The Clean Air Coalition of Western New York announced the second year of the Lois Gibbs Fellowship, a selective, 7-month program that provides a diverse set of emerging citizen leaders with the tools and training to build sustained political will to improve the environment and health in Western New York neighborhoods.

The Lois Gibbs Fellowship will provide rich training opportunities in the following areas:

• Developing effective messages and media outreach
• Strategic campaign planning and power mapping
• Holding elected officials accountable
• Grassroots lobbying
• New media
• Corporate and Government research
• Engaging faith-based communities

The Fellowship is open to anyone in Western New York. Applications may be found online or by calling the Coalition to request a paper application.

Individuals interested or working in environmental health and justice issues are strongly encouraged to apply. The application is open to people new to organizing as well as experienced folks looking to hone their skills. The Fellowship is designed as a part-time program that can accommodate people who are working full-time. Applications are due February 15th.

The program is named in honor of Lois Gibbs, a grassroots environmental justice advocate from Western New York. She is best known for her successful campaign to relocate families living on top of a toxic waste dump in Niagara Falls. Lois Gibbs is emblematic of the program’s philosophy: ordinary individuals can make an extraordinary difference when they organize.

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) continually measures levels of pollutants in the air.  The Clean Air Coalition uses the data from these monitors to keep polluters in check, and ensure that emissions are kept within a legal range.

DEC Air Monitor in Tonawanda

The two DEC air monitors in Tonawanda are located in the Brookside Terrance neighborhood and right next to the 290 off of Grand Island Blvd.  The monitors run 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. This raw data is then complied by DEC technical staff and reports are created for the public. Information from air monitors helps community groups like us identify which polluters are the worst.

On Buffalo’s West Side, The Coalition has been working with residents surrounding air quality issues. A study conducted by Dr. Lwebuga- Mukasa, found that nearly 45% of West Side households reported at least one case of chronic respiratory illness or asthma. There are many misconceptions as to why so many people have asthma, but no-one is talking about the fact that 5 thousand trucks, and 20 thousand cars pass through the West Side everyday emitting tons of diesel exhaust that we know has 40 known toxic chemicals in it. Despite this, there are currently no air monitors on the West Side.

Due to budget cuts, DEC is completing their annual network review, which will be released in the spring of 2012. The network review may contain a proposal to shut down one or more monitoring sites at the end of the calendar year.

Tell the DEC we need to continue air monitoring in both Tonawanda locations, and start monitoring the air on Buffalo’s West Side. Sign the petition now!

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Aseguren los monitores de aire para que los contaminadores sean responsables

Enero, 17, 2012

El departamento de conservación ambiental (DEC) monita el aire continuamente para medir los contaminantes en el aire. El Clean Air Coalition usa la data de los monitores para asegurar que los contaminadores no se faltan, y para asegurar que emisiones son legales.

Hay dos monitores de aire en Tonawanda, uno en Brookside Terrace y la otra esta al lado del 290 y Grand Island Boulevard.  Los monitores corren 24 horas al día, 7 días de la semana.  Estos datos esta compilado del DEC y reportes están hechos para el público.  Esta información ayuda grupos como nosotros a identificar que contaminadores son peores.

En el West Side, el Coalition ha estado trabajando con residentes sobre la calidad del aire en su vecindario.  Un estudio conductivo por Dr. Lweguga- Mukasa encontró que casi 45% de los residentes en el West Side tienen un caso de asma o’ otra enfermedad respetaría. Hay muchos conceptos erróneos sobre porque tanta gente tienen asma, pero nadie habla sobre el facto que hay 5 mil camiones y 20 mil carros pasando por este vecindario cada día, imitando miles de toneladas de diesel que sabemos tiene 40 tóxicos conocidos.  A pesar de esto, no ha ni un monitor de aire en el West Side.

Por recortes presupuestarios, el DEC puede cerrar uno, o dos, de los monitores en Tonawanda al final del ano.

Dile al DEC que necesitamos continuar monitoreando el aire en los dos lugares in Tonawanda, y que empiecen a mónita el aire en el West Side. ! Firma le petición!

When: Wed, January 18, 7pm – 8pm

Where: Tonawanda Public Library – Kenmore Branch (160 Delaware Rd, Kenmore)

Description: Join us on January 18th to learn about the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). FOIA gives us the power to access government-held information, and use this information to make our communities healthier places to live.

Imagine a world where we didn’t need to control air pollution because we could prevent it.

The Clean Air Coalition’s membership did just that earlier this month at a workshop about pollution prevention. Check out our new short film featuring their thoughts about pollution prevention and how we can use this concept to help reduce dangerous emissions in Tonawanda.

Thanks to the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute for providing support for our workshop and film.

The Council adopted a resolution sponsored by Council Members David A. Rivera and Darius G. Pridgen calling on the Public Bridge Authority (”PBA”) to incorporate the principles of environmental justice into any future plans for the Peace Bridge plaza and bridge expansion. The Peace Bridge is the nation’s third largest land port and about 5,000 diesel trucks and 20,000 cars pass over the Peace Bridge and through the west side of Buffalo every day. Diesel emissions have been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (”EPA”) as a probable human carcinogen, and emissions from diesel exhaust can lead to serious health conditions, especially in vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly. A 2005 peer-reviewed study found that over 45 percent of households on the west side of Buffalo have someone with asthma or other respiratory illness. The Council maintains that it is committed to insuring a safe and healthy environment for residents throughout the City. The resolution is also encouraging collaboration among authorities regarding the distribution of truck traffic across the region’s three international bridges and is requesting that the Department of Environmental Conservation and EPA conduct continuous air monitoring on Buffalo’s lower west side; that truck stop electrification stations be included in any future plans for the Peace Bridge plaza and bridge expansion; that the PBA fund the development of green buffer zones and the planting of mature tree species known for their ability to capture pollutants; and that all other public agencies involved in modifications to the current Peace Bridge project provide meaningful opportunities for public involvement by the communities most impacted by the port.

Read the entire article on BuffaloRising.com

On December 11th, join the Clean Air Coalition for the premier of their documentary, You Are Where You Live by Vince Mistretta.

The film chronicles the personal stories of The Clean Air Coalition’s fight for the people’s right to a healthy environment by following Coalition members Ann Sciandra, Rosa Caraballo and Renata Pokrasky.

This documentary is a part of Squeaky Wheel’s Channels Series.

Channels: Stories from the Niagara Frontier, addresses the need to disseminate information about current social and political initiatives with the goal to educate people about important issues in their communities.

The free screening will be shown at the Burchfield Penny, 1300 Elmwood Ave on Sunday, December 11th at 3PM.

Part 4 of a four-part series, Poisoned Places: Toxic Air, Neglected Communities

N.Y. Plant’s Neighbors Expose Regulatory Gaps

• Click to stream the audio
• Click to download the audio

On Thursday, November 10th, National Public Radio launched a special news investigation Poisoned Places: Toxic Air, Neglected Communities.

All this week, NPR will be exposing how the EPA and DEC’s air pollution regulations still leave many communities exposed to dangerous toxics. Tonawanda is one of the communities NPR will feature. We’ve been working hard with reporters Elizabeth Shogrun and Sandra Bartlett to tell the story of our Tonawanda Coke campaign.

All Things Considered is the most listened-to, afternoon drive time, news radio program in the country. We are very excited.

The investigation documents how company self-reporting, poor communication between regulators, corporate greed, and sometimes the laws themselves result in communities who are overburdened with pollution. And as we’ve seen, how that leads to high levels of cancer, asthma and other illnesses.

Our piece will air this Thursday at either 4:00 or 5:00 sharp. We hope you can tune in!

November 3rd at 6pm the Common Council will hold a hearing on chemical fire emergency response. We need you to move forward the vision for a better response plan that protects all residents living next to industry.

We have the right to know and the right to be protected.

Common Council Chambers
13th Floor, City Hall
65 Niagara Square
Need a ride? Call us at 852-3813

Megan Mills-Hoffman spoke on Senate Mark Grisanti’s Legislative Report about the importance of local land trusts and preserving  the environmental protection fund. Megan is staff  at the WNY Land Conservatory Western New York Land Conservancy, a land-conservation organization formed to work with families, communities and farmers to safeguard Western New York’s natural and cultural heritage. The Land Conservancy works in cooperation with public and private landowners in eight Western New York counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming.

Click HERE to see the report.

Land trusts are local, regional or statewide nonprofit organizations directly involved in protecting important land resources for the public benefit. Land trusts accept donations of property, buy land or help landowners establish legal restrictions that limit harmful use and development of their property.

The Lois Gibbs Fellowship is a selective, 10-month program that provides a diverse set of emerging citizen leaders with the tools and training to build sustained political will to improve the environment and health in Western New York neighborhoods. For more on the Lois Gibb’s Fellowship click HERE.