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Although we still have a few weeks to go of winter, we are now past the hump – the sun in WNY will not set before 6pm until this fall. With these extra daylight hours, we hope you can make it to some of our evening events this month, including our Annual Meeting on March 28! Scroll down to read more. 

With Bread and Roses,

Chris, Bridge and Phil

Of note, the DEC is accepting comments on the proposed clean up plan for 3821 River Road, the parcel where Tonawanda Coke’s offices were, through this Friday March 3.

This site was originally developed by Allied Fibers and Plastics Company in the early 1950s and was operated as a manufacturing facility through 1982. Site operations by Allied included the polymerization of ethylene into low molecular weight polyethylene (trademark: A-C Polyethylene and Copolymers), which was finished into powder, pelleted and solid forms. It was then used as office and laboratory space, vehicle maintenance, and warehousing by the Tonawanda Coke Corporation (TCC) from the early 1980s up until the shutdown of TCC operations in October 2018.

Click here to read the announcement or click here to see the technical documents. Comments can be sent to Benjamin McPherson, NYS DEC Region 9 Office, Division of Environmental Remediation, 700 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY, 14209, or by phone: (716) 851-7220, or by email,  benjamin.mcpherson@dec.ny.gov. Comments are due this Friday March 3.

Without worker rights at the forefront, green jobs are not part of a Just Transition, and the unjust firing of these workers and the reports of continuing discriminatory practices at TESLA are just more examples of why we must fight for unionization of the green economy workforce during the pivot from a fossil fuel based economy to a renewable one.

On the same note, while we support the Build Public Renewables Act under the framework environmental and labor groups initially agreed to, we are appalled to hear about Governor Hochul’s proposed version, which weakens labor language.  We must work in coalition with labor and not allow the fossil fuel industry to pit residents against workers in our collective fight for Environmental Justice.

Southern derailment in East Palestine, OH and it’s potential impact on WNY air and water quality.   

While the risk of any contamination traveling from the Ohio River Valley to Buffalo is *extremely* low, we feel there are many takeaways that WNY residents can draw from this incident that we shared in this 

blog post, including that we should feel compelled to support our fellow rust belt siblings in East Palestine and the surrounding area who are directly impacted. You can support the residents of East Palestine with these Mutual Aid pools – 

• River Valley Organizing
• Clean Air Council
• The Brightside Project

The EPA is proposing stronger  Particulate Matter regulations – COMMENTS DUE MARCH 28!

This is big news – the last revision was in 2012, and the new regulations as currently written would strengthen the PM2.5 standard from a level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter to a level between 9 and 10 micrograms per cubic meter.

However, while the new regulations would be a step above the current rules, this still would fall short of recommendations from the World Health Organization, and even the EPA’s own Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee.

Take action today to tell the EPA that we need them to go further with the new proposed regulation – click here to send a letter using the Mom’s Clean Air Taskforce toolkit, or click here to send a comment directly. The EPA is accepting comments through March 28, 2023.

ALIGN NY is holding a Town Hall on Zoom on March 2 at 6pm with State Senator Jessica Ramos and union leaders from DC37, UWUA, NYSNA, and UAW 9A on how climate change impacts workers and how we can move NY toward a renewable energy economy through the Climate, Jobs, and Justice Package. Register here!

change. BlueGreen Alliance have posted some resources and toolkits on their website to help advocates understand this investment package.

WEACT Out of Gas Study

WEACT, an environmental justice based in Harlem, has completed an extensive study on the health impacts of fossil gas in public housing, and the realities of transitioning from fossil gas to electric appliances.

CACWNY Events

• March 5 – Climate Cafe with Jennifer Fendya
  • Join Clean Air members at Trinity Church, 371 Delaware Ave in Buffalo, for a Climate Cafe where we will discuss how climate change is affecting us.
• March 16 –  Clean Air General Meeting
• March 21 – Tonawanda Zoning Workshop
• March 28 – Clean Air Annual Meeting
• April 13 – Webinar and Q&A with Sameer Ranade, Climate Justice Advisor NYSERDA, CLCPA Climate Action Council Member.
  • Bring your questions about the CLCPA and the logistics about the systemic transition off of fossil fuels!
• April 15 – Emergency Preparedness Training
• April 17 –  a discussion about A Paradise Built in Hell with the Progressive Book Club
• April 18 – first Clean Air Power Building Mixer, a chance to meet with other members and folks in WNY movement justice work
• April 22 – Earth Day, contact Bridge if you are interested in participating in the Town of Tonawanda clean-up with other Clean Air members

Community and Coalition Events

• February 28 – deadline for NYWEA college scholarships
• March 1 – deadline for Sea Grant NY small grant applications
• March 2 – ALIGN Town Hall
• March 3 – Justice for Migrant Families benefit concert
• March 18 – Erie County Climate Action Taskforce Draft Plan Rollout
• March 18-19  – Buffalo Geological Society Annual Show

Public Comment Deadlines and Hearings

• March 3 – 3821 River Road (Tonawanda Coke offices) NYS DEC Brownfield Application comments due
• March 3 – 703 E Delavan (Mt. Olive Senior Manor Site) NYS DEC Brownfield Application comments due
• March 28 – deadline on public comment on proposed EPA regulatory changes to Particulate Matter rules
• April 1 – 24 Laborer’s Way NYS DEC Brownfield Contamination Remedy comments due

Be sure to check out the Buffalo Mutual Aid Network Facebook group, where mutual aid services and calls for donations and donations are being posted on an ongoing basis. You can also click here to join the Buffalo Snow Brigade. We also suggest checking out the resources at mutualaiddisasterrelief.org as well as their new website relieftoolkit.com.

If interested in joining mutual aid efforts with Clean Air, particularly in the realm of community resiliency amid climate change,
please reach out to Bridge.

Interested in joining our Tonawanda Tomorrow or River Road campaigns, Proof of Work campaign, or supporting NYRenews/climate justice?

Interested in joining our Peabody Street, TESLA campaigns, Energy Democracy Alliance, or other Just Transition campaign work?

Interested in joining our
American Axle campaign?

Interested in joining our events committee, mutual aid team, or want to connect with CACWNY about an emerging campaign or issue?