Tag: Environment

Sep 15

2016

State’s strategy riles Peace Bridge neighbors

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The state Department of Environmental Conservation’s long-awaited air quality study at the Peace Bridge is finished, but the agency is refusing to release the report until after a community meeting next week. A chain of emails obtained by Investigative Post reveals a growing frustration among West Side residents over what they consider the DEC’s lack of transparency and the short notice given to the public about the upcoming meeting. Some residents complained that the DEC provided them less than a week’s notice of next Tuesday’s meeting. Nadejda Petrova, who lives off Prospect Avenue, had emailed DEC officials asking that the study[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 8

2016

Honors for iPost’s Dan Telvock

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Dan Telvock’s coverage of environmental issues – from lead poisoning in Buffalo to a toxic landfill in Wheatfield to water pollution at Gallagher Beach – has been recognized for excellence by the Society of Environmental Journalists. Telvock placed second among 36 entries for outstanding beat reporting in a small market. Here’s what the judge’s had to say about Telvock’s reporting: Dan Telvock’s dogged reporting on water contamination and lead poisoning holds local officials accountable on behalf of Buffalo residents. His use of data showed that more children in Buffalo suffer from elevated levels of lead in their blood compared to[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Aug 26

2016

Heaney talks Buffalo lead testing on ‘Pressroom

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Susan Arbetter of The Capitol Pressroom interviews Jim Heaney about Investigative Post’s recent story on problems with Buffalo’s program to test drinking water for lead. The interview, which broadcast Aug. 25, runs from 22:33 to 37:04. Heaney will interview Arbetter in front of a live audience Sept. 13 at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. She will discuss state politics, her trials and tribulations as a female, entrepreneurial journalist, her best and worst interviews and the future of public radio. Tickets are $10; admission is free for Silver, Gold and Platinum Investigative Post members. Tickets and memberships can be purchased online here.[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Aug 22

2016

Looking for lead (in all the wrong places)

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Neighborhoods on the city’s East and Lower West Sides are “ground zero” for the worst lead poisoning problems in all of Upstate New York. Lead paint is considered the culprit, but the crisis in Flint, Michigan, has raised questions about the safety of the drinking water in cities like Buffalo. The testing program used by Buffalo to determine whether drinking water is safe does not target the minority neighborhoods where the lead poisoning problem is concentrated, an analysis by Investigative Post has found. Instead, the city has focused on predominantly white neighborhoods in North and South Buffalo that report few,[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Aug 4

2016

Untested waters at two Erie County beach bars

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Authorities steered swimmers away from a Southtowns beach more than 30 days last summer because of unhealthy levels of bacteria in the water. But adjacent beaches owned by two popular waterfront bars remained open to patrons because the businesses lack permits that require testing of the water and closure when fecal matter and other bacteria are detected at dangerous levels. One of the bars, Turtle Joe’s Sand Bar, appears to be in violation of the state beach code. Whether Mickey Rats Beach Club is in violation is open to interpretation. Owner Richie Alberts obtained what he maintains is a waiver[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Jul 20

2016

500 gallons of waste oil pollute Cayuga Creek

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Add another blemish to the long history of environmental degradation of Cayuga Creek. An estimated 500 gallons of presumed waste oil contaminated the creek between Sunday and Monday mid-afternoon, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. That’s equivalent to dumping a dozen normal-sized barrels of waste oil into the creek. “Cayuga Creek is an already impaired system, and this waste oil spill is one more assault to a creek that has been struggling to recover for decades,” said Jill Jedlicka, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, whose nonprofit had reported the spill to the DEC on Monday. The DEC said in a statement[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Jul 13

2016

Schumer to EPA: assess radioactive hotspots

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U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer on Wednesday called on the federal Environmental Protection Agency to “move into a higher gear” and conduct a comprehensive assessment of radioactive hotspots in Niagara County and Grand Island. Schumer was responding to an Investigative Post story last week that reported the government has failed to address some 60 properties previously determined to contain elevated levels of radiation. “What I hope will happen next is the EPA will investigate, they’ll find out how many hotspots there are, what their level of radioactivity is, if they present a danger and then we’ll ask them if they do[...]

Posted 9 years ago
Investigative Post