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By Grace Nichols ALBANY: Save the Pine Bush research revealed that the City of Albany has been in violation of its own Pesticide Ordiance, not only at the Landfill, but also citywide, including public sites such as the Corning Preserve, the Washington Park Lakehouse, the Senior Center, the Visitor’s Center and City Hall. We … Pesticide Reductions Won at Albany Common Council
More on the West Nile Virus Arbor Hill Environmental Justice Asks for a Cleaner Patroon Creek Patroon Creek, from Lake Rensselaer in the Pine Bush through the Tivoli Preserve and Arbor Hill to the Hudson River, once was one of the state’s most polluted streams. Now The Arbor Hill Environmental Justice Corporation has filed a … More on the West Nile Virus
Ward Stone and the West Nile Virus Ward Stone and the West Nile Virus Albany, NY &emdash; Ward Stone, State Wildlife Pathologist, spoke at the August SPB lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. He began by describing the virus’ one-year journey from Westchester to the Capital District. In July, 1999, crows seemed to be … Ward Stone and the West Nile Virus
SPB Files Most Unpopular Suit Yet – Sues the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission SPB Files Most Unpopular Suit Yet Sues the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission by Lynne Jackson In October, Save the Pine Bush filed its most controversial and unpopular suit yet against the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission to over-turn its fire … SPB Files Most Unpopular Suit Yet – Sues the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission
by Grace Nichols ALBANY: Using the Freedom of Information Act, both Save the Pine Bush and Brian Nearing of the Times Union requested data that has been collected about the number of Karner Blue populations. We were astounded at what we found. The numbers of butterflies counted have plummeted in recent years, dipping below … Bringing Back Sustainable Karner Blue Populations
Waste Reduction and Recycling: Neil Seldman, PhD. Director of Waste to Wealth Initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (Washington, DC). Public Presentation and Workshop on Recycling and Waste Management in the Capitol Region Albany Public Library, Washington Avenue Branch: 161 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12210 Presentation: How the Capital District can Transition from Landfills … Waste Reduction and Recycling: Neil Seldman, PhD
Draft Environmental Impact Statement DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT for Avila House Independent Senior Campus Lead Agency: City of Albany Planning Board 21 Lodge Street, Albany, New York 12207 Contact: Nicholas Dilello (518) 434-2532 ext. 28 Project Sponsor: First Colun1bia, LLC 26 Century Hill Drive Latham, New York 12110-2128, (518) 213-1000 Report … Draft Environmental Impact Statement
SCHENECTADY — The Woodlawn Preserve is getting closer and closer to full protection. After years of negotiations, the City Council finally adopted a management plan for the preserve last week. The plan will help keep the remnants of Pine Bush ecology that remain in the badly deteriorated preserve, and lays out the steps to restore the flora … Schenectady Pine Bush sees Preservation boost
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Democratic candidate for Albany County District Attorney David Soares spoke at the August Save the Pine Bush dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. Paul Clyne, the incumbent District Attorney who is also running, was invited by did not attend. SPB invited Mr. Soares because in order to save our wild places, … David Soares – Candidate for Albany County District Attorney
by Lynne Jackson Seventy- five houses are proposed for this 100 acre site in the western most part of the remaining Pine Bush in Guilderland, the last parcel of the largest roadless area in the Pine bush. This proposal, named Woodsfields Estates after what it will destroy, is part of the largest roadless area remaining … Woodsfields Estates – Houses that Should Not Be Built
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Jack Lauber spoke at the February, 2006 vegetarian/vegan lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church in Albany about the safety and feasibility of waste-to-energy. Mr. Lauber is an environmental engineer, who used to work at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. He is very proud of the many incinerators he has … Waste-to-Energy One Solution to the Garbage Issue
by Rezsin Adams ALBANY: The April vegetarian lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church was the location for our annual round-up of the state of the environment. Speakers from five organizations told us what was happening: Judy Enck, Attorney-General Eliot Spitzer’s Office. The Attorney-General has initiated numerous court cases to save the Clean Air Act from … The Environmental Picture of the Capital District
ALBANY, NY: Eight o’clock AM on a bitter cold December morning saw a dozen Save the Pine Bush volunteers demonstrating 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 protesters, with signs and a lot of warm … Volunteers Protest Construction of Avila House
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: In an astonishing article in the Hearst-owned Times Union, veteran investigative reporter Brian Nearing revealed the City of Albany’s dirty little secret: nearly 70% of the garbage dumped in the landfill is dumped by Allied Waste at a bargain basement price of $38 a ton; 46% lower than the $70 charged … What Part of the Pine Bush Does the City Want for Allied Waste?
By Oily Bakken and Rude Crude In recent months, the media has carried stories about huge quantities of crude oil being brought into the Port of Albany from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota by CP Rail, where it is stored and transloaded onto barges or tanker ships to be moved on to distant … The Crude Oil Threat to New York State: The Capital Region as the Focus of Oil-by-RailThe Crude Oil Threat to New York State: The Capital Region as the Focus of Oil-by-RailThe Crude Oil Threat to New York State: The Capital Region as the Focus of Oil-by-Rail
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 … DEC is Derelict its Duty — Not Requiring Preparation of Environmental Impact Statements
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: “This book is about regulatory capture by a large corporate interest,” said Bruce Campbell. He discussed the 2013 runaway train explosion in the Quebec town of the Lac- Mégantic at the March 20 SPB dinner. Mr. Campbell is the author of The Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster: Public Betrayal, Justice Denied, published … The Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster: Public Betrayal, Justice Denied
by Tom Ellis RENSSELAER, NY: While participating in a ninety-minute January 16 meeting with four top NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials at their Albany office to discuss worsening problems with the Dunn Landfill at the east end of Partition Street in Rensselaer, I concluded some of DEC’s top brass must suffer from anosmia, … DEC’s Top Brass Must Suffer from Anosmia Update on the Dunn Landfill
by Tom Ellis RENSSELAER: More than fifteen area residents met in early November to discuss the proposed Rensselaer Engineered Fuels (REF) facility that has been proposed for the old BASF industrial site just south of downtown Rensselaer. We exchanged information and developed a plan of action. One, who lives a few blocks from the proposed … Solid Waste Transfer Facility Proposed on the Banks of the Hudson
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
2016 was a fairly busy year for the environment and for PAUSE. We began by joining with the Break Free Coalition in January to plan the nationally covered Break Free From Fossil Fuels march and rally here in Albany in May. More than 2500 people gathered in Lincoln Park from as far away as Wyoming … People of Albany United for Safe Energy — PAUSE Year in Review
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 … Ward Stone Speaks
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Kate Lawrence of the Mayor’s Office of Energy and Sustainability was the speaker at the March 18 SPB dinner. She said former Mayor Gerald Jennings launched the sustainability office in 2011; he signed a national green jobs pledge in 2008, the bicycle master plan was completed in 2009, and … City of Albany Office of Energy and Sustainability Visits Save the Pine Bush
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Conservation Director Roger Downs spoke at the October 16 Save the Pine Bush dinner about where Governor Cuomo may be heading with his fracking policies. Roger said NYS has been in “fracking limbo” since February with no established deadlines as of now. He said natural gas prices are … Roger Downs: The State of Fracking
an editorial by Melissa Hale-Spencer, reprinted from the Altamont Enterprise, July 18, 2013 First they came for the socialists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I … The road to justice is paved with truth
by Kathryn Sukalich, December 20th, 2012, Earth 911 If you’re throwing a holiday party this year, you may run into the dilemma of how to get your guests to recycle. Well-meaning guests may accidentally throw recyclables in the trash, and at a large gathering it can be hard for you as the host or hostess to keep … Sally’s Recycling Corner How To Get Guests to Recycle at Your Holiday Party
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
SCHENECTADY — The Woodlawn Preserve is getting closer and closer to full protection. After years of negotiations, the City Council finally adopted a management plan for the preserve last week. The plan will help keep the remnants of Pine Bush ecology that remain in the badly deteriorated preserve, and lays out the steps to restore the flora … Schenectady Pine Bush sees Preservation boost
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Ward Stone, NYS Wildlife Pathologist and environmental hero, spoke at the May Save the Pine Bush vegetarian/vegan lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church. Ward began by describing how he met Rezsin Adams on the very first Earth Day in April, 1970, at the University at Albany. That day, Ward gave … Ward Stone, Environmental Hero, Speaks
Last Chance to Say No to Besicorp! STOP BESICORP! STOP A POWER PLANT AND A PAPERMILL, TWO OF THE MOST POLLUTING INDUSTRIES, FROM COMING TO OUR COMMUNITY! Besicorp promises jobs and tax revenues. Is it worth it? Besicorp will make $340 Million in revenues in the first year, but… it will pay the City of … Last Chance to Say No to Besicorp!
The New York State Thruway is proposing massive changes to the thruway from exits 21 to exit 25. The Pine Bush is bisected by the Thruway, and exits 24 and 25 are located in the Pine Bush. Changes in the Thruway could have a major impact on the Pine Bush ecosystem. Save the Pine Bush … Hearings Set for the Albany Corridor Study by the NYS Thruway
ALBANY, NY: Just when you thought it was safe to go to the mall, Pyramid Crossgates proposes yet another project to destroy Pine Bush and potential Karner Blue habitat. Albany City Hall was the setting for Pyramid to describe to the Albany Common Council Zoning Committee how its proposal to build a residence inn hotel … Crossgates Casts a Dark Shadow Over the Pine Bush
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
Crossgates Shouldn’t Expand – But Who Will Stop Them? Crossgates Shouldn’t Expand But Who Will Stop Them? By Daniel Van Riper Here are some reasons why the Pyramid Corporation’s Crossgates Maul shouldn’t be allowed to double in size again: (1) They don’t pay their taxes. After the last time Crossgates doubled in size, the town … Crossgates Shouldn’t Expand – But Who Will Stop Them?
RENSSELAER, NY: Rensselaer residents took a big step toward closing the Dunn (Waste Connections) construction and demolition (C&D) debris landfill in November when they elected Mike Stammel as mayor of their city. Mr. Stammel, also chairman of the Rensselaer County Legislature, has taken an anti-dump stance and works with locals eager to immediately close the … Dunn Landfill — Stinks Up the School; Parents and Residents Protest
By Matthew Hamilton Albany: There is an unmistakable glow that illuminates the Albany skyline each night. For tourists, the lights are an attraction to the largest city on the Hudson River north of Yonkers. For nocturnal migrating birds, it’s also an attraction — and that’s the problem. The state is set to announce Monday that non-essential … New York state going dark to save birds
SCHENECTADY — The Woodlawn Preserve is getting closer and closer to full protection. After years of negotiations, the City Council finally adopted a management plan for the preserve last week. The plan will help keep the remnants of Pine Bush ecology that remain in the badly deteriorated preserve, and lays out the steps to restore … Schenectady Pine Bush sees Preservation boost
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 … Waste to Energy Seems Like A Good Idea, But Is It Good For The Environment?
Most people already know that household paint is recyclable. But it’s also important to understand that different household paints are disposed of in very different ways. What we do with our leftover paint determines if it goes on to have a second life. In fact, the EPA estimates that Americans discard as much as 69 … Sally’s Recycling Corner: Recycling Mysteries: Paint
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 … Battling Hazardous Waste Incineration
by Amanda Wills, Earth911.com, 11/3/10 Q: What’s a trustworthy place to donate computers? I’m concerned about my privacy and guaranteeing everything will be wiped off the computer’s memory/drives. – Sherry Shapiro A: Many recyclers will guarantee your hard drive is wiped before recycling. However, it’s always best to clear those files yourself before bidding farewell … Where Can I Find a Trustworthy E-cycler?
Christopher M. Walker, Legal Intern for the The Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic wrote comments for the proposed project. Here is an excerpt from his comments sent to the Guilderland Planning Board. You can view the complete comments and the appendicies online at: http://www.savethepinebush.org/Cases/Crossgates_Expansion/index.html The Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic submits the following comments on behalf of … Save the Pine Bush Comments on the Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed used DEIS
<< Previous Begin Next>> Note: The "Comment" is the developer’s summary of the public input, the Response is what the developer says in response. Comment 4: Commentor indicated that walking is a dangerous mode of transportation. No sidewalks are proposed. Employees will not be able to walk to work or use mass transit. Customers will … Developer Responses on Proposed Hotel
written by Lynne Jackson << Previous Begin Next>> Read the Developer’s outrageous response to this issue that says "walking or bicycling . . . should be discouraged." Public Health Issues The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Residence Inn says the following about bicycle and pedestrian access: d. Bicycle Access – Page 19 “There … Save the Pine Bush Comments on Proposed Hotel
Helicopter Helicopter From this photo, you can see how low it came. Is this safe? There were hundreds of thousands of people here!
IMG_2741.JPG A fellow protester kindly gave Pat and Liz safety pins for their banner.
I Don’t Feel Safer I Don’t Feel Safer
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
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: The Final Environmental Impact Statement submitted by the developer for the proposed Residence Inn is so inadequate, it is appalling. The Albany Common Council must reject this document as incomplete. In analyzing this document, it is difficult to choose which area of inadequacy to attack first. Disappearing Letters First, the FEIS … Another Missing Letter