This really should be a concern for all us including those many miles away. The amount of toxins entering our great lakes is alarming. I would assume hydraulic fracturing would add greatly to the amount of hazardous material handled by Chemical Waste Management.

Every time I go to Florida I am amazed at how much cleaner the air is compared to living here in Buffalo. Florida just does not have as much industry and the air from the Gulf and the Atlantic is so pleasant.

WNY is home to 7 of top state polluters
EPA data lists CWM Chemical, Huntley Station, 3M Co. as top 3 in the region
By Aaron Besecker
NEWS NIAGARA REPORTER
Published:
December 28, 2010, 7:44 AM

Seven of the state's 25 biggest polluters are located in Western New York, according to recently released data from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Erie and Niagara counties are each home to three of the top sites, and another is in Cattaraugus County, according to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory for discharges made in 2009.

The area's largest polluter, according to EPA data, is CWM Chemical Services, a commercial hazardous waste landfill in Lewiston and Porter in northwest Niagara County.

CWM ranked seventh in the state, with its representatives reporting to federal regulators it released 765,544 pounds of waste, 99 percent of which it buried in its landfill.

Here are the other local sites that which ranked in the top 25:

• No. 8 -- Huntley Station, Town of Tonawanda.

• No. 14 -- 3M Co., Town of Tonawanda.

• No. 16 -- AES Somerset, Somerset.

• No. 18 -- DuPont Yerkes plant, Town of Tonawanda.

• No. 19 -- Niagara Generation, Niagara Falls.

• No. 21 -- Cooper Power Systems, Olean.

A CWM spokeswoman called the agency's methodology for its Toxics Release Inventory "misleading and counterintuitive."

"What is in fact an activity that provides a high level of community protection is inappropriately reported as a 'release' to the environment," spokeswoman Lori Caso said in a written statement.

The data, released earlier this month, is compiled by the agency from reports made by the companies. It includes releases into the ground, water and air, both on-site and off-site.

Regulators said the data does not reflect what exposure there may be to the public from the chemical releases.

Finch Paper in Glens Falls released nearly 3.8 million pounds of waste into the environment in 2009 and was the state's biggest polluter, according to the data. Eastman Kodak's Eastman Business Park in Rochester ranked second in 2009, releasing more than 2.9 million pounds of waste.

Statewide, total overall releases dropped about 26 percent to 18.3 million pounds from 2008, the EPA said.

The agency's latest annual inventory includes information from 646 facilities in New York.

Nationally, about 3.37 billion pounds were released into the environment last year, down 12 percent from 2008.

For more information on the Toxics Release Inventory, visit www.epa.gov/tri.
abesecker@buffnews.com

I just love it. It is the sturdiest I have ever seen. Opening and collapsing it is so easy. I love the Amish!



It is nice to know that I can extend the life of my clothes and also reduce my carbon footprint just a bit. I'm not going to use it for everything but I can avoid at least 1 load of laundry in the drier a week. It also adds moisture and a fresh laundry smell into your home.

I got Coco a grass ball. Here he is after I gave it to him. He kept on chinning it which really means he is marking it as his.



This morning Mike and I had a nice breakfast by my kitchen window after opening our gifts to the sounds of the Chipmunk's Christmas album. Mike got me a glass butter dish which I have been wanting.



My friend Lydia gave me this Amish made clothes horse. I love it so much. Can't wait to hang my clothes to dry.



Mike got me the Mason Pearson brush I have been dying for. It is everything I ever dreamed of. I'm so happy he got it because he kept on going on how he would not buy me such a ridiculous thing.





He also got me these salt and pepper shakes that I loved at the store.



I also got a down winter coat from my Mom which I didn't take a picture of. I love that too. So far, I love everything.

General Information
After 12 years the club is permanently closing on Friday, December 31, 2010 at 5 pm. It's been a great run and we are grateful for everyone that supported our franchise over the years. The property has been sold, but the new owner will convert the property to other purposes; it will not remain a health club. Anyone that has prepaid for membership and/or locker rentals will receive a pro-rated refund by March 15, 2011.

Members with rental lockers should remove their belongings by the close of business on December 31, 2010. Any remaining items will be donated to local charities.

Much equipment has already been sold, but there is still some equipment, accessories, furniture, and many miscellaneous items throughout the club for sale. Almost anything you see is available for purchase at great prices.

The club phone numbers will be disconnected on December 31, 2010. If you wish to reach us, please use the "Contact Us" tab on this website.

We wish our current and former members the very best and look forward to our paths crossing in the future. Thank you!

It's too bad they have to close. Seems like they were probably struggling to hold on for a long time. In January I will be joining JCC. I'm sure many of the people I knew at Allentown will now be JCC members. Former members of Allentown are being offered a discount, not sure if that is a better one than is offered to RPCI employees.

Does anyone want any of this? I think I might put it on craigslist. I really do not have enough room to keep hoarding everything. I also have a garbage bag full of plastic grocery containers that are not recyclable in Buffalo yet. I think I might have to hold them until April when the recycling changes occur.

I can't wait to start working out again. This was only 15months ago and I had much better muscle tone and definition. I couldn't afford the gym membership and now I am really dying to go back. Hopefully the gym I want to go with will give me a reasonable deal when I sign up after the holidays. If not, I'm out.





I also can't wait to go see my fam in FL. My skins is dying for some sunlight. Psoriasis hates the sun. At the same time I love shade and dark shadows.

I want this brush so bad. It only costs $130 and (e:mike) won't let me have it.

Why settle for an ordinary hairbrush when you can have one that will give you a lustrous, healthier head of hair every time you use it? Mason Pearson handcrafts this brush with a blend of the finest boar and nylon bristles. Special spiral tufts draw your hair’s natural oils along the entire length of the hair shaft for added strength and a healthy shine. The pneumatic cushion stimulates the scalp without irritation. True, this brush is expensive, but it's worth every penny.
Features a combination of natural boar bristles and nylon bristles, and a pneumatic cushion
Handcrafted in England since 1885
8½" long.
Mason Pearson hairbrush stimulates the scalp and creates lustrous hair.

My friend Marion died last week. Her memorial service was at our Buddhist community center on Saturday. Every time I saw Marion she always encouraged me and gave me her undivided attention. I really am going to miss her and her amazing spirit.

This photo really shows how high of a life condition she had right up until the last breath. Her type of breast cancer was particularly painful as it ate away all of her chest. It was like being burned alive very slowly. In this picture she was on Morphine and Methadone. Despite this she was so alert and so determined to overcome her illness. When her doctor told her that she only had two weeks left (at the time of this photo), she fired her doctor.

I dreaded going to the memorial service. It turned out to not be as painful as I thought it would be and at one point it really felt like she was sitting next to me with her arm around me. When she died in her daughters house, all of the lights and cell phones went dead. I'm really not surprised considering the amount of energy she had stored up. Marion has six, very loved children.

I'm very excited about the new changes to the recycling program for city residents. Especially the fact that they will be expanding what we are able to recycle. I'm hoping that the city will try a bit harder at education this time, as I really can't believe the kind of crap people are putting in their recycling bins. Below is the latest from Buffalo News.

Changes to city recycling program include pickup every two weeks

By Brian Meyer

NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Published:
November 4, 2010, 12:00 AM





Get ready for an extreme makeover of Buffalo’s recycling program.

The Common Council voted, 7-1, Wednesday to approve a five-year contract that includes major changes in recycling practices.

Next spring, the city will distribute new 65-gallon totes to every property. The larger containers will replace those tiny blue bins that property owners have used since the program was implemented citywide in 1990.

The city also will reduce recycling pickups to every two weeks. Currently, recyclables are picked up every week.

Another big change will involve Buffalo’s move to “single-stream” recycling, which will allow people to toss more types of items into their new totes. Crews will not have to perform curbside separation chores.

The new plan is built into a contract that lawmakers approved at Wednesday’s meeting. Allied Waste Services, the city’s current recycling vendor, submitted the lowest of three bids. The city will pay Allied $1.2 million and will absorb the costs of buying new totes.

Crews will begin distributing the totes in April or May, so the conversion will not take place during snowy weather, Public Works Commissioner Steven J. Stepniak said.

Even some Council members who back the changes acknowledged that the city faces challenges. Majority Leader Richard A. Fontana said it will be tough for some people to remember which weeks they are supposed to recycle.

“You have one person on the street who puts it out [the wrong week], then you’ll have a whole street put it out because they saw someone’s tote out,” Fontana said.

He thinks the city should distribute calendars that would stick to the top of people’s totes. Stepniak said a number of strategies will be used to make sure people understand the changes, including an aggressive public education campaign.

“It’s worked in other communities, and I think our residents are just as sharp as other communities,” Stepniak said after the meeting. “We can make this work.”

Some lawmakers worry that homeowners who have small lots won’t have enough space to accommodate two totes. Properties already have one city-owned trash container.

Will crews continue to pick up recyclables that are placed in the little blue bins? Stepniak said problems will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Voting against the contract was South Council Member Michael

P. Kearns, who said there are too many unanswered questions. Kearns wanted the city to consider taking back operation of the recycling program, which was privatized in 2003. Stepniak said such a move would not be cost-efficient.

In other Council action, lawmakers unanimously adopted a resolution that encourages waterfront planners to consider building a state-of-the-art Great Lakes-themed aquarium on the Memorial Auditorium site. Advocates believe the attraction would be a catalyst for attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors and new businesses to the inner harbor.



bmeyer@buffnews.com