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ACAL News
Recent Documents...
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| 06/21/10 | NYSDEC New Solid Waste Plan Draft | Entitled Beyond Solid Waste - A Sustainable Materials Management Strategy for New York, the NYSDEC has drafted a 480-page plan to reduce solid waste through increases in reuse, recycling and composting in local communities. Further, the plan calls for a reduction in packaging by manufacturers and a reduction in climate and environmental impacts caused by transporting waste and harmful emissions coming from incinerators and landfills.
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| 06/17/10 | New Yorkers for Zero Waste Platform 2010 | Local, regional, state and federal organizations join with NY Zero Waste Alliance, a project of Citizens Environmental Coalition, to support the reduction of waste through increase in reuse, recycling and composting.
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| 10/24/06 | 11 August 2006 DEC Letter | Region 6 Water Engineer Steven Botsford's letter to OHSWA Executive Director Hans Arnold stating OHSWA's environmental responsibility for clean water quality compliance associated with the Ava Landfill site.
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| 06/08/06 | ACAL vs. OHSWA | ACAL filed a lawsuit against OHSWA for polluting the trout spawing stream of Moose Creek for over a year. The ongoing pollution to the creek violates State environmental law and the Clean Water Act.
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| 04/20/06 | Letter to Ava from OHSWA | Lengthy letter from OHSWA Executive Director Hans Arnold to the Ava Town Board regarding a "host community benefit package". The Ava board refuses to negotiate with OHSWA for a 1000+/- acre landfill that is being forced into their rural community.
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| 03/31/06 | DEC response to Ava | DEC Region 6 Director Sandra LeBarron's letter to Town of Ava regarding Ava's request to rescind the March 2006 DEC Consent Order and take "appropriate enforcement action". Ms. LeBarron states the DEC's response must be "somewhat restrained" since ACAL has filed a notice of intent to file a citizen's suit against OHSWA.
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| 03/21/06 | Notice of Intent to Sue | Pursuant to the Clean Water Act, against the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Management Authority (OHSWA) and Rifenberg Construction, Inc. by Adirondack Communtities Advisory League (ACAL)
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| 03/20/06 | Ava Complaint to DEC | The Town of Ava sends a letter to Region 6 DEC requesting their Consent Order be rescinded. The town board and the citizens they represent are genuinely concerned about the environment in Ava. They are extremely distressed that OHSWA and Rifenburg have been given permission by the DEC to allow excessive sediment to enter Moose Creek - "a provision that is contrary to the basic mission of the DEC."
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| 02/13/06 | NYSDEC Consent Order | NYSDEC is giving OHSWA permission to discharge excessive sediment and water into nearby Moose Creek, a federally protected trout spawning stream in Ava, NY.
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| 09/10/05 | DEC Complaint | August 2005
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News Updates...ACAL NEWS - Week of April 21, 2006
In his April 4 commentary, Garbage is piling up big trouble, Albany Times Union columnist Fred LeBrun discusses a topic that most New Yorkers would prefer to ignore but can't - garbage.
New York State (NYS) has an embarrassing history of disposing of solid waste. According to her July 2005 book entitled Garbage Land, author Elizabeth Royte describes in detail, the problems of solid waste disposal in NYS; a problem she researched by following her own garbage to a landfill.
The ongoing history of the solid waste problem was addressed in 1988 when the State Solid Waste Management Policy was entered into NYS Environmental Conservation Law, Title 1, Section 27-0106. In the interest of public health, safety and welfare, and in order to conserve energy and natural resources, the following priority list was enacted by the State of New York:
a) First, to reduce the amount of solid waste generated.
b) Second, to reuse material for the purpose for which it was originally intended, or to recycle material that cannot be reused.
c) Third, to recover, in an environmentally acceptable manner, energy from solid waste that cannot be reused or recycled (waste-to-energy).
d) Fourth, to dispose of solid waste that cannot be reused, recycled, or from which energy is not being recovered, by land burial (landfill).
This policy, after consideration of economic and technical feasibility, shall guide the solid waste management programs and decision of the department (NYSDEC) and other state agencies and authorities.
Reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, and landfill (as a last resort).
How many New Yorkers are encouraged by the State to reduce the garbage they make? Has anyone seen advertising campaigns, billboards, newspaper and magazine articles addressing the need for people to simply create less garbage?
I personally know of one “reuse” facility in eastern Rensselaer Country that accepts "unwanted" household items (from silverware to furniture) and resells it at a low price to consumers. The Community Warehouse in Hoosick Falls is a successful business based strictly on selling stuff people just don't want anymore.
New Yorkers have been recycling for nearly twenty years. Good for us. New York City (NYC) stopped recycling several years ago. Bad for us. NYC garbage haulers charge more for recyclables than for trash. Reason: Increased garbage tonnage equals more money for landfill owners. (But that's another story).
Washington County has one of the biggest recycling efforts in NYS and offers its residents recycling/transfer stations in 5 different locations. These "stations" accept glass, plastics, cans, newspaper, magazines, books, office paper, cardboard, boxboard, textiles, scrap metal, household batteries, yard waste, ash, appliances, tires, furniture, construction debris, old appliances, and yes, they also accept household solid waste. Pull up to one of these stations, and the full-time staff will help you unload your vehicle and assist you in placing your recyclables in the proper receptacles. This recycling effort not only makes money for the county, but substantially reduces the garbage sent to the Hudson Falls Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Facility.
Last summer I had lunch with Jack Lauber, an environmental engineering consultant and former State Department of Environmental Conservation employee and advocate of WTE facilities. Mr. Lauber has addressed the misnomers associated with the old “burn plants” of the past, stating today’s waste to energy facilities not only produce less air pollution than landfills, they also make energy in the form of electricity. “The more than 100 WTE plants in the U.S. generate nearly 2800 megawatts of electricity, and save approximately 1.4 billion gallons of fuel oil”, says Lauber in his 2005 paper, The Burning Issues of Municipal Solid Waste Disposal – What Works and What Doesn’t.
Focusing on the ideal of Zero Waste, with recycling, reuse, and waste-to-energy options available, why does NYS insist on creating enormous polluting landfills - its "last resort" for solid waste disposal?
The city of Albany wants to build a 360-acre landfill in Coeymans where, according to LeBrun, "the local community wanted none of it." What Mr. LeBrun didn't say in his column is that the community has been fighting to stop it for over 10 years. See www.savethepinebush.org. And they are not alone.
Located within the beautiful, unspoiled region of the Tug Hill Plateau in northern Oneida County, sits a small rural town of Ava, population 725. This town has been selected to "host" a *848-acre landfill that was sited and is presently being constructed by the 1988 State appointed Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority. But there's a problem. The Town Board of Ava refuses to accept "host community compensation" for a landfill they don't want. The board and area residents have opposed the Ava Landfill for almost 13 years. But it doesn't matter. State appointed authorities supersede town law. To quote State Senator Ray Meier, "You're getting it, whether you want it or not." Let’s not forget this monstrosity of a landfill is located within feet of an 800-acre living Veterans' Memorial Forest.
In a 2002 speech to the Committee on Environmental and Public Works, NYS Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton stated,
" ... Let me reiterate that I believe all states and all communities need to manage waste responsibly, safely, and in an environmentally sound manner ... I believe NYS/NYC has and will continue to commit itself to ensuring that waste generated within its borders is disposed of safely and responsibly, and with the willingness and acceptance of the Host Community."
If Mrs. Clinton believes what she said in her speech, then I expect the Towns of Ava and Coeymans will receive letters from her in the near future, supporting the towns' efforts to stop the landfills they are unwilling to accept.
* The Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority has recently purchased more property for what they are calling a “buffer zone” on the north side of Route 294. The actual size of the landfill is now approximately 1,000 acres and growing.
Jacki Chamberlain, Chairperson
ACAL Communications Committee
07/02/10 - Burning household trash is illegal in New York
06/17/10 - New Yorkers for Zero Waste Platform
07/13/09 - ACAL - Alive and well
04/13/08 - ACAL 2008 Update - Part 2
03/18/08 - ACAL Continues Environmental Mission in 2008
11/09/07 - Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust
10/26/07 - A good read - The Adirondack Atlas
10/12/07 - New York State Opening Meeting Law
09/28/07 - ACAL Fall Foliage Auction Oct. 5
09/21/07 - Integrity found in the Town of Ava
09/14/07 - Tug Hill resources have been targeted
08/19/07 - Fair and straighforward journalism?
08/10/07 - A Needed Appreciation for Nature
08/03/07 - New York State Municipal Home Rule Law
07/27/07 - Boonville Village Litter/Debris Local Law
07/19/07 - Black River Landing Subdivision Issues
07/13/07 - WTE vs. Landfills
06/29/07 - Too many impaired waters - Black River Watershed
06/22/07 - Protecting our drinking water starts at home
06/15/07 - ACAL Joins Northern Forest Alliance
06/07/07 - ACAL Holds 200/20 Drawing & Picnic, Annual Meeting
06/07/07 - ACAL AWARDED GRANT
06/01/07 - Be a solution - get involved
05/25/07 - American flags do not belong in landfills
05/24/07 - PRESS RELEASE - ACAL Signs Stolen & Vandalized
05/18/07 - Reality check for the DEC
05/04/07 - All citizens are called to act responsibly
04/27/07 - "An Inconvenient Truth"
04/13/07 - Citizens Deserve the Whole Truth ...
04/06/07 - Great Lakes United & Citizen Resources
03/30/07 - "What is the future of local government?"
03/23/07 - Citizens Expect More From Local Government
03/16/07 - Plastic Grocery Bags Harm Wildlife
03/09/07 - The Precious Gift of Water
03/02/07 - Working Together to Protect the Environment
02/26/07 - Grassroots groups are citizens who care!
02/16/07 - Local Citizens Want Environment Protected
02/09/07 - Open Letter to Boonville Town/Village Officials
02/02/07 - Ava Landfill Story Told in Chicago
01/26/07 - It's time for New Yorkers to reclaim their rights!
01/12/07 - CITIZENS' RIGHTS ARE NOT FOR SALE!
01/05/07 - "DO NOT LITTER" Applies to Everyone
12/15/06 - "March of the Penguins"
12/08/06 - Be "good news" in the community
12/01/06 - Moose Creek Prediction - 12 years ago!
11/22/06 - United Haulers v. OHSWA
11/17/06 - A Citizen's Rights
11/03/06 - EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE
11/01/06 - ACAL statement regarding opening of landfill
10/24/06 - OHSWA Opens Landfill Without Required DEC Permit
10/20/06 - OHSWA required by DEC to have proper permit
10/13/06 - Dr. Bob Johnson Speaks at Public Forum
10/06/06 - OHSWA Fails to Deliver
10/04/06 - PRESS RELEASE - Court Denies OHSWA Motions
09/26/06 - PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
09/21/06 - If OHSWA knew what they were doing ...
09/08/06 - Joint Board Resolution Revisited
08/28/06 - A Special Message
08/11/06 - Who will save the Town of Ava?
07/21/06 - The Emperor isn't wearing any clothes!
06/10/06 - Honoring Flag Day
05/19/06 - Local Residents Demand Protection for Environment
05/12/06 - The Foundation for a Better Life
05/05/06 - ACAL will pursue justice
04/28/06 - "Tug Hill, A Threatened Paradise"
04/21/06 - NYS environmental law contradicts State action
04/13/06 - The Tug Hill Plateau is worth protecting!
03/22/06 - Press Release - OHSWA & Rifenburg Being Sued
02/24/06 - ACAL Finds NYSDEC Consent Out of Order
02/03/06 - ACAL Defends the Truth
01/02/06 - PRESS RELEASE
12/15/05 - ACAL Continues with its Mission
12/01/05 - Tug Hill Heritage
11/23/05 - Boonville Breaks Resolution
11/06/05 - October 2005 OHSWA meeting
10/28/05 - NYS Waste Disposal Policies Not Enforced
10/21/05 - Environmental Conservation Laws
10/12/05 - Response to Village Trustee
09/23/05 - OHSWA Permit Violations
09/16/05 - ACAL Misinformation
09/07/05 - Press Release: DEC Enforcement Action
08/24/05 - ACAL Misinformation
08/05/05 - It's never too late
07/22/05 - Citizens, stand strong - DO NOT NEGOTIATE!
07/15/05 - PRESS RELEASE - Problems on Ava Landfill Site
07/08/05 - The truth must be told
07/07/05 - WBRV Statement #5 - DANGER to our drinking water
07/06/05 - WBRV Statement #4 - Polluting landfills kill
07/05/05 - WBRV STATEMENT #3 - Boonville Poll Not Official
06/29/05 - WBRV Statement #2 - Landfills provide NO benefits
06/27/05 - WBRV Statement #1 -Towns must stick together
06/24/05 - Waste to energy facilities better alternative
06/17/05 - Boonville boards break agreement
06/17/05 - Slope failure sends mud into Moose Creek AGAIN!
06/12/05 - Environmentally safe alternatives to landfills
05/27/05 - Town of Ava will file an appeal
05/22/05 - Dynamite blasting on landfill site?
05/15/05 - Oneida County in Trouble
05/08/05 - FACTS and What You Can Do
05/01/05 - Community Gathers for Prayer Service
04/24/05 - Personal Letter to NYS Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi
04/17/05 - Power of Prayer
04/03/05 - The Waste Authority Must Be Stopped!
03/27/05 - Letter to NYS Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi
03/20/05 - OHSWA Propaganda
03/13/05 - Letter to Griffo - Put Words into Action!
03/06/05 - Get involved in your community
02/27/05 - Assemblyman Townsend Has Concerns Re: OHSWA
02/06/05 - Power of the Press
01/24/05 - Legislator Pam Mandryck Opposes SWA Reappointment
01/02/05 - Weeks of 1/2 - 1/16/05
12/22/04 - Response to letter
12/12/04 - Senator Ray Meier Favors Ava Landfill
11/28/04 - Proud Heritage
11/14/04 - Oneida County chooses - for the people, or not?
11/07/04 - Letters sent to Governor and NYS Senators
10/31/04 - Ava/Boonville future - NO DUMP!
10/28/04 - Letter to Governor Pataki
10/24/04 - Environment Justice All the Way!
10/22/04 - Press Release
10/17/04 - No Civil Rights for Ava Residents
10/10/04 - Article 78 Lawsuit Against DEC Commissioner Crotty
10/03/04 - 400+ Days and Still Fighting!
09/27/04 - Family Home Threatened
09/26/04 - Important Facts to Know About the Ava Landfill
09/19/04 - Letter from Concerned Citizen
09/12/04 - Small Town of Ava Dragged into Court by OHSWA
08/29/04 - Where Do Your Loyalities Lie?
08/22/04 - Beaver Dam Incident Still a Mystery
08/15/04 - Ava-Boonville-Lewis Joint Boards Resolution
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