by Tom Ellis Albany, NY: On April 12, the Albany County Legislature voted 21-16-1 to reject expanding the polystyrene foam take-out food container law enacted three years ago to include all restaurants and eateries. Legislators offered many reasons for their “no” votes, some principled and others ridiculous. A few said this law would be better … Albany County Legislature Rejects Banning Polystyrene Foam
Opinion by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Would a huge reduction in the size of the Albany County Legislature be good for the county, the Pine Bush, and democracy? The Albany County Charter Review Commission (ACCRC) issued a report in January recommending a reduction from 39 to 25 members. The proposal is touted to improve accountability, increase bi-partisanship, and … Size of the Albany County Legislature
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Save the Pine Bush volunteers attended the Albany County Legislature’s budget hearing. At the 17 minute hearing, only eight people spoke. Seven of us spoke about the Pine Bush Preservation! I will admit to be surprised that so few people attended and spoke at the … Visiting the Legislature
Dear All, Save the Pine Bush made a great showing at the Albany County Legislature budget hearing held two days before Thanksgiving. Seven of the eight speakers at the hearing asked for funds to buy Pine Bush. Good for us! Tomorrow, December 5, the Albany County Legislature will vote on the budget. Let’s continue … Ask Albany County to Dedicate Funds to Buy Pine Bush
By Dominick Calsolaro, June/July 2021 Save the Pine Bush Newsletter ALBANY: In April, Waste Management of New York, Inc, (WM) informed residents of Albany’s South End that it was again asking the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to approve a solid waste permit modification to allow WM to accept municipal solid waste (MSW) at its … Waste Management Pulls Out of Seeking to Dump in Albany’s South End Community – Dominick Calsolaro
by Grace Nichols Have you noticed in driving through rural New York, that your windshield – which once would have been covered with the remnants of countless insect collisions are now fairly clean? This observation has been made globally and linked to severe declines in insect populations. Insects are a critical part of the ecosystem … Pollinator-Friendly County Resolution to be introduced in the face of alarming flying insect declines
In May, Albany passed a measure to protect pollinators, written by Grace Nichols and championed by Doug Bullock, Lynne Lekakis, Bill Reinhardt and others. This September, Activist Iris Bloom and Ulster County Legislator Kathleen Nolan won a similar measure in Ulster County. Insect conservation has become a cause supported by bipartisan forces to conserve our … Albany’s Pollinator-Friendly Resolution is SpreadingAlbany’s Pollinator-Friendly Resolution is Spreading
by Tom Ellis Albany County legislator Doug “Bullhorn” Bullock has proposed legislation that would ban the use of take-out polystyrene (Styrofoam) food and beverage containers from chain restaurants and eateries in the county. The proposed bill, called the Food Service Waste Reduction Act, has numerous co-sponsors and may be voted on Tuesday, November 12. A poorly attended public hearing in late … Ban Styrofoam in Albany County
The Albany Pine Bush Management Commission The Albany Pine Bush Management Commission The Pine Bush Management Commission was created by the New York State Legislature to study and manage the Pine Bush in response to Save the Pine Bush’s lawsuits with the City of Albany over the landfill. Members of the Commission include the executives … The Albany Pine Bush Management Commission
Members of the public are invited to provide written comments towards the process of reviewing and/or amending the 2002 Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Comments can address all aspects of the Commission’s work including land protection, habitat or natural resource management, public education and recreation. Comments are … News from Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission
By MATT PACENZA, Staff Writer ALBANY – The city received permission Thursday to begin digging test wells in the Pine Bush – a first step toward a possible and controversial expansion of the Rapp Road dump into the nature preserve. Nearly simultaneously, however, the city’s plan was dealt a blow when state Assemblyman John “Jack” … City of Albany Attempts to Sneak Legislation Past the Public Removing Land from the Pine Bush Preserve
by Wendy Dwyer ALBANY, NY: Tina Lieberman spoke at the November SPB dinner. For Tina, this was her first attempt at getting a law passed and she said it took a lot of people. Tina asked people who had helped in some way (writing letters, attending hearings, signing petitions, etc) to stand up and almost … Strategy & the Story Behind the Albany County Styrofoam Ban
by Grace Nichols Have you noticed in driving through rural New York, that your windshield – which once would have been covered with the remnants of countless insect collisions are now fairly clean? This observation has been made globally and linked to severe declines in insect populations. Insects are a critical part of the ecosystem … Pollinator-Friendly County Resolution to be introduced in the face of alarming flying insect declines
by Diana Wright On March 28, Albany and Saratoga Counties unveiled plans for a jointly funded aerobic digester facility in Menands. It has bi-partisan support in the Albany County Legislature and will save each county $1 million annually. It will shut down 4 incinerators at the current facility, which spew out toxic chemicals into the … Anerobic digester and the Albany Landfill
by Tom Ellis ALBANY. NY: There is much to report on issues regarding solid wastes. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC or En Con)) DEC held a public hearing in Albany to receive comments on proposed revisions to its Part 360 regulations, DEC is assisting the Town of Colonie with its landfill expansion application,” … Solid Waste Issues in the City of Albany, the Town of Colonie and the Proposed Changes in the NYS Solid Waste Regulations
Dear Friends & Allies, Please help get your county legislator to say “yes” to the proposed styrofoam ban law. 1. Fill out this online petition even if you’ve completed a paper or online petition before. Go to: https://sites.google.com/riverkeeper.org/albanyfoamban/home. Leave a quick comment. These are powerful! 2. CALL your Albany County legislator – the petition will … Step up and Advocate for the Styrofoam Ban in Albany County!
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Carol Waterman introduced former county legislator Timothy Nichols at the January 20 SPB dinner saying Tim sponsored a bill vetoed by Albany County Executive Dan McCoy that would have blocked pharmacies in Albany County from selling tobacco products. Tim, who was also Chairman of the legislature’s health committee, and lost a … Former Albany County Legislator Tim Nichols: Politics & Tobacco
By Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Michael McLaughlin, the Director of Research for Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, was the SPB dinner speaker on May 21, filling in for McCoy who was attending the convention of the NYS Democratic Party. He said he is involved in many of McCoy’s policies. Mr. McLaughlin said the Polystyrene ban signed by … Michael McLaughlin, Director of Research for Albany County Executive Dan McCoy Speaks to SPB
by Tom Ellis On December 12, when Albany County Executive Dan McCoy signed legislation passed by the county legislature a month earlier that bans chain restaurants and eateries from using polystyrene (Styrofoam) take-out food containers, he credited his three children, especially Egan, a senior at Albany High School, for pressuring and reminding him to be … Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, Styrofoam Ban and Protection of the Pine Bush
WHEREAS, the members of the Albany County Legislature and the constituents we represent want to ensure the safety, as well as the physical and mental well-being of U.S. soldiers, veterans, and their families; and WHEREAS, the severity of the ongoing economic crisis has created budget shortfalls at all levels of government and requires us to … Proclamation Calling on Congress to Fund Urgently Needed Services in Albany County and Throughout the United States by Reducing Military Spending
Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY The Albany County Legislature is considering legislation that would extend the ban on the use of one-time use (take-out) food and beverage polystyrene foam containers from restaurants and eateries with fifteen or more establishments in the US (enacted three years ago) to all restaurants and eateries in the county. A public … Albany County & Banning Styrofoam
by John Wolcott A great unanswered environmental acquisition mystery of the Capital District is the long failed Albany County Historic and Nature Preserve and Historic and Nature Preserve Trust Law of 1976. This law was never implemented. About the only thing ever done with this well designed and well intended law was to place the … An Albany County Environmental Mystery
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Long time SPB member Tom Ellis spoke at the June 22 SPB virtual meeting. He reviewed the book, “A Wild Idea: How the Environmental Movement Tamed the Adirondacks” by Brad Edmondson, published last year. Tom discussed the same book at an in-person review on May 24 for the Friends of … A Wild Idea: How the Environmental Movement Tamed the Adirondacks
2020s 🦋 2010s 🦋 2000s 🦋 1990s Search Newsletter Archives: 2019 🦋 2018 🦋 2017 🦋 2016 🦋 2015 🦋 2014 🦋 2013 🦋 2012 🦋 2011 🦋 2010 2019 Newsletter 🦋 December/January 2019-20 Newsletter Download printable PDF version Listen to the Podcasts Merton Simpson — Fighting Environmental Racial Injustice, December/January 2019 Air Pollution in … SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2010s
ALBANY: Bill Aylward and Gene Messercola spoke at the January vegetarian lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church in Albany. Both Mr. Aylward and Mr. Messercola spoke bout the one important thing Albany County can do for Pine Bush preservation: donate all tax delinquent properties located in the Pine Bush to the Pine Preserve. Tax … Bill Aylward and Gene Messercola
By Tom Ellis, June/July 2021 Newsletter HUDSON RIVER VALLEY: Residents of Hudson River valley, but especially Ravena and Coeymans, won a great victory on May 5 when the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) commissioner issued a short statement revoking its prior authorization for the Lafarge cement company’s to burn tires at its Ravena cement … Lafarge Can’t Burn Tires!
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Joe Paparone of the Labor-Religion Coalition of NYS and former Albany Common Council member Vivian Kornegay spoke about The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Renewal (PPC), at the April 18 SPB dinner. Joe described himself as a sax player but not a singer, and works on immigration … The Poor People’s Campaign
ALBANY, NY: Albany County Legislator Merton Simpson spoke about “Fighting Environmental Racial Injustice” at the October 16, 2019 SPB dinner. He began saying, “I see one of my environmental heroes–Ward Stone–here.” [Ward is the legendary and now retired wildlife pathologist (1969-2010) of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.] Merton said, “We live in perilous times, … Merton Simpson — Fighting Environmental Racial Injustice
by Lynn Rothenberg GUIDLERLAND: A piece of local African-American history has received state recognition. While residents have long called the neighborhood the Promised Land, the state will now recognize it as the Rapp Road District. The designation by the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is due to one woman’s efforts. The district … State Recognizes The Promised Land
Willow Street Again Guilderland Holds Steady History In The Making? By Daniel Van Riper The people have spoken, and the politicians are running to catch up to reality. Nobody with even a shred of self-respect wants to see the evil and rapacious Pyramid Corporation expand Crossgates Mall and possibly eventually plant a mega-casino. The … Willow Street Again
ALBANY, NY: Paul Tick and Tina Lieberman spoke at the January 15, 2020 SPB dinner about plans by Lafarge to burn tire at its cement factory in Ravena, twelve miles south of Albany. Paul began his comments with saying that when he moved to the capital region 32 years ago, he immediately looked for activists … Burn Tires vs. Clean Air
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: David Ellis of Rensselaer Residents Against Toxic Dumping and Lou Sebesta of Stop Trucks Assaulting Rensselaer (STAR) spoke at the May 15th SPB dinner about “Done with Dunn Landfill: Negative Impacts of Dunn C/D Dump Operations” in Rensselaer, and their efforts to close it. Later in the evening, George Keleshian … Done with the Dunn Dump
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Retired University at Albany economics professor and McKownville Improvement Association president Don Reeb was the speaker at the November 18 SPB dinner. Don spoke about SUNY Poly — formerly College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE): The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Don is 82 years old. He said the neighborhood contain 900 … Don Reeb — The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: I do not know any local people who better understand the relationships between trade policy, jobs, immigration, the environment, and poverty than Susan DuBois and Mark Schaeffer. Thus I was very pleased when Sue agreed to speak about the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) at the January 15 Save the Pine … The Trans Pacific Partnership Explained by Sue DuBois
Save the Pine Bush Action Alert! Action Alerts! Call Your Albany City Common Council Member To oppose re-zoning of 365 Washington Avenue Extension (If you do not live in Albany, then choose someone to call). Call before March 20, 2000 Call Your Albany County Legislator To call for the County to request that part of … Save the Pine Bush Action Alert!
by Tom Ellis ONLINE: Long-time local environmental leader and former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator Judith Enck spoke on “Cleaning the Air” at the June 17 Virtual Vegetarian/Vegan Lasagna Dinner. Judith spoke primarily about Lafarge and Norlite. She began with the state-owned ANSWERS trash incinerator that operated, with high lead and dioxin emissions, in … Judith Enck Speaks About Cleaning the Air
Search Newsletter Archives: What is Full Protection, Partial Protection and who is the Pine Bush? – By Lynne Jackson – June / July 2022 Newsletter A Tribute To Lew Oliver, our wonderful lawyer The Pine Bush’s Most Famous Resident – The Karner Blue Butterfly Save the Pine Bush Victories and Fights The Thruway Authority Comes … Newsletters Articles Ordered by Subject
STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF ALBANY SUPREME COURT _________________________________________________ In the Matter of the Application of SAVE THE PINE BUSH, INC., REZSIN ADAMS, SANDRA CAMP, SHARON CASTERLIN, LUCY CLARK, LYNNE JACKSON, MARTHA MASTERS JOHN WOLCOTT, PETER VAN NOSTRAND and RUSSELL ZIEMBA, Case No. 1 AFFIRMATION Petitioners, … Verified Petition, Januar 17, 2006
STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF ALBANY SUPREME COURT _________________________________________________ In the Matter of the Application of SAVE THE PINE BUSH, INC., REZSIN ADAMS, SANDRA CAMP, SHARON CASTERLIN, LUCY CLARK, LYNNE JACKSON, MARTHA MASTERS JOHN WOLCOTT, PETER VAN NOSTRAND and RUSSELL ZIEMBA, Case No. 1 Petitioners, … Memorandum of Law, January 17, 2006
STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF ALBANY SUPREME COURT _________________________________________________ In the Matter of the Application of SAVE THE PINE BUSH, INC., REZSIN ADAMS, SANDRA CAMP, SHARON CASTERLIN, LUCY CLARK, LYNNE JACKSON, MARTHA MASTERS JOHN WOLCOTT, PETER VAN NOSTRAND and RUSSELL ZIEMBA, Case No. 1 VERIFIED PETITION … Verified Petition, Januar 17, 2006
by Tom Ellis Since the prior SPB News last year, much has occurred locally and regionally. Despite many enviro-activists working separately, climate activists are increasingly well organized and effective in their lobbying the state legislature. Nevertheless, a widely supported Renewable Capitol Act has not been enacted as of Earth Day. The RCA would invest $50 … Environmental News
Coyotes in the Moonlight Coyotes in the Moonlight Response to the Commission’s Final Implementation Guidelines by Lynne Jackson "It was a cold night in January, snow on the ground, full moon, not a creature moving a muscle," began Jerry Mueller, at the January Lasagna Dinner. He had to get out of the house and decided … Coyotes in the Moonlight
by Tom Ellis ALBANY& RENSSELAER, NY: In early March, the mayor of Cohoes called for the end to Norlite’s hazardous waste incineration in the city. He acknowledged Norlite can continue operating its cement business without burning poisonous wastes. Profits would decrease because Norlite would have to purchase and pay for fuel rather than being paid … Efforts Continue in 2022 to Rein in Two Local Polluters
2020s 🦋 2010s 🦋 2000s 🦋 1990s Search Newsletter Archives: 2009 🦋 2008 🦋 2007 🦋 2006 🦋 2005 🦋 2004 🦋 2003 🦋 2002 🦋 2001 🦋 2000 2009 October/November 2009 – Download printable PDF version Bringing Back Sustainable Karner Blue Populations, October/November, 2009 September Biogas Talk, October/November, 2009 Buckmoth Monitoring, October/November, 2009 Neither … SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2000s
by Tom Ellis RENSSELAER, NY: David Carpenter, a renowned local physician who studies the human health impacts of toxic materials, spoke at a December 2nd East Greenbush Town Board (EGTB) forum on the Dunn dump. He was the first presenter on a five-person panel. The Dunn construction and demolition debris dump, owned by Waste Connections, … The Damaging Health Effects of the Dunn Dump
CONCORD, N.H. – Two biologists crawled through a field thick with blueberry, black chokeberry, and scrub oak, searching for butterfly eggs the size of pinheads. Suddenly, one of them, Steve Fuller, thrust a hand into the air. “Found one!” he shouted. As his colleague, Heidi Holman, ran to his side, Fuller opened his hand to … Returning to flight Efforts of New England biologists help usher in rebirth of the endangered Karner blue butterfly
CONCORD, N.H. – Two biologists crawled through a field thick with blueberry, black chokeberry, and scrub oak, searching for butterfly eggs the size of pinheads. Suddenly, one of them, Steve Fuller, thrust a hand into the air. “Found one!” he shouted. As his colleague, Heidi Holman, ran to his side, Fuller opened his hand to … Returning to flight
Michael Breslin Speaks Michael Breslin Speaks by Ehren Evans Albany County Executive Breslin spoke at August’s lasagna dinner. It was an exciting opportunity for members of Save the Pine Bush to learn more about county government and the county executive. Mr. Breslin said his stint as county executive is the best job he ever … Michael Breslin Speaks
Jack Fights Back – McEneny Debates A Letter Jack Fights Back McEneny Debates A Letter By Daniel Van Riper Unexpectedly, John J. “Jack” McEneny is fighting for his job. The State Assemblyman from the 104th District, which runs from Albany to Schenectady to the Hilltowns and includes most of the Pine Bush, spoke to about … 9
The Two Month Debate – Jennings and McEneny In A Death-Grip The Two Month Debate Jennings and McEneny In A Death-Grip By Daniel Van Riper Part 1: The Challenger State Assemblyman and Albany mayoral candidate Jack McEneny found himself being interviewed by the editors of the local media outlet for the Hearst Corporation, the Times … The Two Month Debate – Jennings and McEneny In A Death-Grip