On the Alert

•On Draft: The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released a draft of its proposed power plant emissions regulations. While they will regulate nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, the regulations fail to regulate mercury and carbon emissions. Overlooking these two pollutants sends the wrong message to federal decision-makers who are currently debating national power plant emissions standards. Let the DEC know that all four major pollutants should be included in the state’s power plant regulations. There will be three public hearings: 4/2, Long Island City; 4/4, Buffalo; and 4/5, Albany. Send your written comments by April 12 before 5:00PM to Robert Sliwinsky at rgsliwin@gw.dec.state.ny.us, or to DEC Division of Air Resources, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-3257. For more information on the hearings, call Mr. Sliwinski at 518-402-8396, or call Anne Reynolds at EANY at 518-462-5526 ext. 238.

•Great Comments: The US Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing the feasibility of various construction projects in the Great Lakes. If ultimately carried out, plans to widen and deepen basin rivers, canals and ports to accept larger ocean-going ships would stir up toxic sediments and further pollute the lakes, increase the number of invasive species, and lower lake levels by increasing water flow out of the system. For information on the Great Lakes Navigational System Review, visit: www.lre.usace.army.mil/glnav/INDEX.htm. To comment, write Wayne Schloop by April 15 at wayne.schloop@lre02.usace.army.mil or PO Box 1027, Project Management Office, 7th Floor, Detroit, MI 48231-1027. For more information, call Great Lakes United at 716-886-0142.

•Burning Rubber: When a million waste tires caught fire in Waterford, NY recently, it did more than threaten the village’s water supply and send a blanket of noxious smoke through the neighborhood. The blaze cast light on the fact that New York has no coherent policy for waste tires, despite having more stockpiled than any other state. A new Assembly bill, A.10260 (DiNapoli, Colton) would establish a state Scrap Tire Utilization and Management Fund to help eradicate tire piles and stimulate markets for recycled tire rubber. The Senate and the Governor, however, have not yet backed the fund. Contact Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Governor Pataki and tell them to work with the Assembly. For details, contact David Higby, EANY, at 518-462-5526 ext. 239, or email: dhigby@eany.org.

•Stock Options: The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), and Environmental Advocates of NY, NWF’s state affiliate, are urging owners of General Electric (GE) stock to help protect wildlife and public health by voting in favor of a shareholder resolution at the company’s upcoming annual meeting. Called Report on PCB Cleanup Costs, the proposal urges GE to reveal its costs for the public relations, legal and lobbying campaign it waged to avoid cleaning up the Hudson River. Stockholders can vote by phone, Internet or mail. Votes must be cast before the annual meeting on April 24 in Milwaukee. For more information, contact Julie Tanner at NWF, 202-797-6602, or visit www.nwf.org/finance/ge.html.

For Your Information

Capitol Connection: Spend Earth Day in Albany with hundreds of citizen activists from across the state. Earth Day Lobby Day, featuring advocacy, education and a noon rally at the Capitol, will take place on April 22. Lobby Day participants will help advocate for several critical programs, including the Environmental Protection Fund, recycling, power plant siting reform, the state Superfund and healthy schools. Call EDLD Coordinator Laura DiBetta at 518-462-5526 ext. 221 for more details.

History Lesson: The University at Albany’s M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives has begun work on a project to document the history of New York’s conservation and environmental movements. The Environmental History Documentation Project (EHDP), funded by the state Archives, would like to hear from groups and individuals who are either formerly or currently active in the environmental movement. EHDP can assist groups interested in depositing their archival collections in an appropriate facility. For more information, contact Brian Keough or Helen Weltin at 518-437-3934, or email bkeough@albany.edu or non_gmo@hotmail.com.

This Old House: The Wyckoff House, located in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn, was built about 1652 and occupied by Pieter and Grietje Wyckoff about 1655. It is the oldest house in the state and is a registered National Historic Landmark. In 1982, it was restored as a living museum to honor the Dutch presence in America. Michael Borriello, the Wyckoff House gardener, is revitalizing the grounds of this 350-year-old landmark and creating a community farming space. Volunteers are needed to contribute four hours a week to create a unique Brooklyn farm. Contact Michael Borriello at 718-629-5400 or michaelbwwwjd@yahoo.com. Visit the Wyckoff House Website at: www.wyckoffassociation.org.

Howling Success: Wolf Journal, set in the Allegheny Mountains of northern Pennsylvania, is a new novel by Brian Connolly. It was written to inspire a new generation to be responsible for the fate of wolves. The book introduces readers to wolf biology and sensitizes them to the plight of wolves in the wild. It is now available in hardcover and paperback (ISBN: hardcover - 1-4010-3864-6, softcover - 1-4010-3863-8). Visit: www.xlibris.com/WolfJournal.html for more information.

Activists' Corner

Growing Numb: Not Under My Backyard (NUMB) is a Westchester County-based organization formed to oppose the Millennium Pipeline project.
    The proposed pipeline starts in Canada, travels through New York State, crosses the Hudson River and enters Westchester County in the Town of Cortlandt. Once in Westchester, the proposed route invades and destroys, among other things, homes and lands that are part of the New York City watershed and county parkland.
    In addition to the physical damage caused by digging a 75-foot gash through the county, residents’ concerns include the threat of terrorism along the pipeline and the proximity to the Indian Point nuclear reactors. And Con Edison has acknowledged that it can’t use the gas without building a new multi-million dollar facility.
    Contact NUMB at webmaster@NUMB-in-NY.org, or visit: www.numb-in-ny.org.

April

1: Hudson River PCBs and the Health of River Communities, a colloquium to present current research on PCBs and human health. Inn at Saratoga, 231 Broadway, Saratoga. 5:30PM-9:00PM. Call Clearwater at 845-454-7673.

1-6: Solar Power Workshop, sponsored by Solar Energy International. Learn to use the sun’s energy to power your home. Ashokan Field Campus, Olive (near Woodstock). Call Larry Brown, 845-657-8096.

2: A Comparison of Accumulated PCB Patterns in American Eels and Striped Bass from the Hudson and Delaware River Estuaries, seminar sponsored by the Hudson River Foundation (HRF). HRF, 40 West 20th St., 9th Floor, Manhattan. 10:30AM. Call 212-924-8290.

3: Sustainability: Trade and the Environment, open forum/lecture by Jonathan Plaut, chair of the Joint Public Advisory Committee of the NAFTA Environmental Commission. Presented by the Bard Center for Environmental Policy. Bard College, Rm. 102, F.W. Olin Humanities Bldg. 7:30PM. Call 845-758-7071.

6: Environmental Stewardship in Your Community and Your Backyard, 12th Annual Long Island Sound Summit sponsored by Long Island Sound Watershed Alliance and others. NY Botanical Gardens, Bronx. 8:30AM-3:30PM. Call 888-SAVE-LIS.

6: Toxic Tour of Superfund sites, sponsored by NYPIRG. Long Island. Call Edward Vale, 631-632-6457.

10: Environmental Justice: Energy Policies and Environmental Laws: An Assault on the Poor, seminar featuring panelists from West Harlem Environmental Action Center and South Bronx Clean Air Coalition and hosted by the Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action. Benziger Hall Conference Room, Manhattanville College, Purchase. 5:00PM-7:00PM. Call 914-323-7156.

11: National Alternative Fuels Day and Environmental Summit, sponsored by the US Department of Energy. 450 Grand Concourse Building C (East Academic Complex), Hostos Community College, Bronx. 11:00AM-7:00PM. Call 718-518-4300 .

17: Environmental fair sponsored by the Population and Sustainability Committee of the Sierra Club-Rochester. Worship Hall, First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd., Rochester. 6:00PM-10:00PM. Call Hal Bauer at 585-335-2623.

17-18: Wetland Assessment and Restoration in New York State, NYS Wetlands Forum Annual Conference. Holiday Inn, Liverpool/Syracuse, NY. $85 members/$100 nonmembers (by 4/12). Visit: www.wetlandsforum.org.

18-22: Western NY Earth Day: A Week Long Celebration, sponsored by the Center for Great Lakes Environmental Education and others. Call 716-878-3175.

20: Softball tournament to benefit EPL/Environmental Advocates. Get a team together and have a ball. Team with most runs gets a prize. Lincoln Park, Albany. 12:00PM-6:00PM. Free food and beer. Call Ericka Small at 518-462-5526 ext. 234 or email: esmall@eany.org.

20-28: Scenic Hudson’s Fifth Annual Great River Sweep. Help clean trash from the shorelines and tributaries of the Hudson River. Call Evan Weisman at 845-473-TIDE.

22: Earth Day Lobby Day 2002. Albany. 9:00AM-4:00PM. Call Laura DiBetta, EANY, 518-462-5526, ext. 221. (See FYI.)

29: YouthCaN 2002, a student run environmental and social issue conference sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History. NYC. Call 212-769-5039.

29: Living Gently on the Earth, cosponsored by People for Animal Rights and The Iroquois Group of the Sierra Club. 310 Tulip St., Liverpool. 7:00PM. Call 315-488-PURR.