ACAL News

Recent Documents...

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Week of July 17, 2009

OVERVIEW

Adirondack Communities Advisory League (ACAL) was incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization on August 12, 1993. Consisting of an eleven-member board of directors, committee chairpersons and members, ACAL was formed to preserve and protect the environment in Northern Oneida and Southern Lewis County Region of the Tug Hill Plateau. ACAL's work encompasses research, writing letters and articles, fund raising events, media campaigns, public forums, peaceful protests, and litigation to ensure the water, land, air and wildlife in the rural townships of Ava, Boonville, Lewis and Leyden are not being threatened or in danger of becoming polluted.

MISSION

The purpose or purposes for which Adirondack Communities Advisory League is organized are as follows:

a) To conserve and protect the indigenous wildlife, both plant and animal, in the Townships of Ava, Boonville, Lewis and Leyden, New York; to preserve the scenic and historic localities in that region; to foster the maintenance of an ecological balance in that region; to preserve and maintain pure clean air and water and discourage pollution in all forms; to encourage general community participation in all activities that may result in the conservation and enhancement of aesthetics and scenic values in that region;

b) To disseminate information promoting conservation practices; to maintain and make available to the public materials on conservation and allied subjects; to stimulate, encourage and educate the public on the use of conservation practices in that region;

c) To conduct research and cooperate with competent authorities to investigate and report on environment, natural resources and conservation problems in the Townships of Ava, Boonville, Lewis, and Leyden and to disseminate the research findings;

d) To be assistance to other organizations, individuals, and groups who are concerned with the welfare and benefits of that region;

e) To solicit, receive, administer and disburse gifts and grants of money and property of every kind exclusively for tax exempt charitable, scientific or testing for public safety purposes as set forth in Section 512(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as it now exists and as hereafter amended;

f) Without any political aims or affirmations, to conduct factual studies of conditions in and affecting that region; to promote regional planning, research, and development and to sponsor plans and projects for the conservation and beautification of that region.

Source: ACAL Website, http://www.acalnews.org. Used with permission.

RECENT ACTIVITY

On June 8, 2006, under the citizens' suit provisions of the federal Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq., ACAL filed suit against the Oneida Herkimer Solid Waste Management Authority in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, "for past and continuing Clean Water Act violations at the Authority's regional solid waste landfill site located on Route 294 in the Town of Ava".

Despite ongoing litigation, the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority's controversial landfill opened on October 24, 2006 and began accepting garbage.

In August 2007, before a New York State Northern District Court Judge, the Authority agreed to settle the lawsuit with ACAL. However, nearly two years later, there has been no settlement resolution, or any recent effort on the part of the Authority to settle the case with ACAL.

According to media sources and OHSWA, plans are presently being devised to capture methane from the landfill. What OHSWA has failed to mention to the public is that landfills typically produce only about 40% methane from decaying garbage, with the remaining by-products consisting of toxic gases and chemicals that are detrimental to the environment and the health of local residents.

ACAL plans to pursue the citizens' suit against the Authority until a resolution has been reached. Additionally, ACAL will continue to inform community leaders and local citizens of the environmental concerns associated with the landfill.

Please visit the ACAL website for updates regarding future fund raising events, activities and information.