54 Search Results for air peace bridge

Oct 16

2013

Cuomo muddies the waters on Gallagher Beach

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A month-and-a-half ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared his intent to open Gallagher Beach near the South Buffalo – Lackawanna border for public swimming. Congressman Brian Higgins is pushing to open the beach as soon as next summer. Not so fast, concluded an analysis by Erie County’s former senior public health engineer. He concluded opening Gallagher Beach for swimming is “probably impractical” because of a raft of environmental concerns. The analysis, coupled with reporting by our environmental reporter Dan Telvock, painted a picture of a beach whose waters rest in a harbor basin contaminated with PCBs and whose neighbors include two Superfund sites that[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Sep 13

2013

Report faults state environmental regulators

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If you drove to work above the speed limit would you call the police to report that you were speeding? What if all laws were enforced only through such self-reporting? Sounds crazy, right? In essence, this is largely how the Department of Environmental Conservation operates, especially after drastic staffing cuts that have limited the agency’s ability to enforce environmental laws, according to a new report from Environmental Advocates of New York. The report is critical of the DEC’s recent track record on inspections and enforcement. The nonprofit’s report shows how environmental enforcement in New York is on the decline because of staffing[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Aug 1

2013

Environmental regulators slow on the draw (again)

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The Department of Environmental Conservation has ordered Covanta Niagara to stop construction of a natural gas boiler and a 190-foot smokestack in Niagara Falls because it hasn’t obtained the required air permit. Covanta, which has spent more than $820,000 over the past three years in campaign contributions and lobbying expenses, started construction months before the public comment period on the project closes on Monday. The notice of violation came less than 48 hours after three Niagara County residents raised concerns about the the DEC’s oversight of the Niagara County waste-to-energy plant’s $30 million expansion project, as first reported by the[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Mar 19

2013

Q&A: Stadium entrepreneur George Hasiotis

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George Hasiotis is one of Western New York’s most interesting – and plain spoken – economic thinkers. He’s been in the news of late spearheading a proposal to build a multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex on the Outer Harbor that would house the Buffalo Bills. But his economic development credentials go well beyond the stadium proposal. He’s an expert on cross-border trade issues and co-founder of the Economic Club of Canada. He’s worked as a public affairs consultant for 20 years advising clients on international business matters. Locally, he’s an owner of Antoinette’s On The Hill Inc., whose holdings include the popular Antoinette’s Sweets[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Feb 22

2013

The state of Investigative Post

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This is the time of year everyone from the president to the mayor makes “the state of …” speeches. I’ll spare you the sound of my voice, but I do want to take stock of Investigative Post on this, the first year anniversary of our launch. We’ve had a good first year. A very good year, in fact. We’ve broken a number of important stories, which, of course, is why we’re in business. But just as importantly, we’ve started to build a solid foundation with media partners and funders that’s necessary for our growth and sustainability. Journalistically, we’ve made our[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Jan 3

2013

Is hydrofracking safe with DEC?

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A year-old state report leaked to the New York Times and Gannett’s Albany bureau says that hydraulic gas drilling can be done safely if the state Department of Environmental Conservation stays on top of the regulations. Never has there been an environmental issue in New York that has garnered so much emotion and attention than hydrofracking. A record-breaking 80,000 comments were sent to the DEC when it released its first review of the controversial process of extracting natural gas deep underground with sand, massive amounts of water and chemicals. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has long delayed a decision on hydrofracking in the state,[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Dec 27

2012

Ups and downs of Lisa Jackson’s tenure

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Lisa Jackson’s announcement today that she is retiring as head of the Environmental Protection Agency guarantees she won’t be revisiting her plan to limit smog in 2013 after President Obama shoved it to the side more than a year ago. For Jackson, her tenure has had its ups and downs. Jackson was successful in creating the first national standards for mercury and other toxic emissions from power plants and increasing the fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. She told the New York Times that the most important decision in her four years is the endangerment finding that marked carbon[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Nov 25

2012

Q&A: Stephanie Simeon

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Stephanie Simeon is executive director of Heart of the City Neighborhoods, a non-profit housing development corporation serving Buffalo’s Lower West Side. Simeon, 31, is a native of Brooklyn who moved to Buffalo to attend the University at Buffalo, where she earned an undergraduate degree in social science and master’s degree in urban planning. She serves on the board of the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women. Last year she was selected by Business First as one of the region’s top 40 young people under 40. Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney interviewed Simeon on Nov. 20. A 4 minute, 45[...]

Posted 11 years ago