Kate and one of our leaders, Glenn at the Just Transition conference 

After attending the Just Transition Conference this past weekend, I walked away with my mind full of new issues, concepts, and ideas I learned from the various speakers.

First, I was surprised to see all of the statistics regarding coal plants in general and their decreasing success throughout the recent years.  I was also definitely surprised to hear about where the money is in our economy.  Les Leopold made a lot of great points, showing where the money is and how unbalanced our society is.

To accomplish our goal of a Just Transition, and any move in a new direction for that matter, money is a key component.  Funding is necessary to make up for energy that will be lost if the plant retires as well as the tax revenue that is needed for Tonawanda.  I also enjoyed hearing about the alternative energy options including wind and solar energy.  However, I did see that these would be very large scale projects that would make up for the lost energy and would probably have very high start-up costs associated with it.

The last panel that focused on the transition itself was my favorite panel of the day.  The panel brought in great speakers that have gone through or are in the process of going through very similar problems that we are.  I think they can really relate to our current state and were able to show us some sort of light at the end the tunnel.  There is a lot of information that was presented at the conference and I think the last panel was able to show everyone that it IS possible to transition to a new future.

In the end, I’m not quite sure what is the best direction for Tonawanda to go, but I think we need to keep spreading the word to get a broader base of support. There are a lot of criteria that needs to be kept in mind in moving forward and I think we need to get more support.  We need to be able to have a fund set up that can help with the financing of the transition.  Additionally I think we need to have a solid end goal for the site.  I don’t think at this time it would be wise to convert the site to natural gas energy because soon enough we would have to turn around again and move towards greener energy for the future.  Globally we are moving in the direction of greener energy and I think it is possible for us to be a part of the global move in that direction.  There definitely is potential for the site to become more a part of the community as well and reconnect us to the waterfront once more.

I think the conference did a great job bringing such a wide range of perspectives and I’m hoping that we keep the discussion open and moving in a positive direction.  Our biggest issue is that we need a plan so that if the plant closes we are prepared to do something about it.

Kate is an intern at the Clean Air Coalition, a Tonawanda resident and a student at SUNY ESF.

This past Saturday, June 7th, I attended the Clean Air Coalition’s Just Transition Conference to discuss the future of the Huntley Coal Plant in Tonawanda and coal plants in general. Although there were several informative panels over the course of the day, it was Les Leopold’s 99 Percent Economics panel that left me simultaneously outraged and in awe throughout.

The focus of his panel was the trend of financialization, or the transformation of everyone and everything into a source of income for the financial sector. I was aware of this trend before the conference, albeit abstractedly, but Leopold’s use of clear and straightforward graphs and statistics made financialization and the disproportionate harm it causes much more concrete and shocking, though unsurprising due to my general knowledge of the profit-driven financial sector that is destroying the environment and increasing inequality.

One of the facts that most shocked me was that in 2010 the top Wall St. Hedge Fund Manager made 2.4 million dollars AN HOUR, which is the same amount that an average American family makes in 47 YEARS. This highlights the insane inequity that exists today and will only worsen if the financial sector remains largely unregulated. Not only is this inequity harmful on a personal level, with a few living in extreme excess while many do not even make a real living wage, but it is also hurting the environment as it makes us feel like we can’t afford environmental protection. The rising indebtedness also makes it more difficult for the government to spend money on environmental protection rather than immediate social programs.

Given that financialization is harmful to most of the country and our environment, it is clear that change is necessary. Leopold advocated for this change by encouraging us to unite our different groups and silos into a unified movement. If we could do this nationally we would be able to have enough people power that the government would have to listen to our demands, which is something the environmental movement has previously lacked. So let’s do it! Let’s build coalitions, educate each other, unite, and demand justice today!

Clean Air is hosting a training for those interested in learning a basic understanding of their legal rights during protests, rallies, and other types of actions.

Join us to:

• Learn the benefits of using different actions, like strikes and pickets, to move a target or decision maker on an issue
• Learn what “non-violent direct action’ is, and why its used
• Share your experience with other Clean Air members

WHEN: Wednesday, June 18th at 5:30pm

WHERE: United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, 724 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY (Free parking behind building)

Call our office at 852-3813 if you have any questions or need a ride

Join Clean Air: Organizing for Health and Justice for the Just Transition: Good Jobs and Health Communities Conference on June 7th! The jam packed day will feature some of the nation’s leading experts in movement building, coal finance, just transition, renewable energy, and sustainable and democratic community development. Presenters include:

Les Leopold is the director of the Labor Institute, strategic consultant to the Blue-Green Alliance, and author of  author of How to Make a Million Dollars an Hour: Why Financial Elites get away with siphoning off America’s Wealth. His workshop 99 Percent Economics: What We Need to Know About the Economy to Protect Our Jobs, Health and the Environment will discuss the ways in which Wall Street has revolutionized the economy and how it impacts the shop floor, the community and the natural environment.

Jean Pogge is the CEO of Delta Institute that is leading the Fisk and Crawford Ruse Task Force, a committee that will work to solicit community input and economic development and job creation alternatives for the land on which the Fisk and Crawford power plant used to be.  

Sean Sweeney is the Director and founder of the Global Labor Institute, a program of the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations and works with Trade Unions for Energy Democracy. In 2007 Sweeney and the Global Labor Institute team worked with the Steelworkers and other unions to organize the North American Labor Assembly on Climate Crisis, the first major conference on unions and climate change. Sweeney and GLI then worked with the AFL-CIO and Change to Win to build U.S. labor’s presence at the UN’s climate talks in Bali for COP 13, and he serves on the International Trade Union Confederation’s climate working group.

Participation is free, but registration is required and space is limited. Register today at www.justtransition.com. The conference kicks off at 10, will conclude with a happy hour at 5:30 and will be hosted at the NYSUT offices at 270 Essjay in Amherst. 

After the release of the recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) that painted a dim future for the Huntley coal plant , Clean Air held a series of community assemblies in the city and town of Tonawanda, Grand Island, and Riverside to vision a “just” transition in case of the plant’s closure. Nearly 100 impacted residents, workers, and climate change activists came together to vision a resilient future for our region if the NRG Huntley coal plant were to retire. The conference will build on the ideas and relationships that were generated at the assemblies. 

Together, we can ensure that if the plant retires workers are protected, new revenue is secured for our schools and local governments, and the property is redeveloped to meet our community’s needs. Questions? Call Clean Air at 716-852-3813.

After the release of the recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) regarding the future of the Huntley Coal Plant in the Town of Tonawanda, Clean Air held a series of community assemblies in the city and town of Tonawanda, Grand Island, and Riverside to vision a “just” transition in case of the plant’s closure.

We must make sure that IF the plant retires, that workers at the plant and residents who live near the plant are protected. We must make sure that new revenue is secured for our schools and local governments, and for a clean up of the waterfront property.

The idea of a “just” transition was first promoted by Tony Mazzocchi, the founder of the workplace health and safety movement, and suggests that when plants dangerous to our health and the environment retire, there should be resources invested in making sure working men and women and local communities can not only survive, but prosper. And so, at these Just Transition Assemblies throughout the month of March, nearly 100 impacted residents, workers, and climate change activists came together to vision a resilient future for our region if the NRG Huntley coal plant were to retire.

On JUNE 7th , we will bring together leaders from communities across the country who are facing similar challenges, labor leaders, new economy visionaries, brownfield redevelopment experts, and local community leaders. The conference, entitled  Just Transitions: Good Jobs and Healthy Communities will focus on ways communities, school districts and workers have thrived after similar transitions have occurred in other places.

Don’t miss out! Registration is free but space is limited. Get your seat today by calling Rebecca at 852-3813 or registering online at www.justtransition.com

A full schedule will be posted soon.

Toxic Tours are guided van tours through Tonawanda and Buffalo’s West Side that will stop at a few of the many major pollution and environmental justice landmarks in our region.

• Join the grassroots leaders who are fighting back against corporate polluters and negligent government agencies on a tour of their neighborhoods.

• See Tonawanda Coke; the US’s third largest land port; petroleum terminals; and other plants that are some of Erie County’s largest polluters.

• Learn what’s really in the air in Buffalo and what our grassroots movement is doing to fight back.

Wednesday, May  14th 2014 8AM

Meet and Park at the Boys and Girls Club

at 54 Riverdale Ave. Buffalo NY 14207

Parking at back of building on Edgar Ave.

RSVP to Rachel at 852-3813 or rachel@cacwny.org

Space is limited so reserve your seat today!