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Libertad's Journal

libertad
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12/28/2010 15:27 #53345

Western NY has more than 1/3rd of the States biggest polluters
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



tinypliny - 12/30/10 17:02
I wonder how many tonnes of waste was produced this christmas. It was not a pretty sight on garbage day on Linwood, Summer, North, Elmwood and Main - all of them had totes overflowing with 3x their capacities... Makes me think how much of pollution is personal responsibility of individuals as opposed to corporations...
vincent - 12/28/10 22:37
"Every time I go to Florida I am amazed at how much cleaner the air is"

You know now that I think about it you're on to something, it does feel fresher down here.

As for the landfills, I always get a chuckle on how people talk up Lewiston as some great place when it has those landfills. Plus it also has a bunch of radioactive and toxic waste as well that isn't included on that list. But yea, come down to historic Lewiston, just ignore the gigantic mound on the horizon as you're coming down the escarpment.
paul - 12/28/10 17:16
Not that it makes it any better for the world, but for most of us, that stuff is upstream at least.
metalpeter - 12/28/10 16:23
I saw that Article in the Paper but never got to it. With All the stuff you just Hear about like Oxy Chemical and stuff in the Falls and on grand island and Tonawanda Coke those stats make sense..... It is Still Scary though....

12/20/2010 16:29 #53310

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

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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.
tinypliny - 12/20/10 22:17
That is so nice to have! I often dry my clothes in my flat because I want all the moisture I can get without the humidifier (which always made me want to pee before it broke down). Clothes smell so much more nicer if they are not dried in the drier... But sometimes, I am in a real hurry and do use the drier with misgivings and yet other times, the washers are broken and the clothes are dripping wet forcing me to use the driers.

I have rickety little stand from Target which has served me well for 5 years now and is almost coming apart but somehow holds together by some mysterious force...
paul - 12/20/10 21:08
Whoa, that does look sturdy. We used to have one but it was nothing that well put together and more table format.

12/19/2010 11:49 #53302

Xmas gifts 2010
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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.
heidi - 12/20/10 00:09
awwww you got the brush!! Mike's a sweetie :-)
libertad - 12/19/10 18:30
He can chin anything. It just means he rubs his chin on whatever the object he wants to mark. He does it to shoes a lot. It means that he likes you or he wants everyone to know it is his.

I should also mention that the clothes horse collapses.
paul - 12/19/10 18:04
How does chining work? Does it roll it around with his chin?

That's cool that you got the brush you wanted. You'll have to blog about you experience with it.
tinypliny - 12/19/10 12:05
:-)
metalpeter - 12/19/10 12:01
I can't Believe He got you that Brush! If that is what you wanted the most then that is a great thing.............

12/18/2010 09:37 #53297

No more Allentown Athletix

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.
oda - 12/22/10 00:34
has anyone been to KC's fitness? it's on symphony circle, in an old church. they have no relationship to the church except for paying for the space.

its a small place, but may fit some people's needs. i would recommend shawn and kevin as personal trainers.
matthew - 12/19/10 12:10
I refuse to go to the jcc. Not because of my views on religion but because its a fucking dirty, disgusting organization. i worked there and i will never step foot in that building again. my friend Ami is also looking for a new gym. She also worked at the jcc in the past and she agrees with me about never giving money to the place. There are other gyms in the neighborhood and we are looking into them.
libertad - 12/19/10 08:31
Now I will feel slightly guilty for joining but it isn't enough to keep me from doing it. I would never work out if I had to take a bus out of my way to do it. It's hard enough to make the time to go to the gym in the first place. If Allentown were to stay open, after what you said Paul, I would pay whatever it would have cost me. I have been feeling so crappy since I haven't been working out that I just can't afford to boycott somewhere because a hopefully small fraction of my money will go to things I do not agree with. I can't afford or have the space for a home gym either.
paul - 12/18/10 12:27
That should "I refuse" not "I also refuse". It used to be paragraph 2 but I deleted some stuff.
paul - 12/18/10 12:02
I also refuse to contribute money to religious organizations. Its just means my money ends up going to support causes I don't support. Especially in this case where the money could end up in Israel supporting the unjust occupation. I would feel like such a hypocrite in this case, where I believe our support for Israel has made us the world's target for terrorists.

Just look at the JCC of North America's israel support page :::link::: " Building Bridges Between Israel and North American JCCs" Matt said when he worked there they made no secret of our local JCC supporting Israel directly with fundraisers, etc.

12/14/2010 20:37 #53274

Last good day

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metalpeter - 12/16/10 18:34
Nice Photos, I like the trees reflected off the water from the island......................
uncutsaniflush - 12/16/10 06:25
(e:libertad) - I'm with you. Winter doesn't make for good bike riding weather. Thanks for the explanation of the title.
oda - 12/15/10 22:35
gorgeous!

absolutely.
libertad - 12/15/10 19:02
Thanks guys. I really wasn't so sure about labeling it the "last good day" cause it does seem kind of definite but it really was the last day I took a leisurely ride. Now my bike is all cleaned and sitting in my living room. I'm not much of a winter person so even though I think it is incredibly beautiful I don't often take any photos of it. I really kind of want to because they make really awesome Christmas cards.

Sigh, I can't wait until the days start getting longer!
tinypliny - 12/15/10 17:48
I can't pick a favourite! Thanks for the wonderful photos!! Love them... well maybe the ones with the reflections better than the rest... but wait, I like the rocks and the desolation too..

Like walt said, I hope you capture some more this winter!
uncutsaniflush - 12/14/10 22:11
You captured great beauty on that day. Thanks for sharing the photos with us. But I do hope that you are wrong and there will be good days with great beauty for you (and by extension all of us) to see even in the deepest Wintertime.