Tag: Environment

Dec 9

2013

Great Lakes restoration success stories

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Of the four federally funded Great Lakes restoration projects in Western New York, none is as big as the cleanup of the Buffalo River. The nonprofit group Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition created a map with details of each of the projects across the Great Lakes. Roughly $44 million will be spent on removing decades worth of historic industrial pollution in the Buffalo River, making it one of the largest river cleanups in the country. The bottom of the river is polluted with PCBs, heavy metals and other toxic chemicals. In total, 1 million cubic yards of toxic sediment will[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Dec 9

2013

Clean up your air, Midwest

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The governors of eight Northeast states, including New York, want the federal government to force Midwest-Rust Belt states to prevent coal plant soot and smog from wafting across borders. The solutions are costly air pollution control technology or closing the coal plants for good.

Posted 12 years ago

Nov 16

2013

Expanded air monitoring at Peace Bridge

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Responding to an Investigative Post report, state environmental officials announced Friday they will resume air quality testing near the Peace Bridge. Unlike the last round of testing, the monitoring will include the summer, when pollution levels are higher.

Posted 12 years ago

Nov 14

2013

U.S. coal’s smog covers Ontario

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Ontario is a year away from removing coal-fired power from its grid. But the smog isn’t going away. That’s because half of Ontario’s smog comes from the United States, namely Michigan, where half of its electricity comes from coal-fired power plants. In comparison, about 3 percent of New York’s electricity comes from coal.

Posted 12 years ago

Nov 13

2013

A smell surrounding Peace Bridge air study

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State officials proclaimed a month ago that air monitoring results near the Peace Bridge showed no serious pollution problem in the adjacent neighborhood plagued by high asthma rates that studies have linked to bridge traffic. In fact, officials went so far as to declare: “the data suggest that there are no significant differences between air quality in the plaza neighborhood and in the City of Buffalo overall.” However, an Investigative Post analysis has determined that conclusion is “not scientifically valid,” in the words of Sherri Mason, associate professor of chemistry at SUNY Fredonia, one of nine experts interviewed for this[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Oct 24

2013

State to test for contamination at Gallagher Beach

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The Cuomo administration has relented and agreed to test Gallagher Beach in South Buffalo for possible contamination before deciding whether to open it for swimming. In fact, crews began work this week to collect water, soil and sediment samples. An employee on the job for Ecology and Environment Inc., the contractor hired to collect and analyze samples, said the testing is the most comprehensive the firm has conducted for a beach. The decision to conduct comprehensive tests follows two Investigative Post stories earlier this month (found here and here) that reported the beach rests in a harbor basin contaminated with[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Oct 22

2013

State’s sewage right to know act is failing

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New York State Assemblyman Sean Ryan (D) is urging the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to enforce the sewage right to know act. Ryan made the announcement on Friday in Buffalo. The law went into effect and calls for the public to know how much sewage is being discharged into local waterways. Despite that, Investigative Post in June found many of the reports are incomplete. “No one swims in their toilet,” said Assemblymember Ryan. “We don’t want to swim in waterways that are contaminated.” Since the law went into effect in May, there have been 252 sewer discharges[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Oct 17

2013

This will blow your mind

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Our Earth is changing rapidly. There is no doubt. But people around the globe have a hard time seeing shrinking lakes and forests and urban sprawl from thousands of miles away. Until now. TIME magazine and Google partnered with NASA and the U.S Geological Survey to create a series of “stunning” timelapse satellite photographs that show how the world has changed over nearly three decades. Google also has some of the most shocking visuals. At the right-hand corner of the box of satellite images you can type in a location, such as Buffalo, and witness the changes that have occurred here. But Buffalo’s[...]

Posted 12 years ago
Investigative Post