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Sep 25

2012

Toxic Town of Tonawanda

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There are 53 industrial plants in a 2-mile radius in Tonawanda and it has the highest concentration of air polluters in New York State. The Clean Air Coalition hosted a “Toxic Tour” Saturday morning and if you haven’t been on one, it’s worth the 90 minutes to get a feeling of what is happening in your backyard. The next tour is Oct. 13. The odor of petroleum from NOCO, the sweet-smell of benzene from Tonawanda Coke (oxymoron, I know), and the ominous puffs of smoke from the Huntley Power Plant overpower this town. Single-family homes are nestled right in the[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Sep 22

2012

Concerns of a moderate Republican

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Erie County Clerk Chris Jacobs talk politics, downtown development, water authority shenanigans and lease negotiations with the Buffalo Bills.

Posted 12 years ago

Sep 22

2012

Interview: Chris Jacobs

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Chris Jacobs is that rare Republican who doesn’t hesitate to label himself a moderate or express his concern about his party’s shift to the far right. He took office as Erie County Clerk in January and is one of only two Republicans holding countywide office. (Sheriff Tim Howard is the other). Jacobs previously served 7 1/2 years on the Buffalo Board of Education. Other public service includes a stint as State Secretary of State under George Pataki during his last year as  governor. Jacobs is a developer by trade and his Avalon Development is active in the city. He earned[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Sep 22

2012

Study says costs of fracking are big

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A new report from the Environment America Research & Policy Center highlights how fracking has more problems than just environmental ones. The study states that the state governments are expending big money for new infrastructure and road repairs because of fracking efforts. But there’s more: A 2010 study in Texas found homes within 1,000 feet of a well saw values drop as much as 14 percent. Texas has earmarked $40 million in road repairs in the area called the Barnett Shale region and Pennsylvania estimated $265 million is needed to repair damaged roads in the Marcellus Shale region. The study[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Sep 21

2012

WNYEA White Paper: ‘A biocentric viewpoint is needed now’

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Canadian scientist and environmentalist David Suzuki coined the phrase “A Biocentric viewpoint is needed now,” but it’s become the mantra of a white paper that the Western New York Environmental Alliance released this week. Suzuki wrote in his first research paper after leaving his day job that environmentalism has failed because the worldview is that humans are consumers of earth, not a part of it. The white paper came from the Western New York Environmental Alliance Habitat and Natural Resources Working Group, Jay Burney, Joseph Schmidbauer, Larry Beahan and Art Klein. In it they wrote: It is time for us[...]

Posted 12 years ago
Investigative Post

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