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Nov 20

2012

‘SUNY is not for sale’ to oil and gas

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Kevin Connor, the co-director of the watchdog group Public Accountability Initiative, said on his website today that the University at Buffalo sent a strong message to the oil and gas industry on Monday when it pulled the plug on its embattled Shale Resources and Society Institute. “SUNY is not for sale,” Connor wrote. The shale institute released a study in May that was favorable to hydrofracking, which is the practice of using water and other chemicals to dig deep into dense shale formations underground for natural gas. But Connor’s watchdog group found numerous inaccuracies in the study. He also said[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Nov 19

2012

UB pulls plug on Shale Institute

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The dark cloud is dissipating over the University at Buffalo and its short-lived Shale Resources and Society Institute. UB President Satish K. Tripathi announced Monday he has closed the institute. The decision comes seven months after the institute released a controversial study that claimed instances of pollution related to the process of natural gas drilling called hydrofracking declined 60 percent from 2008 to August 2011 because of regulation in Pennsylvania. As a result, the Marcellus industry cut incidences of environmental violations by more than half in three years, the study claimed. Artvoice exposed the institute before the university ever announced its existence, raising questions[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Nov 15

2012

Breaking down the idling story

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Yes, it’s true that diesel truck engines run cleaner than they did a decade ago. But it doesn’t mean you should go ahead and inhale the fumes from thousands of trucks on a daily basis. There’s a law in New York that prohibits heavy-duty diesel engines from idling for more than five minutes under normal circumstances and that law is not being enforced, especially on the Lower West Side, where there is a long history of respiratory problems. That’s the basis of my report published on investigativepost.org and broadcast on WGRZ TV. The lack of enforcement here is not a[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Nov 15

2012

Lax enforcement at the Peace Bridge

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Five months after being asked to crack down on idling trucks, state environmental officials have visited the plaza only twice and handed out only a handful of tickets. Story is part of a three-post package.

Posted 12 years ago
Investigative Post