by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: On Thursday, August 26, the Zoning Committee of the Albany Common Council held a scoping hearing on the proposed 124-Unit Residence Inn in the Pine Bush. This hotel would be built next to the Karner Blue butterfly hill, which is the only large site of Karner Blues south of the Thruway. … Crossgates Wants to Build a Hotel in the Pine Bush
by Chris Kielb and Tom Ellis Rensselaer and East Greenbush residents and their allies (Rensselaer Environmental Coalition, REC) continue to organize to block the proposed Bio HiTech municipal solid waste processing facility on the former BASF industrial site, south of Columbia Turnpike. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) sent now-departed Rensselaer Mayor Moody a … Updates on the trash problems in Rensselaer
To the Editor: At a recent Albany Common Council General Services Committee meeting concerning the expansion of the Rapp Road landfill, three issues of concern were raised: the city hot line phone number established to report complaints about the smell emanating from the landfill; the little monetary reward the city realizes from the methane-to-energy project; … News from Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission
by John Wolcott . Looking southwest from Guilderland, Colonie, Albany, and Mt. Rafinesque, overlooking Lansingburgh, a long dark and clearly outlined, straight line of mountains are seen on the intermediate horizon. Beyond this on the further horizon, are seen, if at all, a hazy, greyish blue, outline of distinct separate humps of mountains. It is … Buy High Point
by John Wolcott Guilderland just enacted six-month moratorium on development in the western part of town. The Town of Colonie is considering a moratorium in certain segments of town. As both Guilderland and Colonie contain Pine Bush, one would have expected the Pine Bush to have been included in the moratoriums as both town supervisors … Moratoriums
by Lynne Jackson SCHENECTADY: Volunteers for Save the Pine Bush (SPB) were invited by the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) to participate in a charette regarding eliminating the at-grade crossings at Morris and Cordell Roads in Colonie. The stated goal of the charette was to come up with ideas to allow safe passage … Charette a Charade
Guilderland, NY: A speculator has proposed to sub-divide 7.9 acres of Pine Bush in the full protection area between the New York State Thruway and Lydius Street. The proposal is currently before the Guilderland Planning Board. Last January, Mr. Coles, a real estate appraiser, proposed sub-dividing the property into four lots. There is already one … Speak Out for Pine Bush Preservation
Prescribed burn season proposed for spring, summer and fall 2003: This year the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission has scheduled a potential of 112 days to conduct prescribed burns. The 2003 burn windows are proposed to be April 14 to May 24, July 7 to August 31 and September 29 to October 18. This is the … Notes from the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission
by Lynne Jackson OK, Crossgates has been in the news a lot recently. Actually, they made it into the international news. Save the Pine Bush has received emails from out raged people as far away as Sydney Australia, and California. People are mad. To recap: On Monday evening, March 3, Stephen Downs and his son … Crossgates is a Bad Neighbor
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: The Honorable Jack McEneny noted that the last time he had vegetarian lasagna was when he had the pleasure of giving John Wolcott, long-time Pine Bush advocate, an award from the NYS Legislature. He was glad to be back at the May veggie lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church to … The Honorable Jack McEneny Reports on the Legislature
ALBANY, NY: The Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department decided against the Karner Blue Butterfly and for more construction in the Pine Bush. Save the Pine Bush had brought suit against the City of Albany Planning Board over its approval of an upscale senior housing facility proposed by the Roman Catholic Dioceses behind the … The Karner Blue Loses Another Battle
ALBANY: Neil Gifford, Conservation Director of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, gave a powerpoint presentation to the attendees of the September vegetarian lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church on the new 2002 Pine Bush Management Plan. State Law requires the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (the Commission) to review its management plan every … New Plan for the Preserve – – 2002 Management Plan Revealed
ALBANY: In its pursuit of the proposed landfill expansion, the City of Albany is working on the Environmental review process required under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. The initial part of this process is preparation of scoping document to determine what topics should be included in this review. A public meeting was held at … The Dump Expansion is for Who?
Albany: At the July Save the Pine Bush dinner, the Honorable John McEneny, Democratic Assemblyman for the 104th District, opened his speech by noting the last time he had spoken at a Save the Pine Bush dinner was a happy occasion to honor SPB member John Wolcott with an resolution from the NYS Assembly for … Assemblyman John McEneny Speaks about the Landfill
SPB Needs Your Help to Fight Road SPB Needs Your Help to Fight Road by Lynne Jackson Last summer, Judge Thomas Keegan handed down a win for Save the Pine Bush overturning a vote by the Common Council to make the "Loop Road" or Columbia Circle Drive a public road. The problem is, the Common … SPB Needs Your Help to Fight Road
Download a PDF of this letter Richard Nicholson, Planner City of Albany, Dept. of Economic Development & Neighborhood Planning 21 Lodge Street Albany, NY 12207 Re: Supplemental ~Draft-Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) Tharaidson Development Company Proposed Residence Inn project City of Albany, Albany County Dear Mr. Nicholson: Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) staff reviewed the SDEIS … Save the Pine Bush
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: On Tuesday, September 12, at a meeting of the Common Council General Services Committee, the City of Albany made its third proposal to take protected Pine Bush land and turn it into a landfill. It is important to consider the history of the City’s landfill expansion proposals in the past year. … The Albany Common Council The Debate and the Vote
For Immediate Release: December 10, 2002 For Further Information: Contact Lynne Jackson at 434-1954 or 366-7324 ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush volunteers demonstrated today over the destruction of the Pine Bush for the building of Avila House. Avila House is proposed to be built in the rare Pine Bush ecosystem. The Pine Bush is … Save the Pine Bush
Dear Lynne, Your article “No magic bullet: Solving the Garbage Problem” in the May June of Save the Pine Bush newsletter, is very perceptive. In particular, your sentence, “Customers did not demand the throwaway bottle; it was done to allow the bottling companies to consolidate and grow bigger” is absolutely on target as is your … Letter to the Editor
Save the Pine Bush has a traveling exhibit. We bring it to fairs, schools, and especially every year to the Albany Tulipfest, held on Saturaday and Sunday of Mother’s Day weekend in May. If you don’t have a chance to visit our exhibit in person, we have put the pictures and captions in our exhibit … Save the Pine Bush
The Appellate Court hearing on the SCRAP (Selkirk, Coeymans, Ravena Against Pollution) members’ case against the City of Albany will be held on September 5, 2007 at 1pm on the fifth floor of the Justice Building at the Empire State Plaza (for directions, email Jim Travers at jatrav@yahoo.com). It is the plaintiffs’ contention that the … News from our SCRAP Friends
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: On October 19, Willard Bruce, Commissioner of the Albany Department of General Services, made a presentation to the Common Council about the proposed landfill expansion in the Pine Bush. During the meeting, he told the Common Council members that the City was no longer obligated to dedicate the Fox Run Estate … Albany wants to Dedicate a Dump to the Preserve
The Proposed Albany City Charter: For Better or For Worse The Proposed Albany City Charter: For Better or For Worse by Rezsin Adams Is the new charter the best the city of Albany can have? Absolutely not. Can we get a better deal? Who knows. Harold Rubin, Albany City Charter Commission Member, gave a … 9
ALBANY, NY — Save the Pine Bush and the Alliance for Environmental Renewal filed suit February 2 in the United States District court for the Northern District of New York against Pyramid Crossgates over its violation of its waste water permit for the past three years. Pyramid Crossgates has a State Pollution Discharge Elimination System … Save the Pine Bush Sues Crossgates Mall
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Save the Pine Bush turned 30 and celebrated with a big party at the First Presbyterian Church. What was served? Lasagna, of course! Over 100 people attended the bash. “Looking Forward, Looking Back 30 Years of Advocacy for the Pine Bush.” The first order of business was the “Looking Forward” part. … Save the Pine BushTurns 30
Below is a copy of the Final Scoping document for the proposed hotel adjacent to the Karner Blue Butterfly site. For more information about the project, please see the following: Crossgates Wants to Build a Hotel in the Pine Bush, Will they never go away? (Sept/Oct 04) Save the Pine Bush Sues Crossgates Maul and … You Can Help Save the Pine Bush in The Town of Colonie
Roman Catholic Diocese Proposes Senior Housing in the Pine Bush Karner Blue in Serious Trouble It is with great sadness that Save the Pine Bush reports that the Roman Catholic Diocese has proposed Avila House Independent Senior Campus in the Pine Bush. This proposed housing would be located behind the Teresian House on Washington Avenue … Roman Catholic Diocese Proposes – Senior Housing in the Pine Bush – Karner Blue in Serious Trouble
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
SPB Sues City & DEC Over Illegal Landfill in the Pine Bush SPB Sues City & DEC Over Illegal Landfill in the Pine Bush ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush filed suit in July against the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the City of Albany over the permit approval for the City … SPB Sues City & DEC Over Illegal Landfill in the Pine Bush
Council Sacrifices Pine Bush – Nitido, Hershberg Win Council Sacrifices Pine Bush Nitido, Hershberg Win By Daniel Van Riper Showing a marked lack of common sense, the Albany Common Council voted 9-6 in favor of rezoning 400 and 495 Rapp Road to build an office park called Drumlin Fields in the shadow of the … Council Sacrifices Pine Bush – Nitido, Hershberg Win
by Tom Ellis New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos responded to a March 4 Albany Times Union editorial with a letter to the editor ten days later. The editorial titled, “Weak fines, weak message,” strongly criticized the DEC’s “spotty record on cracking down on local environmental violations.” Specifically discussed were the … DEC Should Enforce the Rules
Compiled by Tim Truscott Letter: Pine Bush Preserve remains a folly To the editor, Sunday, September 2, 2018 The extension of the lifespan of the Rapp Road landfill is welcome news for Albany taxpayers. It’s unimaginable what the cost of getting rid of our waste will be when we have to close that landfill. I … Letters to the Editor of the Times Union
ALBANY, NY— Leaders of local community organizations, backed up by environmental organizations throughout the state, released a letter on September 19, 2017; calling on Governor Cuomo and the Department of Environment Conservation (DEC) to undertake a full environmental review, including an Environmental Impact Statement on a 16-megawatt gas-fired power plant proposed in Sheridan Hollow, a … SHARE — Sheridan Hollow Alliance for Renewable Energy Forms
by Diana Wright Given the plight of the Albany City Landfill and the dismaying information gathered at the 3 forums held by the City last month, PAUSE would like to form a committee to address the landfill dilemma looming over us. We had a preliminary meeting on July 6 to see what kind of interest … Landfill Committee forming
by Hugh Johnson ALBANY. NY: Judith Enck, former EPA Regional Director of New York State’s Region II, and until recently the first visiting Scholar at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, spoke at the Save the Pine Bush vegetarian lasagna dinner at the Westminster Presbyterian Church on June 21. Like many Americans, … How Can We Reverse the Tide of Trump’s Plan to Eliminate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency? — Part I
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: For many years I have watched state agencies abuse our rights as citizens, taxpayers, residents, and interested parties in regulatory proceedings. The NYS Energy Research and Development Authority (ERDA) and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are particularly guilty of limiting public access to public information. For example, ERDA held … Save the Pine Bush Volunteers Win Victory for Open Records
by Tom Ellis Listen to the audio of the presentation here. Albany, NY: Recently retired National Weather Service (NWS) meteorological forecaster Hugh Johnson was the speaker at the April 19 SPB dinner. His talk was titled Is the Earth Running a Fever? and he spoke about climate change and the NWS. He said, “Anything’s possible … Is the Earth Running a Fever?
by Tom Ellis Albany, NY: Kim Fraczek, Co-Director of the Sane Energy Project spoke on “Gas Infrastructure — The Big Picture” at the January 18 SPB dinner. She is very enthusiastic opinionated, and optimistic about blocking construction of many of the proposed natural gas pipelines in New York. She displayed an interactive, online map of … Kim Fraczek Speaks about the Sane Energy Project and Mapping PipelinesKim Fraczek Speaks about the Sane Energy Project and Mapping Pipeliness
The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission is releasing its Draft Management Plan Update for public review and comment on October 4, 2016. A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, October 25, 2016 from 7:00-9:00pm, at the Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center, 195 New Karner Road, Albany, NY to gather public comment on this document. People … Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Releases 2017 Draft Management Plan Update
Report from Tom Ellis The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) held public hearings that I attended on September 20 and October 25 on the application of the Town of Colonie to greatly enlarge its landfill located along the Mohawk River near Route 9. Dozens spoke against the proposal citing concerns about odors, aesthetics, noise, … Landfill Expansion Proposal in the Town of Colonie
The editorial “Question and answer time,” Sept. 4, regarding a late August state Senate public hearing on PFOA contamination in Rensselaer County said the central issue is “why a village of 3,500 people was drinking contaminated water for more than a year after officials first knew of the problem” and asked “what could have been … Bad air a problem in the South End
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: When we learned that US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional administrator Judith Enck would be speaking in Albany the same evening Save the Pine Bush as the scheduled August dinner, SPB decided to cancel the dinner and hear Ms. Enck speak. On August 17, Ms. Enck, formerly of Albany, … Judith Enck Meets with Ezra Prentice Residents
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Julien Bouget of Sun Edison was the speaker at the June 15 SPB dinner. Mr. Bouget has been in the wind business since 1999. He was born in France. He was introduced by Tim Truscott. Tim told me later that Mr. Bouget studied physics in college. Mr. Bouget said … Wind Energy
by Tim Truscott There has been plenty of energy pipeline news in the Capital Region of New York during the month of April. Here is some of it: Northeast Energy Direct Pipeline “Suspended” On April 20, Kinder Morgan, the developer for the Northeast Energy Direct (NED) 30-inch diameter natural gas pipeline, announced it was … Dan McCoy Speaks at Save the Pine Bush
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: 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 Brian Nearing — Published in the Times Union, Saturday, June 27, 2015 It’s a long way from a sea of natural gas wells scattered through Pennsylvania’s Bradford County to Libby Reilly’s organic farm off Clarks Chapel Road in Nassau. And it is even longer from her farm, where about two dozen beef cows … Crossing paths: Area farmers fear risks from 2 gas pipeline proposals
by Tom Ellis ALBANY: Albany Pine Bush Management Commission (APBMC or the Commission) Executive Director Chris Hawver was the October 15 SPB dinner speaker. Lynne Jackson and I introduced him saying that Save the Pine Bush is very pleased that the Commission exists and is protecting the Pine Bush. Lynne said the work of SPB … Chris Hawver of the Commission Speaks
By Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Former Albany First Ward Common Council member Dominick Calsolaro spoke at the June 18 SPB dinner about Environmental Issues in Albany. He began thanking SPB President Rezsin Adams for her many years of friendship. During the US-Vietnam War, he said, Rezsin often came into his family’s restaurant. Dominick spoke about the … Public Advocate Dominick Calsolaro
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