Tag: Peace Bridge

Nov 15

2012

Breaking down the idling story

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Yes, it’s true that diesel truck engines run cleaner than they did a decade ago. But it doesn’t mean you should go ahead and inhale the fumes from thousands of trucks on a daily basis. There’s a law in New York that prohibits heavy-duty diesel engines from idling for more than five minutes under normal circumstances and that law is not being enforced, especially on the Lower West Side, where there is a long history of respiratory problems. That’s the basis of my report published on investigativepost.org and broadcast on WGRZ TV. The lack of enforcement here is not a[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Nov 15

2012

Lax enforcement at the Peace Bridge

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Five months after being asked to crack down on idling trucks, state environmental officials have visited the plaza only twice and handed out only a handful of tickets. Story is part of a three-post package.

Posted 12 years ago

Nov 15

2012

DEC idling on enforcement

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Diesel fumes permeate the air near the gate to the Peace Bridge Duty Free store as nearby trucks idle in traffic and parking lots. The idling trucks are a sore spot for residents of the West Side that borders the bridge and its plaza on the American side. Diesel fumes contribute to air pollution believed to be partly responsible for health problems – including asthma rates nearly four times higher than the national average – among residents on the city’s lower West Side, according to Dr. Jamson S. Lwebuga-Mukasa, a leading researcher of air quality in the neighborhood. The World Health[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Nov 15

2012

Transparency is the best policy

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Note: This post was written in November 2012 and has been amended to reflect a change in the presidency of Investigative Post. Dan Telvock, our environmental reporter, has a new report about the failure of the Department of Environmental Conservation to aggressively act on requests to enforce state law at the Peace Bridge that prohibits trucks from idling. It is the first in a series of stories that Dan intends to produce regarding the Peace Bridge. In many ways, covering the Peace Bridge makes perfect sense for Investigative Post, although it is not without complications, for reasons I’ll explain in[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Oct 26

2012

The 800 pound gorilla: ultrafine particles

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Al Carlacci, the regional air pollutant control engineer for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said he doesn’t need a meter or an air quality monitor to tell him that there’s some dirty air in the West Side near the Peace Bridge, where studies have shown high levels of asthma. “The more cars you have the more ultrafine particles you have,” he said during a presentation Wednesday night at the Niagara Street Library hosted by the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York. “The problem is what’s enough? “Any health person would tell you, and I am the same way, if[...]

Posted 13 years ago

Oct 24

2012

“A distinct lack of science”

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Two University at Buffalo professors, including one who heads the city’s Environmental Management Commission, take issue with a state report that downplays the air quality concerns of residents living near the Peace Bridge. A report from Artvoice. Check out more on this topic

Posted 13 years ago

Sep 12

2012

Peace Bridge battle reaches Elmwood Village

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West side residents and environmentalists who want commercial truck traffic banned on the Peace Bridge presented their case in Elmwood Village for the first time Wednesday night at Lafayette Presbyterian Church. About 30 people attended the informational meeting, which was held the same day that Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the completion of a white paper on Peace Bridge corridor air quality by the departments of Transportation, Environmental Conservation, and Health. The Buffalo West Side Environmental Defense Fund organized the meeting. Kathy Mecca, president of the west side Columbus Park Association, and Dr. Jamson S. Lwebuga-Mukasa presented the information. The west[...]

Posted 13 years ago
Investigative Post