Dan Telvock

Dan Telvock is Investigate Post's environmental reporter. A native of the Finger Lakes region, he was an award-winning newspaper reporter in Virginia for 13 years, including stints at The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg and The Winchester Star, before joining Investigative Post. He founded and operated The Landry Hat, a blog that covered the Dallas Cowboys, from 2005 to 2008, while also working as a reporter.

Oct 3

2013

Troubled waters at Gallagher Beach?

Opening Gallagher Beach for swimming is “probably impractical from a public health standpoint” because of stormwater pollution, sediment contamination and neighboring toxic sites, a consultant for the Erie County Health Department has concluded. The consultant’s analysis, obtained under the Freedom of Information Law, and subsequent reporting by Investigative Post raises serious concerns about a plan being pushed by U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Byron Brown. They want to open the beach for public swimming as part of a larger plan to develop the Outer Harbor into a state park. Higgins, a champion of opening the city’s[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Oct 2

2013

NY AG sues Amigone to stop crematory

State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman’s office filed a lawsuit Tuesday to prevent the Amigone Funeral Home from reopening its crematory in the Sheridan Park area of the Town of Tonawanda. For years, nearby residents have complained about the offensive odors, noise and pollution emitted from the crematory. With the help of the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York, residents took their complaints to the Department of Environmental Conservation and the attorney general’s office. In July 2012, the attorney general’s office successfully convinced the crematory to shut down its operations. However, a year later, Amigone announced plans to reopen the[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Oct 1

2013

New York avoids dirty coal top 100 list

Western New York may have the top greenhouse gas producers in the state, but the three coal plants don’t rank as high when compared with others across the country, according to a report from Environment America Research and Policy Center. The report ranks the top 100 worst greenhouse gas polluters, none of which is in New York. The report also provides some context to why President Obama is targeting coal-fired power plants as a way to curb greenhouse gas emissions. “In 2011, the U.S. power sector contributed 41 percent of all U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, the leading pollutant driving[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Sep 18

2013

Recycling progress at City Hall

Two small steps to bolster Buffalo’s lackluster recycling efforts: Recycling totes have been placed throughout City Hall, and UB law students are poised to draft legislation that would bring city’s recycling mandates into compliance with state law. A report by Investigative Post’s Dan Telvock.

Posted 11 years ago

Sep 17

2013

How a few Asian carp can hurt Great Lakes

As few as 10 Asian carp can wreak havoc on the ecosystem and the economy of the Great Lakes, according to research published in the Biological Invasions journal. The abundance of algae and zooplankton in Lake Erie makes it a suitable spot for the invasive species, said University of Waterloo Professor Kim Cuddington, the lead researcher. “Therefore the carp are more likely to find enough food, and to have faster development times, and thus early age at first reproduction,” she said Tuesday. The concern is that Asian carp devour the same food supply of native fish without any known predators. Therefore, Asian[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Sep 13

2013

Report faults state environmental regulators

If you drove to work above the speed limit would you call the police to report that you were speeding? What if all laws were enforced only through such self-reporting? Sounds crazy, right? In essence, this is largely how the Department of Environmental Conservation operates, especially after drastic staffing cuts that have limited the agency’s ability to enforce environmental laws, according to a new report from Environmental Advocates of New York. The report is critical of the DEC’s recent track record on inspections and enforcement. The nonprofit’s report shows how environmental enforcement in New York is on the decline because of staffing[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Sep 11

2013

Buffalo City Hall finally recycling

Buffalo residents have recycled for more than 20 years. But only until recently have employees in City Hall. These new recycling containers appeared in City Hall about a month ago. Investigative Post examined the city’s anemic recycling program with this story in February. Since then the city has made several moves to improve the program. Most notably, Public Works on May 2 hired Susan Attridge as the recycling coordinator, a position that had sat vacant since 2009. The new recycling containers are on each floor of City Hall.

Posted 11 years ago

Aug 27

2013

NRG’s coal plants on their way out?

NRG’s CEO David Crane believes the utility system as we know it today faces a “mortal threat” from green microgrids, political pressure and cheap natural gas. And that may not be a bad thing if it translates into cheaper and more sustainable energy for the end consumer, which may or may not be the case. New York has some of the highest electricity prices in the nation. Nonetheless, Bloomberg Businessweek has this fascinating article that offers some rare insight into Crane’s mind. Why does this matter in Western New York? NRG owns the coal-fired power plants in Tonawanda (Huntley) and[...]

Posted 11 years ago