Search Results for: Lafarge

Lafarge Can’t Burn Tires!

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 kiln. The DEC statement said the “Lafarge facility currently lacks the infrastructure to burn TDF [tire derived fuel], and has not, nor has it ever,…

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Ward Stone was employed by the state but he worked for the people, animals, and environment

Published in the Altamont Enterprise, 3/2/23 To the Editor: I greatly appreciate your full-page commentary in the Feb. 16 issue about Ward Stone [“From the editor: A scientist who strove to make a healthier Earth”]. I knew Ward for 40 years. Ward was a rare public servant: competent, articulate, hardworking, fearless. He insisted he had a right and duty to inform and warn the public about environmental health threats. He was employed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation but…

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Ward Stone — NYS Wildlife Pathologist Worked for the People

Editor’s Note: Ward Stone died on February 8, 2023 at the age of 84. Ward Stone was a friend of Save the Pine Bush and often spoke at SPB vegetarian lasagna dinners. Here are two letters which describe Ward. The first letter was written by long-time friend, Lewis Oliver and sent to many media outlets, but, never published. The second letter from Tom Ellis was published in the Altamont Enterprise. Dear Mr. Seiler: The front-page article about the death of…

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Clean Air Update

By Tom Ellis ALBANY COUNTY: The Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena-Coeyamns held a community forum on February 9 about its continuing efforts to block the Lafarge cement company from burning tires near the Hudson River in Ravena, and directly across Route 9W from the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk (RCS) Middle and High Schools. Christine Primomo, a retired nurse and Coeymans resident, began the forum asking Why are large corporations so determined to burn hazardous wastes in our communities? and Where are our…

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Burn Tires vs. Clean Air

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 to hook up with and found Save the Pine Bush.  Paul quickly reviewed important Lafarge events of the past 26 months. In late 2017, Coeymans…

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DEC is Derelict its Duty — Not Requiring Preparation of Environmental Impact Statements

by Tom Ellis A growing problem in the capital region and probably elsewhere in New York is that large or gigantic proposed projects, many with potentially enormous environmental impacts, are passing thorough the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) regulatory system without environmental impact statements (EIS) being produced, as required under the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Act. DEC is playing a huge role in this problem. I first noticed it in 2005 when DEC issued a negative declaration allowing…

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Brief History of the Draft Coeymans Clean Air Law — Vote expected in February 2019

by Barbara Heinzen COEYMANS, NY: In December, 2017, Mike Ewall, of the Energy Justice Network, alerted Albany County and the Town of Coeymans that Connecticut was considering a proposal to ship municipal trash to the LaFarge/Holcim Cement Plant in Ravena.  In response, Albany County and the Town of Coeymans organized a packed press conference two days after Christmas where former EPA Administrator, Judith Enck, spoke against Connecticut’s proposal. On December 31, 2017, Connecticut decided to keep its trash to itself….

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Ward Stone Speaks

by Tom Ellis   ALBANY, NY: Saying “I am very happy to be here,” Ward Stone launched into a very interesting and wide-ranging lecture at the December 16th SPB dinner.  Using deadpan humor, he said, “I spent a very environmental evening” last night watching the Republican presidential candidates.  Later he said “These Republican candidates are not good for the environment . . . We need to educate the politicians.” Ward Stone, who is 77, was the NYS Wildlife Pathologist from 1969 to 2010.  He was…

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We Want Ward in Our Backyard!

by Tom Ellis As many readers know, Ward Stone, NYS DEC wildlife pathologist since 1969, has had numerous conflicts over the years with DEC higher-ups, most concerning Ward’s determination to learn the facts about how pollutants impact wildlife, and then reporting what he has learned. The latest of these battles is now in progress. This assault likely resulted from his taking and analyzing numerous soil samples downwind of the mercury spewing LaFarge cement factory in Ravena. During May the Albany…

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Waste to Energy Seems Like A Good Idea, But Is It Good For The Environment?

Jim Travers, a resident of Coeymans, NY, attended the February 15 Save the Pine Bush dinner and heard Jack Lauber speak about Waste-to-Energy. These are Jim Travers’ comments. – Ed Please forward this email to all those on the Save The Pine Bush mail list. Feedback is welcomed. Thanks. Jim Travers I do not think incineration of garbage is healthy for anyone or our environment, whether it is used to create electricity or only to eliminate a portion of the…

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Battling Hazardous Waste Incineration

By Tom Ellis COHOES: Lights Out Norlite, NATURE Lab, Saratoga Sites Against Norlite Emissions, and the Hudson Mohawk Environmental Action Network held a virtual Hazardous Waste School on December 16 at which four hazardous waste experts discussed various aspects of the issue. The program concerned the Norlite hazardous waste incinerator in Cohoes. Bruce Buckheit worked for the federal government from 1984-2003 helping enforce the Clean Air Act. He was Senior Counsel in the Environmental Enforcement Section of the Department of…

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Judith Enck Speaks About Cleaning the Air

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 Albany during the 1980s and 1990s. Judith said SPB members Rezsin and Ted Adams, and John Wolcott played a large role in closing it. After…

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Regulate Toxins

by Tom Ellis In the wake of the George Floyd murder, much has been said and written about how policing and public safety require major overhauls in the United States. The same applies to how the New York state government regulates environmental toxins. Human health and the environment are being poisoned with the support of the state environmental conservation (DEC) and health (DOH) departments. A major aspect of the problem is that the governor appoints top staff of both agencies….

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SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2020s

2020s 🦋 2010s 🦋 2000s 🦋 1990s Search Newsletter Archives: 2023 🦋 2022 🦋 2021 🦋 2020 2023 Newsletters 🦋 News Articles from April / May 2023 Newsletter The Costco Public Hearing & Climate Change by Lynne Jackson – April / May 2023 Newsletter Ward Stone — NYS Wildlife Pathologist Worked for the People by Lew Oliver – April / May 2023 Newsletter Ward Stone was employed by the state but he worked for the people, animals, and environment by…

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Newsletters Articles Ordered by Subject

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 Across Royally, Dec 99/Jan 00Save the Pine Bush is 25!, Mar/Apr 03 Legislation regarding standing in court We Need the Environmental Access to Justice Act,…

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