Clean Air is hosting a training for those interested in learning a basic understanding of their legal rights during protests, rallies, and other types of actions.

Join us to:

• Learn the benefits of using different actions, like strikes and pickets, to move a target or decision maker on an issue
• Learn what “non-violent direct action’ is, and why its used
• Share your experience with other Clean Air members

WHEN: Wednesday, June 18th at 5:30pm

WHERE: United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, 724 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY (Free parking behind building)

Call our office at 852-3813 if you have any questions or need a ride

Join Clean Air: Organizing for Health and Justice for the Just Transition: Good Jobs and Health Communities Conference on June 7th! The jam packed day will feature some of the nation’s leading experts in movement building, coal finance, just transition, renewable energy, and sustainable and democratic community development. Presenters include:

Les Leopold is the director of the Labor Institute, strategic consultant to the Blue-Green Alliance, and author of  author of How to Make a Million Dollars an Hour: Why Financial Elites get away with siphoning off America’s Wealth. His workshop 99 Percent Economics: What We Need to Know About the Economy to Protect Our Jobs, Health and the Environment will discuss the ways in which Wall Street has revolutionized the economy and how it impacts the shop floor, the community and the natural environment.

Jean Pogge is the CEO of Delta Institute that is leading the Fisk and Crawford Ruse Task Force, a committee that will work to solicit community input and economic development and job creation alternatives for the land on which the Fisk and Crawford power plant used to be.  

Sean Sweeney is the Director and founder of the Global Labor Institute, a program of the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations and works with Trade Unions for Energy Democracy. In 2007 Sweeney and the Global Labor Institute team worked with the Steelworkers and other unions to organize the North American Labor Assembly on Climate Crisis, the first major conference on unions and climate change. Sweeney and GLI then worked with the AFL-CIO and Change to Win to build U.S. labor’s presence at the UN’s climate talks in Bali for COP 13, and he serves on the International Trade Union Confederation’s climate working group.

Participation is free, but registration is required and space is limited. Register today at www.justtransition.com. The conference kicks off at 10, will conclude with a happy hour at 5:30 and will be hosted at the NYSUT offices at 270 Essjay in Amherst. 

After the release of the recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) that painted a dim future for the Huntley coal plant , Clean Air held a series of community assemblies in the city and town of Tonawanda, Grand Island, and Riverside to vision a “just” transition in case of the plant’s closure. Nearly 100 impacted residents, workers, and climate change activists came together to vision a resilient future for our region if the NRG Huntley coal plant were to retire. The conference will build on the ideas and relationships that were generated at the assemblies. 

Together, we can ensure that if the plant retires workers are protected, new revenue is secured for our schools and local governments, and the property is redeveloped to meet our community’s needs. Questions? Call Clean Air at 716-852-3813.

After the release of the recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) regarding the future of the Huntley Coal Plant in the Town of Tonawanda, Clean Air held a series of community assemblies in the city and town of Tonawanda, Grand Island, and Riverside to vision a “just” transition in case of the plant’s closure.

We must make sure that IF the plant retires, that workers at the plant and residents who live near the plant are protected. We must make sure that new revenue is secured for our schools and local governments, and for a clean up of the waterfront property.

The idea of a “just” transition was first promoted by Tony Mazzocchi, the founder of the workplace health and safety movement, and suggests that when plants dangerous to our health and the environment retire, there should be resources invested in making sure working men and women and local communities can not only survive, but prosper. And so, at these Just Transition Assemblies throughout the month of March, nearly 100 impacted residents, workers, and climate change activists came together to vision a resilient future for our region if the NRG Huntley coal plant were to retire.

On JUNE 7th , we will bring together leaders from communities across the country who are facing similar challenges, labor leaders, new economy visionaries, brownfield redevelopment experts, and local community leaders. The conference, entitled  Just Transitions: Good Jobs and Healthy Communities will focus on ways communities, school districts and workers have thrived after similar transitions have occurred in other places.

Don’t miss out! Registration is free but space is limited. Get your seat today by calling Rebecca at 852-3813 or registering online at www.justtransition.com

A full schedule will be posted soon.

Toxic Tours are guided van tours through Tonawanda and Buffalo’s West Side that will stop at a few of the many major pollution and environmental justice landmarks in our region.

• Join the grassroots leaders who are fighting back against corporate polluters and negligent government agencies on a tour of their neighborhoods.

• See Tonawanda Coke; the US’s third largest land port; petroleum terminals; and other plants that are some of Erie County’s largest polluters.

• Learn what’s really in the air in Buffalo and what our grassroots movement is doing to fight back.

Wednesday, May  14th 2014 8AM

Meet and Park at the Boys and Girls Club

at 54 Riverdale Ave. Buffalo NY 14207

Parking at back of building on Edgar Ave.

RSVP to Rachel at 852-3813 or rachel@cacwny.org

Space is limited so reserve your seat today!

After many months of anticipation and many years of community organizing and hard work, Judge William Skretny sentenced Tonawanda Coke and its environmental control manager on March 19 at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Buffalo. Tonawanda Coke was found guilty in March 2013 of breaking 14 federal laws under the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Mark Kamholz, the environmental control manager, was found guilty on the same counts and an additional count of obstruction of justice.

     Judge Skretny’s decision included:

* $12.5 million in fines for the criminal violations of the Clean Air Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to go to US Treasury

* 5 years of probation for the company

* Pay $11 million to the University of Buffalo for a 10 year health study & over $700,000 to Citizen Science Community Resources to conduct soil sampling

* 1 year and 1 day in prison for Mark Kamholz, plus a $20,000 fine and a supervised release after serving the term

“While this was a historic event and important victory for the community, we agree with the government that fines and jail time should have been higher,” said Erin Heaney, executive director of Clean Air. “We will continue to fight outside of courtrooms to implement the projects that the community identified,” referring to projects identified in last year’s Participatory Budgeting project organized by Clean Air.

The sentencing came just weeks after an explosion at Tonawanda Coke resounded for miles around on January 31. While Tonawanda Coke representatives initially insisted that the explosion was minor, there were no injuries, and only water vapor was released, the story changed as community members grew more concerned and Clean Air called for a full investigation into the explosion.

It was eventually revealed that two employees were injured in the explosion, suffering from dust inhalation, first degree burns, and joint pains. It was also found that that the explosion was caused by rupturing equipment inside of a coke oven, which released and ignited coke oven gas, causing the large smoke plumes seen from miles away. On February 26, Tonawanda Coke was issued two notices of violation from the Department of Environmental Conservation for failing to report the emissions and for failing to maintain the equipment that caused the explosion.

JOIN US FOR OUR DEBRIEF ON TONAWANDA COKE’s SENTENCING

Join us April 15th at 6:30pm at the Sheridan Parkside Community Center to debrief our campaign on Tonawanda Coke. Please bring an item that represents why you are in the fight to bring health and justice to Western New York.

For more information contact Rebecca Newberry at 852-3813 or rebecca@cacwny.org.

After the release of the recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) regarding the future of the Huntley Coal Plant in the Town of Tonawanda, Clean Air held a series of community assemblies in the city and town of Tonawanda, Grand Island, and Riverside to vision a “just” transition away from the plant.

The idea of a “just” transition was first promoted by Tony Mazzocchi, the founder of the workplace health and safety movement, and suggests that when plants dangerous to our health and the environment retire, there should be resources invested in making sure working men and women and local communities can not only survive, but prosper. And so, at these Just Transition Assemblies throughout the month of March, nearly 100 impacted residents, workers, and climate change activists came together to vision a resilient future for our region if the NRG Huntley coal plant were to retire.

Participants were asked to consider several questions—who do we need to take care of, how can we take care of them, and in a perfect world, what would we do with the land Huntley currently sits on. The number one concern at all four assemblies was the impact on the Huntley workers and their families.  Some of the ideas generated for how to take care of them included job retraining, severance packets, and lateral transfers. Other concerns included the impact on the school district and on town and county services. Participants argued that in order to ensure the success of the region, the burden couldn’t fall on the taxpayers of Tonawanda and Erie County. Possible sources of revenue included federal or state government aid, funding from other sources such as NYPA or RGGI, and making sure NRG (Huntley’s parent company) was held accountable in the process.  When asked to vision a limitless future for the Huntley space, participants generated hundreds of ideas for economic development, renewable energy, job creation and reconnecting with our waterfront—everything from turning Huntley into a nature preserve to creating an amusement park off the existing Huntley infrastructure.

The next step is our Just Transition delegate meeting  which is tomorrow, Thursday, March 27^th, at 6PM at the American Legion-Brounshidle Post #2!

One thing that was clear after the assemblies was that there were still many questions left unanswered. How contaminated is the site? If the plant shuts down, who is responsible for the space and cleanup? What is NRG’s response to the report? Are there other options besides shutting down the plant? 

It was clear that the community wanted answers and we needed experts to answer them. And so as a follow-up to these assemblies, we will be holding a Just Transition Conference on Saturday, June 7th, at the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) WNY office located at 270 Essjay Road, Williamsville NY 14221. Panels and workshops will be led by leaders from communities who are facing similar challenges, labor leaders, new economy visionaries, brownfield redevelopment experts, and other local community leaders.

Please help us make this conference a reality and become a sustaining member of the Clean Air Coalition to help us keep going. With your generous membership gift of $25, $35 or $60 we can continue to be a force for environmental justice in our region.

–  Melanie Prasad

NOI Climate Fellow

Join us for a Toxic Tour on April 9th!

Toxic Tours are guided van tours through Tonawanda and Buffalo’s West Side that will stop at a few of the many major pollution and environmental justice landmarks in our region.

• Join the grassroots leaders who are fighting back against corporate polluters and negligent government agencies on a tour of their neighborhoods.
• See Tonawanda Coke; the US’s third largest land port; petroleum terminals; and other plants that are some of Erie County’s largest polluters.
• Learn what’s really in the air in Buffalo and what our grassroots movement is doing to fight back.

Wednesday, April 9th 2014 8AM

Meet and Park at the Boys and Girls Club at 54 Riverdale Ave. Buffalo NY 14207

Parking at back of building on Edgar Ave.

RSVP to Rachel at 852-3813 or rachel@cacwny.org

Space is limited so reserve your seat today!

Hundreds of trucks rumbling over a dusty dirt road spewing carcinogenic diesel exhaust. Clouds of dust from the crushing of concrete. The dumping of demolition materials from before sunrise until after sunset.

“I can’t open my windows because of all the dust from the rock crushing. It is hard for my kids to play outside because there are so many trucks up and down the street. My kids are always getting bloody noses all day long.”

This is what residents on Peabody Street in Seneca Babcock are living with. Our newest members Jack, Diane, and their neighbors are organizing to improve the quality of life in their neighborhood. This February, the Clean Air board of directors voted to join their efforts.

Battaglia Inc. has operated in the neighborhood for less than ten years. In that time, the company has been cited numerous times by the Department of Environmental Conservation for violation of its permit. The DEC also found traces of silica dust on the window sills of residents. Crystalline silica has been classified as a human lung carcinogen, its dust can cause silicosis, which can be disabling or in some cases, fatal. When the dust enters the lungs it forms into scar tissue which reduces the lung’s ability to take in oxygen.

Clean Air is working to support the organizing of residents to reduce their exposure to silica dust and take back their neighborhood. We need to raise $5,000 this spring to support this work. We appreciate your previous contributions and thought you would be interested in supporting this neighborhood.  Can you help us by making a contribution? We’ll be posting thank yous and updates throughout the week on our social media keeping you up to date on our progress!