We couldn’t be more pleased with the EPA’s latest action at Tonawanda Coke. Yesterday, Judith Enck, the new EPA Region 2 Administrator announced her agency is requiring serious changes at the coke plant. The EPA has put Tonawanda Coke on notice for violating several environmental laws. The notices detail the current environmental violations at the plant and outline a mandatory time line for their correction. And if Tonawanda Coke doesn’t comply, they face fines of up to $35,000 per day out of compliance. The EPA is not messing around.

The Buffalo News and Tonawanda News both did a good job summarizing the new enforcement action. You can find complete coverage of the announcement here.

The EPA’s announcement was accompanied by the release of the documents sent to Tonawanda Coke — and we spent last night reading through them. In our opinion, these documents are where the real story is. When read together, they paint a vivid picture of what it must look like inside Tonawanda Coke, and it’s terrifying. Here are a few findings that stuck out:

–“weak liquor storage tank was highly corroded with large holes in the top half of the tank. There were stains indicating that the tank had overflowed throughout the holes.”
— “tar decantor sludge can fall on the roadway, be exposed to stormwater…the beam used for the tar decanter hopper/collection is in need of replacement/repair.”
— “…TCC was operating two unenclosed and unsealed weak ammonia-liquor storage tanks at the Facility, and was beginning to operate one additional unenclosed and unsealed weak ammonia-liquor storage tank due to repairs being made at the Facility’s ammonia stripper.”
— “TCC stated that records of monitoring and visual inspections of the control equipment for the Facility’s process vessels, tar storage tanks, and tar-incepting sumps for control equipment did not exist.”
— “… a TCC representative stated that only initial training had been provided to coke plant personnel and that refresher training has not been provided.”
–“During the inspection, EPA requested to review TCC records that indicate that the leaks identified at the collecting main were timely repaired. TCC indicated that it has not kept any records of such leak repairs.”

If you think this is bad, check out the original documents. They provide dozens more descriptions of the things they found inside the plant.

While the picture is bleak, the future is brighter. Enck has given Crane a chance to clean up without being fined. It’s time for Crane to bite the bullet and make improvements at his plant – it’s the best outcome for everyone. It will be less expensive than appealing it court and it will immediately improve the safety of his workers and give relief to residents in Tonawanda

For more details and to join the fight, come to our next community meeting – Thursday, February 11th at 7:00 pm at the Sheridan Parkside Community Center (169 Sheridan Parkside Drive in Tonawanda). The more people that stand with us, the stronger we are!

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it out to our membership meeting last night.

We packed a lot into just an hour! First, celebration was in order. We debriefed and celebrated the raid and arrest at Tonawanda Coke. But our work at the plant isn’t done yet! We have a strategy session February 17th at 3:00 pm. If you’re interested in helping us shape our campaign against Tonawanda Coke this year let us know by sending Erin an email at erin@cacwny.org.

Big thanks to Steve for giving our members an update on our meeting with our new Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick!

We spent the last part of the night brainstorming ideas for a new campaign to reduce air pollution in WNY. We came up with some great ideas including reducing self-reporting, investing in a computerized matrix to improve traffic flow and reduce idling, and implementing a cap and trade for hazardous air pollutants. If you have more ideas please share them by posting to our blog, facebook or shooting Erin an email.

Thanks to everyone who joined us! Our next meeting is February 11th at 7 pm at the Sheridan Parkside Community Center.
Steve gave us an update on our meeting with our new Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick

We’re not wasting anytime this year! Our first member meeting is this Thursday and we have lots to do. We’ll be discussing the recent events at Tonawanda Coke and then beginning to look to the future. We’re closer than ever to cleaning up Tonawanda Coke, but we know they are only a small piece of the air pollution in our neighborhood. That’s why we are going to create an “air pollution platform”: a list of actions we want taken by elected officials and regulatory agencies to reduce pollution and improve our quality of life. Come with your ideas – people know best what they need in their neighborhood!

If you want a little bit of light reading before the meeting, you can check out our summary of the Tonawanda Air Quality Study released by the DEC in October.

As usual, the meeting at at the Sheridan Parkside Community Center, 169 Sheridan Parkside Drive, at 7:00 pm. We’ll be there an hour!

On Monday, January 25th we are hosting two folks who know a lot about how government, companies and citizens can work together to keep communities safe. Join us to hear from Joe Gardella, Professor and Larkin Chair of Chemistry at the University at Buffalo and Walter Garrow, Safety Director at Quality Inspection Services and Industrial round table and EJ panel. The two will speak about companies that have done a good job protecting their neighbors and workers, successful strategies for engaging companies and government and answer questions from residents. The event is at 7 pm at the Ken-Ton Chamber of Commerce: 3411 Delaware Ave.

On February 17th we are hosting a panel Beyond Love Canal: Environmental Justice in Western New York. Our community has a rich history of environmental organizing and we’re bringing the region’s most impressive advocates together to share it. We’ll hear how West Side residents are struggling with asthma, the multi-faceted approach to environmental issues on the East Side, from veterans who worked on the Seneca Babcock and Hickory Woods campaign, and of course tell our story. The event is at Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center 340 Delaware Ave. in Buffalo at 7 pm.

It’s a new day for the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York – and we have proof! Today we’ve launched our brand new website. It’s designed to connect our community with the resources we need to be our own advocates. You can find great information on how to take action in your community, keep up-to-date with the Coalition’s meetings and events and educate yourself. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to sign up for our mailing list and to become a member! (jimmy — please link to both those pages when they are finished).

The site is a work in progress, so please be patient as we add the finishing touches. Check back frequently for new and exciting updates.

But the fun doesn’t stop with the website. You can also follow us on twitter – our name is “cleanairwny”. And finally, don’t forget to become a fan of the “Clean Air Coalition of WNY” on facebook.

Big thanks to James Heaney at Splash Publishing (full disclose – he’s my brother!) for pulling this site together quickly and professionally!