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We have lots of updates to share this month, including important updates about the clean up progress at Tonawanda Coke – scroll down to read more!

With Bread and Roses,

Bridge, Chris, Cindy, Gia and Phil

We’re celebrating a win for our Tonawanda Tomorrow Team – we have been requesting a public comment period extension on the Town of Tonawanda’s Draft Zoning Law Amendment by 30-45 days to allow for more public outreach and engagement. We’re thrilled to share that the Town extended this public comment period to October 31, which is a full 61 days, and even longer than our request!

Read more from WGRZ by clicking here, or click here to read the comments we submitted earlier this month. We also submitted comments from Smart Growth America on the Amendment – SGA is a national think tank that specializes in advocating for just development policies.

You can take action today to support our work by sending a letter today affirming the comments that we and SGA submitted, or submit comments of your own directly by either calling town representatives at 716-871-8847, Ext.1, or by emailing jhartz@tonawanda.ny.us. You can also use our form to submit a comment as a Clean Air member, either publicly or anonymously.

The Buffalo News editorial board recently published a column opposing the continued use of the former Fortistar gas plant in North Tonawanda for cryptocurrency mining by Digihost. This follows reporting that included interviews with several of the residents we

have been supporting in their fight. You can also support these residents by sending a letter to Governor Hochul and the DEC opposing the renewal of the Title V air permit at this facility, and urging an acceleration of the permit review to bring it to public comment.

We will be holding a meeting on October 18 in North Tonawanda to discuss the progress to date – contact Bridge if you are interested in attending or getting more involved in this work!

We will be canvassing on Saturday September 30 in the Seneca-Babcock neighborhood.

Contact Phil today for more information or to sign up!

Clean Air is supporting Beyond Plastics in a coalition effort opposing the proposed plastics factory in Lockport.

While the fight is still ongoing, we are celebrating the recent announcement that the developer has dropped the proposal to manufacturer PVC – a similar facility was the destination of the train that derailed in East Palestine OH, and the dropping of this part of the proposal lessens the danger to the region of a similar chemical disaster.

The last of our 2023 Emergency Prep and Mutual Aid trainings will be Saturday October 14 from 11-2pm. The focus of this training will be on Winter Weather Preparedness. Click here to register! Also be sure to weigh in on our 2024 class offerings today by filling out this survey!

Clean Air is a member of NY Renews, a statewide coalition of groups fighting for a Just Transition and to address the climate crisis.

On Wednesday October 4 at 6pm NY Renews organizers will be hosting the fall 2023 kick-off meeting on Zoom to discuss potential policy priorities for the 2024 legislative session – click here to register!

Clean Air staff will be traveling to Toronto this Wednesday to join the March for the Land, an Indigenous Solidary march in support of the Grassy Narrows community in northern Ontario in their fight against unwanted extractive mining. Read more about the march here, or check out this related commentary from The Catalyst Project!

NYS DOT is hosting two public hearing to review the recently released Draft Design Report/Environmental Assessment this Wednesday September 27, the first from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the second from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m both at the Buffalo Museum of Science, 1020 Humboldt Parkway, Buffalo.

We strongly urge our members to attend at least one of the sessions and submit a comment with your thoughts. Clean Air plans to submit a letter advocating for stronger measures to address air quality concerns. You can also submit your comments by emailing Kensingtoncommunityoutreach@dot.ny.gov or by calling (716) 370-0071.

Public comments on the Draft Design Report/Environmental Assessment are due October 27.

We hope you can join us at NYS DEC’s next East Buffalo Environmental Forum on Wednesday October 11 from 5:30-7pm at the Merriweather Library, 1324 Jefferson Ave in Buffalo.

This meeting will also be livestreamed – contact Kayla Baker for more information at kayla.baker@dec.ny.gov or 716-541-9631.
Clean Air staff will be in attendance.

Residents are organizing with the Coalition for Responsible Economic Development for Grand Island (CRED4GI) in opposition to a proposed large scale warehouse on the island. We urge our members to support their efforts by signing their petition today, and by sending an email to publiccomments@grand-island.ny.us by October 6 echoing the points raised by CRED4GI.

The residents of East Palestine OH continue to urge President Biden to declare a Major Disaster in response to the chemical disaster from the Norfolk Southern train derailment in February. President Biden did recently announce further federal assistance in response, but has yet to make a Major Disaster Declaration. Support the resident’s call by signing this petition today.

WBFO published an excellent summary article about current state efforts related to environmental and climate justice, and how NYS is attempting to address injustices through these investments.

NYS Focus reported earlier this month on a sand mine in downstate that continues to operate in defiance of DEC rulings, and about the greater implications that these blatant violations have on statewide environmental violation enforcement.

Grist recently published coverage about a new study that examined how wildfire smoke is affecting air quality nationwide, and how it is causing a reversal of the decades of progress that followed the passage of the Clean Air Act. Distressingly, the data for this study was collected prior to the wildfire smoke we experienced earlier this year, so the current reality may be even worse than this study reveals.

In These Times earlier this month published an examination of the successful tactics used by organizers to pass the Build Public Renewables Act and a summary of the lessons learned in this effort.

Grist reports that the charges against three Anishinaabe water protectors who demonstrated in opposition to the Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline have been thrown out in court! 

Are you attending the Buffalo International Film Festival next week? We recommend checking out these events in particular –

• Racial Justice in View, featuring nonfiction and narrative shorts that shine a light on race, (de)colonialism, and inequity in the US, Canada, and sovereign Indigenous Nations
• Razing Liberty Square, which examines an example of climate gentrification in Miami Florida
• Community-Focused Nonfiction, a panel discussion about three place-based nonfiction films where the makers focus on the importance of community.

Participatory Budgeting 101

Did you miss the Participatory Budgeting 101 training in July? Click here to see the recording!

CACWNY Events

• September 30 – Seneca Babcock Canvassing
• October 14 – Winter Prep Emergency Prep Training
• October 17 – Community Air Monitoring Meeting; sign up to join the Leader Cohort today!
• October 18 – North Tonawanda meeting; send a letter supporting this campaign work today!
• October 19 – Power Building Movement Mixer
• November 16 – General Meeting, focusing on the Cumulative Impacts Bill
• November 19 – Climate Cafe

Community and Coalition Events

• September 26 – Stop Cop City Demonstrators at Burning Books
• September 27 – March for the Land, Toronto
• September 27 – NYS DOT 33 Meeting
• October 4 – NY Renews 2023 Fall Kick-off
• October 5 – Workplace Safety and the Opioid Epidemic Conference
• October 5-9 – Buffalo International Film Festival
• October 7 – BRR Alliance Environmental Speaker Series
• October 7 – Burning Books Scavenger Hunt
• October 11 – East Side Environmental Forum
• November 16 – 18 – BLRR’s Black Joy Weekend
• Ongoing – Highlander Institute Fascism 101 Webinar Series
• Ongoing – Equality NY LGBTQI Capacity Building Training Series

Public Comment Deadlines and Hearings

• October 1 – Public comments due on proposed remedy for contamination at Bisonite Paint Company site (2266 & 2268 Military Road in Tonawanda)
• October 2 – Public comments on EPA Coke Oven Emission regulations due
• October 6 – comments due on Grand Island warehouse
• October 9 – Public comments due on a Draft Plan to Investigate Contamination at Brownfield Site on 9 Lakeview Ave in Buffalo
• October 13 – Public comments due on a Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) application from Jemal’s Simon, LLC for multiple locations in downtown Buffalo at Oak/Genesee
• October 27 – public comments due on 33/Humboldt Parkway Draft Environmental Impact Study
• October 31 – Town of Tonawanda Deadline for Public Comments on Draft Zoning Code. Click here to submit your comments, or email jhartz@tonawanda.ny.us, and send a letter supporting Clean Air’s comments by clicking here!

Also see our regularly updated list of events at bit.ly/CleanAirEvents and linktr.ee/cleanairwny

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.

This month we recommend ditching Twitter! While it has never exactly been a well moderated platform, under the current ownership of longtime Clean Air baddie Elon Musk, it has taken a disturbing and distressing lurch to the far right, promoting overt white nationalist rhetoric and propaganda, not to mention highlighting widespread disinformation about a number of topics of concern to our membership.

We will no longer update our Twitter account and have pivoted to Bluesky. If you would like a Bluesky invite code and are a Clean Air member, supporter, or a social media manager for any non-profit organization in Erie or Niagara county, fill out this form and we will send you one as the codes are available to us.

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 or supporting our work in the Delavan-Grider neighborhood?

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

Interested in supporting Clean Air’s grassroots fundraising efforts, or know of a grant opportunity that might support our work?

Want to donate to support our work?