Vote On Our Values!
Early voting is open Saturday, October 24, 2020 – Sunday, November 1, 2020
We Need Your Help! Join Us October 1st!
We need your help to turn the concrete crushing site on Peabody St. into a community owned land trust!
For a decade residents of Seneca Babcock have fought for their health and quality life. (WATCH this video where members describe their experiences) Battaglia Demolition, which caused tremendous harm to the community closed in 2018. The company now faces court fines. Help us to bring the land under the control of the community.
Join our meeting online or by phone on October 1st!
Register at bit.ly/peabodyland or call 852-3813.
Can’t join us online or by phone? Join us at Seneca Street Church at 1218 Seneca St. (corner of Seneca St. & Imson St.)
Our Public Comment on the Former Tonawanda Coke Sampling Plan
Tonawanda Coke is one of the most well known hazardous waste sites in the country. In 2014 the site was recognized as the only company in the history of the United States that was found guilty of 14 criminal accounts of violations of the Clean Air Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the federal law that governs ground contamination of hazardous waste. The Environmental Protection Agency, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Honeywell, and a new developer, Jon Williams and Riverview Innovation and Technology Park, are in the process of remediating the site.
The Clean Air Coalition is calling to ensure that NYSDEC performs comprehensive evaluation of hazardous contamination. Tonawanda Coke has a nearly 100-year history of toxic contamination, and large portions of the site and its infrastructure remain uncharacterized and unaddressed in this workplan.
Check out our webpage on the site
On Sunday, August 30th 2020 Clean Air submitted our comment to the NYSDEC regarding the Remedial Investigation Work Plan on the Brownfield portion of the property. (to learn more about the remediation process see our short videos here!)
Read our comment!
950 Million Reasons We Should Be Mad About Tesla
Today’s Buffalo News article, featuring stories of some of the brave workers we have been organizing with for the last year and a half, is right that we have reasons to be angry.
The $959M of public money that went into renovations, retrofitting, and equipment for Gigafactory 2 was spent with the promise of a new future: clean energy, high quality, well-paying jobs, and an economic transition to bring Buffalo and Western New York into the future.
Workers, eager to start lifelong careers in a sustainable energy industry that would provide for their families, entered a workplace starkly different from their expectations. Rampant racism and sexual harassment shape the reality in Gigafactory 2, where women and workers of color face scrutiny, punishment, isolation, harassment, are blocked from promotions, and often, are unjustly terminated. This new economy is looking a lot like the old economy.
Tesla makes it abundantly clear that tackling carbon alone is not a solution to climate change. We know that we can not transition to a new and just economy while subsidizing companies and industries that cause harm to Black and Brown people.
We are proud to fight alongside these workers, and are floored every day by their courage, their vision, and their commitment to fighting for a workplace that uplifts and supports all workers.
Clean Air Comments on Sampling Work Plan for Former American Axle Site
The American Axle site located at 1001 East Delavan Ave. Buffalo, NY is known to be significantly contaminated. Approximately 110 thousand gallons of PCBs are located underneath this site. PCBs, known carcinogens, were found to be leaking into the sewer that flows under community members homes.
We joined with residents of the Delavan-Grider community in 2015 to advocate for a full remediation of this site. Clean Air members live and own property directly adjacent to the site, and also live and own property in the immediate vicinity of the site. The Delavan-Grider neighborhood is a historic Black community in the City of Buffalo with a rich history of community leadership, entrepreneurship, and pride. Due to the contamination of this property, our members and their families are afraid to drink their water and plant gardens in their backyards.
Our members have been organizing for a comprehensive remediation for years. The new owner, developer Jon Williams, has put in a sampling plan to the State of New York to renew. This plan, called the Remedial Investigation Work Plan, is in a public comment period. This sampling plan is a foundation to any future site remediation.
Read our Comment on the Remedial Investigation Work Plan below.
To learn more about the brownfield process, watch our videos on New York State remediation programs!
What You Need to Know To Help Remediate the Former American Axle Site!
The American Axle site located at 1001 East Delavan Ave. has been known to be significantly contaminated. Approximately 110 thousand gallons of PCBs are located underneath this site. PCBs, known carcinogens, were found to be leaking into the sewer that flows under community members homes. Families are afraid to drink their water and plant gardens in their backyards.
Our members have been organizing for a comprehensive remediation for years. The new owner, developer Jon Williams, has put in a sampling plan to the State of New York to renew. This plan, called the Remedial Investigation Work Plan, is in a public comment period. This sampling plan is a foundation to any future site remediation. The deadline for this comment has been extended to Monday, August 24th.
Do you want to see this site remediated in a way our community deserves? We need you to comment on or before Monday the 24th!
If you care about the health of the community, write, email or call the Department of Environmental Conservation and tell them that The Remedial Investigation must comprehensively investigate for lead and other metals on this site, as well as investigate off site potential avenues for off site contamination.
What you need to know to comment:
What are you commenting on? You are submitting a public comment on the Remedial Investigation Work Plan, or RIWP, for the former American Axle site in the Delavan Grider community in Buffalo. The RI is the plan to investigate how dangerous the site is to human health and the environment. The RIWP describes how the owner will test the site to determine the levels of toxins and geographical location of the contamination and suggests how the owner will remediate it. This is one phase in the process of cleaning up the site. Learn more about the brownfield process by watching this short video!
Who are you commenting to? You are writing a comment to the site manager at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). This is the agency that oversees environmental remediation programs in our state.
Why is this important? The RIWP is an important step in the remediation process. Finding where and how concentrated the waste is will determine if it will be removed, or if it will be capped and buried. If no one knows about it, they can’t remediate it. The more people that show concern means that the DEC needs to pay more attention.
How to comment: Comments can be submitted by mail to the site Project Manager, Eugene Melnyk at 270 Michigan Avenue, Buffalo, NY, 14203; via email eugene.melnyk@dec.ny.gov; or by calling 716-851-7220. Make sure you include the site number and the address of the site.
Comments must be submitted by the deadline, 5pm on Monday August 24th 2020.
If you are an individual see our sample comment below.
If you are a leader in an organization or community group see our sample comment below.
Clean Air 2020 (Virtual) Nonprofit Finance Training September 15th!
It’s That Time of Year!!
Are you a member of Clean Air who wants to learn how your membership dues are spent?
Are you new to the nonprofit world and want to learn how all the finance stuff works?
Do you want to know how to read nonprofit financial statements and make assessments about an organization?
When you hear the term “projected cash flow” do you get really energized but not know why?
Are you on a nonprofit board and find that only one person asks all of the finance questions…you have no idea what they are asking, and their term expires in 4 months?
Do you want to see the vast number of Jennifer Beals nonprofit memes we made for this event?!
Then this training is for you!
Tuesday, September 15th 5:30-7pm
Register Here!
This training is open to current Clean Air members, donors, board members, organizational partners and staff.
Questions or to RSVP, call Rebecca at 716-852-3813 and register through this link.
Clean Air Members Say No to Amazon
It is doubtful if Amazon’s $10 million offer will even the costs for the immediate infrastructure needed for their warehouse on Grand Island. The tax breaks being given Amazon will do nothing to reduce local taxes. Amazon has a terrible record of underestimating the effects on local communities, including the amount of traffic. 
This warehouse facility is totally out of scale with Grand Island and will have negative, long-term effects on air, water, noise, traffic, and ground pollution plus will adversely affect the wildlife environment next to and in Buckhorn Island State Park.
In terms of social justice, Jeff Bezos the richest man in the world, does not pay his fair share of taxes, yet demands his warehouse employees work as if they were robots. Those cheerleading for this massive warehouse share the same mindset as the folks who supported the building of the Robert Moses Parkway and other such local projects, which have destroyed entire areas of Western New York.
More time is needed for independent analysis and study of the project’s impact. Don’t rush to sell the soul of Grand Island for a few pieces of silver.
– Robert Hirsch, Grand Island Resident and Clean Air member
How to Comment on the Tonawanda Coke Remedial Investigation – Deadline (Extended)August 30
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has released the Riverview Innovation and Technology Campus Plan for sampling toxics at the former Tonawanda Coke site. The sampling plan, known as a Remedial Investigation Work Plan, is the foundational document inside of the Brownfield Cleanup Program that will set the course for future soil, water, air and vegetation sampling, and ultimately the quality of cleanup, on the site. The plan can be found on the DEC’s website and is now available for a 30-day public comment period.
What are you commenting on? You are submitting a public comment on the the Remedial Investigation Work Plan, or RI, for the former Tonawanda Coke site.. The RI is the plan to investigate how dangerous the site is to human health and the environment. The RI describes how the owner will test the site to determine the levels of toxins and geographical location of the contamination. This is one phase in the process of cleaning up the site.
Who are you commenting to? You are writing a comment to the site manager at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). This is the agency that oversees environmental remediation programs in our state.
Why is this important? The RI is an important step in the remediation process. Finding where and how concentrated the waste is will determine if it will be removed, or if it will be capped and buried. If no one knows about it, they can’t remediate it. The more people that show concern means that the DEC needs to pay more attention.
How to comment: Comments can be submitted by mail to the site Project Manager, Benjamin McPherson, 270 Michigan Ave., Buffalo, NY14203 or email to benjamin.mcpherson@dec.ny.gov using the site name and number: Site Number: C915353 . Riverview Innovation & Technology Campus Brownfield Cleanup Site- Remedial Investigation Work Plan.
- Our template and detailed information on how to send a public comment to the DEC. Remember that all comments must be submitted no later than August 30th and should be sent to DEC Project Manager.
- Here is the official fact sheet sent out by the DEC on the Remedial Investigation Work Plan
- Our online petition for the establishment of a Community Advisory Group on Cleanup for the site
- Our Brownfield process video and handout
- We have attached a graphic you can share on social media to encourage your friends, family and neighbors to sign onto our petition!
- Become a member or supporter of Clean Air! We fund our work with grassroots fundraising dollars so we can be accountable to the community.
- Please email Emily if you would like to talk more about joining our campaign team! This work is not over and we need all hands on deck! Emily@cacwny.org