Categories for GreenPost

Oct 11

2012

Godzilla of invasive species strikes local creek

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Local biologists said yesterday that one of the most invasive aquatic plants in North America has spread over portions of a 13.5-mile stretch of Tonawanda Creek, which could pose serious problems for native plants, animals and recreation. U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist Michael Goehle first discovered the Hydrilla plant on Sept. 7 in North Tonawanda by the boat ramp on Sweeney Street. Since then, Goehle’s coworker, biologist Denise Clay, has been working with six other agencies to inspect 46 miles of waterways, including the Niagara River, to see how far the Hydrilla has spread.  Hydrilla, a native plant of Southeast Asia, grows[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Oct 10

2012

4 billion gallons of sewage goes where?

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Buffalo is one of the few Great Lakes cities that doesn’t have an EPA-approved long-term control plan that takes advantage of green technologies for its wastewater. And mayors across the nation—minus Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and a bunch of others—were in the nation’s capital last week to discuss how the federal regulations will cost municipalities billions to improve their wastewater treatment systems. Mike DeGeorge, the mayor’s spokesman, did not return messages seeking comment. Buffalo Sewer Authority dumps 4 billion gallons of untreated wastewater into local waterways each year, typically after heavy rainstorms  overburden the system. Yes, that’s 4 BILLION GALLONS. According to EPA Regional Administrator[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Oct 4

2012

Theater District station removal concerns transit group

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One of Mayor Byron Brown’s top goals is to return vehicular traffic to downtown’s Main Street, but his plan for the newest phase that will remove the Theater District Station is drawing flak from the Citizens for Regional Transit. The Cars Sharing Main Street program violates its own mission of increasing transit ridership by eliminating the station, said Citizens for Regional Transit President Gladys Gifford. The average weekday ridership of the station is about 2,100. “How are you increasing transit ridership when you remove a station?” Gifford said this week. Gifford said the elimination of a station on the light rail line “constitutes[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Oct 1

2012

Hillcrest fire could take week to extinguish

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The Environmental Protection Agency has taken the lead in responding to a fire at Hillcrest Industries in Attica and the agency reports progress is being made in extinguishing the fire and controlling the odors that led neighbors to complain for several months. The source of the fire is a 40-foot, 50,000-ton pile of plastic, glass and other materials. The pile, which has been smoldering and steaming since May, is 1-acre in circumference, said EPA spokesman Mike Basile today. The company uses the glass to make road-stripping beads, Basile said. “The number one priority for the EPA is to put this fire out,”[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Sep 26

2012

U.S. fracking and the Niagara Falls

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If there were a mobile container that could hold one full day of water rolling from the Niagara Falls it could serve the fracking operations in the United States for the past 20 months. That’s about 66 billion of gallons of water mixed with chemicals and sand to drill deep into the ground to extract natural gas, with Texas leading the way. EcoWatch put the data together and made the connection to Niagara Falls to represent just how much water 66 billion gallons is. The water either gets reused (only some companies do this), stays in the ground or is[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Sep 25

2012

NY Health Commissioner adds delay to fracking review

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The New York State hydrofracking regulations review and environmental impact study that the Department of Environmental Conservation started in 2008 has once again hit a bump. Health Commissioner Nirav Shah wants more investigation added to the review, specifically a health impact analysis. But he refuses to take the suggestion from environmentalists to have independent university experts conduct the work. Shah said it is the government’s job to decide if the state’s moratorium should be lifted and if natural gas drilling is safe for the environment. Gov. Cuomo has been holding back on his decision until the DEC completes its review.[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Sep 25

2012

Toxic Town of Tonawanda

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There are 53 industrial plants in a 2-mile radius in Tonawanda and it has the highest concentration of air polluters in New York State. The Clean Air Coalition hosted a “Toxic Tour” Saturday morning and if you haven’t been on one, it’s worth the 90 minutes to get a feeling of what is happening in your backyard. The next tour is Oct. 13. The odor of petroleum from NOCO, the sweet-smell of benzene from Tonawanda Coke (oxymoron, I know), and the ominous puffs of smoke from the Huntley Power Plant overpower this town. Single-family homes are nestled right in the[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Sep 22

2012

Study says costs of fracking are big

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A new report from the Environment America Research & Policy Center highlights how fracking has more problems than just environmental ones. The study states that the state governments are expending big money for new infrastructure and road repairs because of fracking efforts. But there’s more: A 2010 study in Texas found homes within 1,000 feet of a well saw values drop as much as 14 percent. Texas has earmarked $40 million in road repairs in the area called the Barnett Shale region and Pennsylvania estimated $265 million is needed to repair damaged roads in the Marcellus Shale region. The study[...]

Posted 12 years ago
Investigative Post