein in The Buffalo News.

Power deal would save Yahoo! $101.2 million - 05/21/2009
Subsidy package is one of the richest ever offered by the NY Power Authority.
The deal state officials are offering Yahoo! to entice it to build a data center in Western New York would provide about $810,000 in power discounts over the lifetime of the subsidy for every $50,000 job created, a Buffalo News analysis has found.
The discount would save Yahoo! an estimated $53,996 per job per year over the 15-year life of its proposed contract with the New York Power Authority. The average subsidy for companies given new power allocations in recent years is less than a quarter of that—$12,446. The offer, which Yahoo! officials are considering, represents one of the richest subsidy packages ever offered by the Power Authority. Read the report by James Heaney in The Buffalo News. Post comments on his News blog at Outrages & Insights.

Renewable power mandate overcomes hurdle in Senate - 05/21/2009
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A measure requiring utilities to generate a certain amount of electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, overcame a legislative hurdle in the U.S. Senate on Thursday.
The proposed committee bill would mandate that power plants meet targets to gradually produce more renewable power, beginning with 3 percent of their output between 2011 and 2013 and rising to 15 percent between 2021 and 2039. Utilities could meet about a quarter of their renewable requirements through energy efficiency gains.The full report is here.

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

SOLAR 2009 Conference in the NEWS

Conference boosts solar power - 5/14/2009
Climate may be right for eco-friendly alternative
The future of solar power in the United States was charted on an industrial, a technological and a political map Wednesday as Buffalo hosted the opening session of the American Solar Energy Society’s annual conference. Advocates and marketers of solar power have already solved the major technical issues and now must join the political battle of winning the technology its proper share of the market, according to a Washington consultant. See the report by George Pyle in The Buffalo News.

State grant aims to help UB build clean-energy businesses - 5/15/2009
A $1.5 million grant from the state agency in charge of energy research will help the University at Buffalo establish a program to help students, inventors and others to turn clean energy ideas into profitable businesses. The grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, one of four to be awarded for similar programs across the state, was announced as part of the American Solar Energy Society’s annual conference at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. See the report by George Pyle in The Buffalo News.

Solar vendors see potential in U. S.- 5/16/2009
Today marks last day of energy conference
Vendors at Solar 2009 - some from as far away as China and Germany - spoke optimistically Friday about the potential of green energy in the United States. That optimism was embodied in the “Welcome to the New York Energy Revolution” banner over the New York State Energy, Research and Development Authority booth, as hundreds of dealers, manufacturers and company representatives discussed building long-term business relationships. See the report by Mark Sommer in The Buffalo News.

Solar conference here turns on a green light - 5/17/2009
Public views exhibits on alternative energy
The national solar conference that attracted as many as 3,000 out-of- town visitors to the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center all last week opened Saturday for local residents who wanted to get a glimpse of what is new in the green movement. The focus was wind, solar, hydro and cell energy, and renewable technology. See the report by Deidre Williams in The Buffalo News.

Video at the SOLAR 2009 Reception featuring NY State Senator Thompson, and short videos of various exhibitors at the Buffalo-Niagara Green Expo are in the Business Gets Green group at VideoWebWorks.

Sunny Buffalo - We've got the Power!

UB North Campus to plug into solar power in big way
Panels on 7 acres will provide electricity for 735 apartments housing 2,000 students
The largest ground-mounted solar energy project to date in the state will be built in sunny Western New York. The State Power Authority and the University at Buffalo (UB) announced plans Wednesday to install 5,000 solar panels, which could generate enough solar energy to power 735 campus apartments for 2,000 UB students. The project, on the North Campus in Amherst, will cost about $7 million and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2010. To read the full report, click here.

At 1100 kW capacity, the UB solar power project ranks among the top 10 in the country on college campuses, most of which are in California, according to information provided by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Buffalo poised to display its green side to 3,000 visitors - 5/11/2009
Solar 2009 spotlights region’s potential as a renewable power hub
Buffalo this week hosts one of the largest national conferences on solar and other renewable energy sources. Organizers say the Solar 2009 National Conference offers a chance for an expected 3,000 out-of-towners to see that this region is a hotbed of activity in renewable energy and green jobs. See the report by Stephen T. Watson in The Buffalo News.

Solar 2009 Public Day
Celebrating Solar Energy and Our Commitment to the Environment

• Saturday, May 16, 10 am - 5 pm. Admission $5.
  
• Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, 153 Franklin Street [ Map ]
• PROGRAM: WNY Sustainable Energy Events
  
• Full Program
  

Green Jobs Training in Buffalo...Ready?

On April 17th, 2009, Buffalo ReUse submitted their application to the U.S. Conference of Mayors to initiate a Pre-Apprenticeship, Green Jobs Training Program in Buffalo! The program is called the ReBEL Corps. BEL stands for Buffalo ECO Leaders. To be considered, Buffalo ReUse must have a letter of support from our Mayor, Byron Brown and we need your help!

We know the Mayor is committed to creating Green Jobs and to training youth in our neighborhoods. Your signature will communicate your support for this proposal and urge the Mayor to submit a letter of support on behalf of the City of Buffalo to make GREEN JOBS TRAINING possible for out of school young adults, ages 17 - 24.

Please support this effort. Click Here and Sign the Petition.
Oakland is ready...
South Bronx & Chicago are ready. See Web Links -->
The question is...Is Buffalo Ready?

In the NEWS

Power Authority pushes $1 billion lakeside wind farm - 4/23/2009
Potential to develop local industry called 'extraordinary'
The state took its first step Wednesday to promote the construction of a large wind farm off the shores of Lake Erie or Lake Ontario that would cost an estimated $1 billion to develop. The goal is to erect a cluster of turbines — 25 to 40, depending on their generating capacity—and nurture an industry to manufacture and assemble windmills for projects taking root around the Great Lakes.

“The potential for wind [power] in the Great Lakes is extraordinary,” said Richard M. Kessel, president and chief executive officer of the New York Power Authority, who announced the undertaking at Buffalo’s Erie Basin Marina. “This is going to happen. This is workable. This is feasible,” Kessel said. Read the full report by James Heaney in The Buffalo News.

Last year, a report from the University at Buffalo urged New York State to develop a comprehensive plan for production of wind power offshore from Lakes Erie and Ontario. The report was prepared by Robert Berger and Dwight Kanyuck and is posted here.

Building the American clean energy economy - 4/22/2009
Earth Day
For decades, while Americans across the country have worked to make a difference in their communities, politicians in both parties in Washington have ignored the energy crisis, imperiling our economy, our security and our planet. Now, we have a unique opportunity to attack the energy crisis head-on and create a comprehensive energy policy that will bolster our economy, end our dependence on foreign oil and reduce the threat of deadly pollution that is devastating our planet.

We have an enormous, urgent environmental and economic task ahead of us, and it is one that we have ignored for far too long. See the Another Voice article, by Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy, and Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor, in The Buffalo News.

Cities urged to take lead on fighting global warming - 4/19/2009
Cities, including Buffalo, must address the growing problem of climate change
Finally we have a president who understands global warming and climate change and is committed to addressing this very serious problem. The importance of this sea change cannot be underestimated. It’s cause for real hope and celebration this Earth Day.

The bad news, of course, is that we still aren’t doing enough about climate change and we’ve lost a lot of time. Success depends on implementing completely new energy policies and practices on all levels of our society. Fortunately, despite a lack of initiative here in Western New York, a large number of U. S. cities have made serious commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting back on fossil fuel use. Read the Viewpoints article by Walter Simpson in The Buffalo News.

Reduced energy consumption helps users and utilities - 4/23/09
How can corporations, including energy companies like ours, act responsibly and make a real impact on the environment? How can individuals and companies alike make Earth Day a year-round commitment?

Realistically we are stuck with carbon-based energy for the time being, and must continue to inflict some damage on both our health and the environment. But we can try to control our collective addiction and take the right steps to minimize that damage every day. Read the Another Voice article by Jeffrey Mayer, president and chief executive officer of MXenergy, a retail natural gas and electricity supplier, in The Buffalo News.

Watt’s the big deal? ‘Vampire power’ - 4/22/2009
Home electricity getting drained by lots of gadgets, even when they’re off
Some estimates suggest that electronic devices account for 10 to 15 percent of all home electricity use. A sizable piece of this energy use is known as “phantom power” or “vampire power” because it occurs while the devices are turned off or not in active use.

“It’s one of those things with electronics; it’s a couple watts here and a couple watts there, and pretty soon it adds up to a lot of watts — and real money,” said John T. Thompson, a Buffalo State College associate professor of computer information systems. See the article by Stephen T. Watson in The Buffalo News.

Re: High-Speed Rail Corridor to Buffalo !

Bill Banas, director of the New Millennium Group of WNY, responded with thoughtful comments about the post entitled "High-Speed Rail Corridor to Buffalo !". He wrote:

Incredible, wonderful news, all of this... I'm starting to believe it will happen. This will be a fundamental shift in how people travel on this continent, and how capital and investment flow.

This could be something that sets Buffalo apart from other cities. Denver isn't getting it. Neither is Phoenix or Las Vegas. Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, and Miami have barely begun even thinking about the idea. It could be a game changer for Buffalo---but only if we are proactive enough to be one of the first to entirely embrace it.

First, Buffalo needs an intermodal transportation center (ITC). There have been plans for almost 15 years on the site of the Aud and the Donovan Building. Federal funding was allocated. It should have been built already, awaiting the high speed trains, but local leaders saw the future in more cars, more trucks, and more sprawl.

No matter---we can start again today an still be ahead of the pack. (In my opinion, the ITC should be downtown. When I get off of a train in the US, Canada, Europe or anywhere else in the world, I want to be in the city center.) The ITC should connect the high-speed inter city trains to our regional train system (including trains north to Niagara Falls and south to the ski areas).

Second, we need to build a new passenger train crossing over the Niagara River to Canada and on to Toronto.

Of course, a new passenger rail crossing to Canada and Toronto will have to be put in a location that already has access to rail infrastructure and rights-of-way. This is one of the reasons that many foresighted people in Buffalo have been fighting so hard for a better location for a new Peace Bridge.

The location of the existing Peace Bridge---it's lack of proximity to rail infrastructure and the lack of space in the vicinity---has stifled Buffalo's ability to take significant advantage of the massive amount of trade on our doorstep. Because of this, the vast majority of the trucks and people pass right on through without stopping.

Transportation, first by canal and then especially by rail, was what built Buffalo. It is our natural advantage---a confluence of Buffalo's location, topography, and geography---but only if we seize the opportunity now.

Does Buffalo want to be a doormat or a destination? Our actions regarding high-speed rail (and the Peace Bridge) will be the answer.

Bill Banas
The New Millennium Group of WNY

High-Speed Rail Corridor to Buffalo !

Obama lists Buffalo as high-speed rail candidate - 04/17/2009
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration announced Thursday that it is proceeding with plans to allow 10 rail corridors — including the Empire Corridor linking Buffalo and Albany —to compete for up to $13 billion in federal high-speed rail funding. Only six of the 10 corridors are expected to receive funding, but local lawmakers are hopeful, as the White House invited Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, the Fairport Democrat who is spearheading the upstate New York high-speed rail effort, to attend Thursday’s announcement.

While competition for the funding is expected to be fierce, local lawmakers believe the upstate route has an advantage because it could be built on a third track along an existing right of way. That means it could be built more quickly than other highspeed rail corridors — which is important because the first $8 billion aims to fund projects that are “shovel-ready.” “The ‘third track initiative’ is deserving of federal support and I intend to fight tooth and nail to make high-speed rail in upstate New York a reality,” Rep. Slaughter said. Read the report by Jerry Zremski, News Washington Bureau Chief, in The Buffalo News.
The map below shows the NY Empire Corridor, and how it would link Buffalo to Albany and NY City, as well as to the existing Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington DC.


CSX to help on high-speed rail - 03/26/2009
WASHINGTON — The company that owns the right of way where an upstate high-speed rail line would be located is willing to work with government officials to get the new rail project going, lawmakers said Wednesday. CSX owns the right of way for the proposed high-speed rail line between Buffalo and Albany, where it currently runs freight trains. Both Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-NY, and Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-Fairport, met with Michael Ward, chief executive officer of CSX Corp. A CSX spokesman, said the meetings with the lawmakers were productive, and the participants agreed on the need for the company and government to cooperate on the project to make sure that upstate’s freight and passenger rail needs are met. Read the report by Jerry Zremski, News Washington Bureau Chief, in The Buffalo News.

Buffalo's Central Terminal promoted as high-speed rail hub - 03/24/2009
Fast trains could be accommodated

If high-speed railroad service becomes a reality between Western New York and other parts of the state, some East Side activists are lobbying to make Central Terminal the major hub.

Transforming the massive Art Deco landmark into a mixed-use complex that would accommodate fast-speed trains makes sense on several levels, they insisted Monday during a City Hall strategy session.
They said the terminal’s location only two miles from the downtown core, its abundant parking and its existing rail infrastructure make it an ideal site as officials eye plans for spending federal stimulus money on high-speed rail corridors. Read the report by Brian Meyer in The Buffalo News.

Extend Metro Rail to Central Terminal, Airport - 04/17/2009
Bravo! Now that The News has championed Metro Rail extension to the Central Terminal in order to accommodate high-speed rail passengers, how about going the whole way—to Buffalo Niagara International Airport? Think of it—intermodal connectivity in every direction. With Metro Rail extended to the airport and Transit Road, and with Amtrak available at the Central Terminal, anyone headed in either direction could use any mode of travel that’s convenient.
For instance, a visitor seeking low air fares could hop on Amtrak, connect to Metro Rail at the Central Terminal and reach the airport, all without the pressure of airport parking. Customers and employees of the airport or Amtrak could hop on Metro Rail at any convenient station and reach their destination, and leave the car at home.
Metro Rail is the world’s greenest mass transit, via hydropower from Niagara Falls. Connecting Metro Rail with Amtrak and the airport will demonstrate to the world that Western New York has the vision to build on this wonderful asset.
Gladys Gifford
President, Citizens Regional Transit Corp., Buffalo

High-speed rail line will benefit economy - 03/17/2009
The recent announcement by Gov. David Paterson about the development of a comprehensive rail plan for the state is welcome news indeed. Even more welcome is the growing support from all corners for high-speed rail, which will truly bring New York into the 21st century and will generate significant benefits for the upstate economy. As a family with sometimes weekly trips to Albany and New York City for both business and pleasure, we dream of a time when the state has a truly functional rail system. One that operates on time, with limited freight-train delays, making it possible to work while commuting, and saving energy. Read more here.
Woo-hoo, see you on the train!
Lucinda B. Ingalls
Buffalo

Improving rail system should be a ‘no-brainer’ - 07/23/2008
Last week, I took the train from Washington, D. C., to Buffalo. It was a pleasant trip, but what surprised me most was the cost: $71. That was less than the cost of the gas to drive, $83.50, and much less than the nonstop air fare, $600. It did take longer, but the seating was much more comfortable than the airplane and it avoided all of the hassle connected with airport congestion and auto traffic difficulties. There were a large number of people joining me for the trip. And I am sure we all saved gas and the production of large volumes of greenhouse gas.
With the airlines increasing costs and reducing service, you would think that it would be a “no-brainer” connected with the idea of improvement in the rail system. Read more here.
Philip J. Kintner
Colden