Lafarge North America Inc., one of the largest suppliers of construction materials in the United States and Canada, and four of its U.S. subsidiaries have agreed to resolve alleged Clean Water Act violations, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Tue., Nov. 29. The violations include unpermitted discharges of stormwater, and failure to comply with stormwater permits at 21 stone, gravel, sand, asphalt and ready-mix concrete facilities in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, and New York, but not at the Ravena, New York plant. The Lafarge Ravena plant was not part of the settlement, and is about to be upgraded. Lafarge North America Inc., headquartered in Herndon, Va., is the largest diversified supplier of construction materials in the United States and Canada. The company produces and sells cement, ready-mixed concrete, gypsum wallboard, aggregates, asphalt, paving construction, precast solutions and pipe products. The settlement resolves violations at 21 facilities including these in New York.
• Freedom Aggregate Delevan, N.Y.
• River Road Ready Mix Tonawanda, N.Y.
• Genessee Ready Mix Lancaster, N.Y.
• New Road Ready Mix Niagara Falls, N.Y.
• Gasport Aggregate Gasport, N.Y.
• Lockport Aggregate Lockport, N.Y.
• Niagara Falls Aggregate Niagara Falls, N.Y.
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Tags: Lafarge
Adam Sichko in the Albany Business Review reports New York state regulators have cleared Lafarge North America Inc. to modernize its aging cement plant in Ravena. Permits have been issued after months of review, draft reports and public comment periods, all conducted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC announced the permits on Thursday. Lafarge says up to 800 workers wil be involved in the construction there, costing a few hundred million dollars. John Reagan, environmental manager for the Ravena plant, told the Business Review he expects Lafarge to break ground this fall. Lafarge calculates the construction project will generate $170 million in wages for construction workers, purchases from local supplies, and other spending. “Environmental watchdog groups and other interest groups have criticized Lafarge’s pollution in the past. Federal data show Lafarge had the fifth-largest mercury emissions of any site in New York in 2009, in any industry,” Sichko writes. and then quotes New York DEC commissioner Joseph Martens saying, “Lafarge has demonstrated its commitment to some of the most rigorous environmental standards in the country. In addition, this new facility will ensure a continued local supply of a critical building material.” Read the full story in the Business Review.
Tags: business, DEC, environment, jobs, Joseph Martens, Lafarge
Windham Mountain Bike World Cup Festival
Julia Reischel in the Watershed Post reports on the abundance of bicycles in Greene County this weekend:
One of the biggest mountain biking events in the world will be happening in Greene County this weekend: The 2011 Mountain Bike UCI World Cup. The most formidable bikers from around the globe will gather at Windham Mountain Saturday and Sunday to jockey down rocky slopes and blow through mud puddles. The race — the 7th in the 2011 World Cup series — is the core of a four days of biking events, including a block party, a concert, and a race for kids. If you can’t make it in person, you can watch the races live on the Race Windham website right from your couch. Windham NY 2011 Mountain Bike World Cup Festival, July 7 – July 10, Windham Mountain, Windham, NY. www.racewindham.com.
Read the full story in the Register-Star.
Hinchey, Gillibrand renew effort to get national park designation for region
The Daily Freeman staff reports that U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, who represents the Hudson River Valley just south of the WGXC listening area, and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have reintroduced legislation to make the “Hudson River Valley” part of the National Park system. “Under such a distinction, the region would benefit from greater national attention, additional federal resources to support and preserve heritage sites and increased regional tourism, all of which would contribute to job creation and economic growth, the congressman and senator said in a joint press release issued by Hinchey’s office,” the Freeman story says. “The Hudson River Valley is truly one of America’s richest treasures,” Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said in the statement. “From the Adirondacks to the busy ports of New York City, the Hudson River fuels our economy, inspires our artists, and provides New Yorkers with miles of adventure and endless recreation.” Areas along the Hudson River in Columbia and Greene counties are included in the proposal. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.
Cement plant clears first important hurdle
Hilary Hawke in The Daily Mail reports that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has accepted the Final Environmental Impact Statement from the Lafarge Cement Plant in Ravena as complete. After a ten-day waiting period, the DEC can release a “Findings Statement,” and according to Hawke’s story Lafarge is eager to get started on the plant modernization if approved. The story suggests “project construction which could start as early as fall of 2011 with grounds preparation, grading and drainage.” Hawke outlines the timeline in the company’s efforts to modernize the plant:
• Aug. 2008: DEC accepted the Lafarge Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
• Nov. 2010: Public comment and a legislative hearing was held in January, 2011.
• Jan. 2011: Legislative hearing.
• April, 2011: DEC sent the document to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a mandatory 45-day review, which ended in mid-June. According to a Lafarge Environmental Manager John Reagan, the EPA provided no further comments.
The new plant’s production would increase from roughly 1.7 million tons currently to 2.8 million tons each year. The article also provides links to Lafarge and DEC documents on the matter, but failed to link to CASE, the local environmental watchdog group that has often been critical of the company. Read the story in The Daily Mail.
Village may find water’s cost hard to swallow
Emilia Teasdale in The Columbia Paper reports that Chatham Village is about to get a $2.3-million sewer upgrade that will cost residents $90 more a year on their water bill. At the town’s Public Works committee meeting last week, Teasdale also reports that the village reservoir leaks about 50,000 gallons of water a day, according the Pat Prendergrast, the village engineer. And the water tower leaks. Prendergrast suggested to the committee that the village close the reservoir. He asked village officials to look at “your long term plan for your 48-year-old water tower and your reservoir that nobody likes.” Water and Sewer Commissioner George Grant defended the reservoir, saying, “This reservoir had been good to us since 1907,” and then weighed in on the tower: “If we maintain it and coat it every 10 years like we were supposed to it would last for another 30 to 40 years,” he said. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.
Claverack skate park
The Town of Claverack wants to build a skate park in the town on an already installed foundation. Anyone who wants to make a bid on the project can contact the town (518-672-7911) for more details, but must have four printed copies and a PDF at Town offices at 91 Church St. in Mellenville, by 10 a.m. July 22.
Tags: bicycles, DEC, Hudson River, Kirsten Gillibrand, Lafarge, local video, Maurice Hinchey, mountain bikes, Pat Prendergrast, skate park, water, Windham Mountain Bike World Cup Festival
State Senator Steve Saland with Hudson school Superintendent Jack Howe at the Hudson Children's Book Festival. Photo from Saland's website.
Nicholas Confessore and Danny Hakim in The New York Times say New York State Senator Steve Saland, the lawmaker who represents Columbia County, “has not decided whether to allow a vote on legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in New York State.” The Times says Saland, along with Senator Andrew J. Lanza of Staten Island and Senator Kemp Hannon of Long Island, met with Governor Andrew Cuomo about their concerns, “that churches and other religious institutions that do not approve of gay marriage could face legal challenges or regulatory conflicts if same-sex marriage is legalized.” Currently 31 of a necessary 32 state senators have publicly said they will vote for the bill, which passed the State Assembly Wed. June 15, and will be signed by Cuomo and made law if one more Republican senator changes his position. All week, Senators have said they expect a vote on Friday. Read the full story in The New York Times.
Lafarge updates planning board on modernization project
Hilary Hawke in The Ravena News-Herald reports that Lafarge representatives Senior Project Manager John Light, Engineering Manager Marc Desimon, Environmental Manager John Reagan and Plant Manager Martin Turecky met the Town of Coeymans planning board recently, with an artist’s rendering of the cement plant proposed modernization plan. Reagan said Lafarge “was not quite ready” to apply for building permits. “We have been working on this for three years,” Reagan said. “We have held informational sessions, public meetings, undergone a public comment period and taken part in the DEC legislative hearing.” Hawke writes that the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to submit comments to the DEC within the next few weeks and DEC will then issue a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). “We want to know about the landscaping,” said Planning Board member Joe Kapusta told the Lafarge representatives. “We want an up-to-date, state-of-the art plant,” Board member Buddy Irwin said, “but we also want attention paid to the appearance of the Route 9W corridor.” Hawke also reports that Callanan Industries, a supplier of paving materials and construction services just west of Lafarge, will be move out during construction of the new Lafarge plant. “It is not clear if they will reoccupy the premises once the modernization is completed sometime in 2014.” Hawke reports that the redone plant’s production will increase from roughly 1.7 million tons to 2.8 million tons each year. “Reagan said the modernization project will create roughly 800 construction jobs and once completed the new plant will employ the roughly the same number of workers as now, 180.” Read the entire story in The Ravena News-Herald.
Rodgers arrested
Carole Osterink in The Gossips of Rivertown blog reported two days before anyone else that Tim Rodgers, one-time candidate for alderman in the First Ward, was arrested Wednesday at his SEIU office on Warren Street by the Hudson Police Department and charged with a misdemeanor for filing a false document. Current First Ward alderman Geeta Cheddie’s complained to police after Rodgers signed applied to become a commissioner of deeds, citing a home address of 15 Allen Street, a building where he says he expected to be leasing an apartment. But the agreement with the building’s owner fell through, and Cheddie filed the complaint. Rodgers, was endorsed by the Hudson Democratic Committee as a candidate for First Ward alderman, an endorsement Osterink says Cheddie sought, recently withdrew from the race (David Marston is the new Democratic candidate). Last week, it was announced that Cheddie has been endorsed by the Republicans. Rodgers was arraigned Wednesday before Judge Richard Koweek, who says he will recuse himself from the case, since he was recently endorsed by the Democrats for another position. Rodgers was released on his own recognizance and will appear again on July 6 before Judge Mark Portin. Jamie Larson in the Register-Star adds this detail: After the arraignment, Rodgers was stopped on Warren Street and arrested again by HPD for driving with a suspended license. Read the entire story in The Gossips of Rivertown.
It’s Copake’s time to chime
Kelly Criscione writes in the Times Union Copake residents raised $42,000 in less than a year to restore the town clock and war memorial. The clock, created after the death of World War II soldier and Copake native Steven McIntyre, originally cost $2,600, when built in the 1940s. The memorial, that now once again chimes on the hour, contains the names of 168 Copake veterans from the first and second world wars, and its image is used on town letterhead, police uniforms, and the Copake flag. Read the entire story in the Albany Times-Union.
Town unveils new design for rehabbed senior center
Melanie Lekocevic in the Greene County News reports that the Town of Coxsackie Mon. June 13 unveiled plans to refurbish the Coxsackie Senior Center that is in the former Knights of Columbus building on Mansion Street. The the town purchased the building last year with a $150,000 grant through former Assemblyman Tim Gordon’s office, and the renovations are covered by a $400,000 grant from the New York State Office of Community Renewal, Division of Housing. The plan includes upgrades of the plumbing, heating and electrical systems, switching from oil heat to natural gas. If money is left over from the grant, the town may add pathways from McQuade Park. Construction is expected to take about four months, and the town is considering the fire department, and the QWL building off Rte. 9W for temporary programming during construction. Read the Greene County News for the full story.
Empire State Baseball League scores
Thursday: 13U Coxsackie Owlz – 10 Schenectady #1 – 2
The 13U Coxsackie Owlz (4-1, 5-2) overwhelmed Schenectady #1 on Thursday 10-2. Seaver Martin and Elliott Palmateer each went 3-4 with a double and 2 RBIs, to lead the Owlz with Kyle Roberts adding two hits and pitching for the win with relief help from Chris Zwoboda. Roberts went 5 2/3 innings giving up two runs, one earned on four hits, two walks and nine strike outs. Zwoboda finished the game giving up a hit and one walk while striking out three.
Tags: Coxsackie Owlz, Coxsackie Senior Center, Geeta Cheddie, Lafarge, same-sex marriage, Steve Saland, Timothy Rodgers
Two more chains lock in plaza store slots
Chris Simonds of The Columbia Paper reports that Greenport Commons, where the Wal Mart and Lowes are, along with the new Kohls that opened last week, will be seeing two new stores: a PetSmart next to the TJ Maxx store and a Five Below youth-targeted retailer just behind the Applebee’s restaurant.
Holcim to close Catskill plant
Doron Tyler Antrim of the Daily Mail carries the story about the decision to mothball the Holcim cement plant in Catskill with union comments from the local International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, whose chairman Dennis Smith said Holcim is going “above and beyond” for workers during the transition, including offering a good severance package and paying for resume writing and computer skills classes. Greene County Legislature Chairman Wayne Speenburgh said county officials have made a special effort to help the company stay here, but noted that the closing was “inevitable” given all it put into a new, energy-efficient facility on the Mississippi River in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Sandy Mathes, executive director of the Greene County Industrial Development Agency, added that it would take a major reconstruction of the Catskill plant, similar to what Lafarge plans for its Ravena plant, for Holcim to remain in Greene County. The plant was built in the 1960s.
Hinchey, Schumer introduce legislation to protect drinking water from hydrofracking
Mid Hudson News Network has a story about how Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-New York) and Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) are among the cosponsors of legislation aimed at protecting drinking water from hydrofracking to mine natural gas. Hinchey was supported in the House proposal by Members Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Jared Polis (D-CO). Schumer was joined in the Senate by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). New York lawmakers are concerned about drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation by pumping, under high pressure, chemicals to fracture the shale and release the natural gas.
Sinkhole closes roadway
The Daily Mail reports that County Route 41 in Cairo, aka Lakes Mills Rd. was closed this past Saturday, March 12, near the Cairo wastewater plant due to a sinkhole depression that had developed alongside a failing four foot culvert running beneath the roadway. Jim Young, site foreman with the Greene County Highway Department Site, said work will begin in earnest today, March 16, at 8 a.m. when the roadway is ripped up and a new four foot pipe installed, and should be completed by Friday evening, with final repaving taking place sometime in the future.
Town shuts north end of Merino for safety reasons
The Register-Star has noted that the north entrance of Mt. Merino Road at Route 9G has been closed temporarily by Greenport Highway Superintendent Mark Gaylord. A section of roadway has deteriorated as a result of reoccurring flooding and is deemed to be unsafe for vehicle traffic. Morris Associates, the town engineering firm, is determining the best way to ensure a safe roadway repair. Two sections of the roadway are being looked at in relation to repairs.
Tags: Greenport Commons, Holcim, Lafarge, mothballing, PetSmart, sinkhole
Anne-Sylvaine Chassany and Francois de Beaupuy in Bloomberg report Lafarge SA, “Europe’s most indebted cement maker” and international owner of the Ravena cement plant, may sell its gypsum business, “four people familiar with the situation said.”
“Firms including TPG Capital, Carlyle Group LP and PAI Partners are preparing for a sale this year and may consider bids for all or parts of the operations, said the people, who requested anonymity as Lafarge hasn’t made a decision. A sale may not happen soon because the U.S. unit is still unprofitable and Lafarge may wait for a recovery, the people said. The unit may fetch at least 450 million euros ($605 million) or even top 1 billion euros, provided profit recovers, analysts said. Chief Executive Officer Bruno Lafont, who ran the unit until 2003, has pledged to step up disposals to cut debt. The cement maker aims to retain investment-grade credit ratings after borrowing to make a $15 billion acquisition in North Africa in early 2008, just before a construction slump in Europe and the U.S. set in. ‘The gypsum business is less and less at the core of the group’s strategy, which wants to focus on cement and emerging markets,’ Rafic El Haddad, an analyst at Natixis in Paris, said in an interview. ‘It looks like a business for private equity firms. Industrial players can’t buy it for antitrust reasons.’”
Here in the states, Lafarge has launched a new website for its continental operations, claiming it is, “North America’s largest building material supplier.”
Tags: Lafarge
Brian Nearing in the Albany Times-Union reports that Texas Republican congressman John Carter is pushing a little-known congressional maneuver to block rules by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that would impose mercury limits for the first time ever on cement kilns, including Ravena’s Lafarge plant. Science has long proved mercury is a potent neurotoxin. Earlier in the month, a preliminary study by the Harvard School of Public Health of about 185 people who live in the vicinity of the Lafarge plant found that one adult in 10 and one child in 20 had mercury in their blood at levels elevated enough to warrant a visit to the doctor.
Tags: John Carter, Lafarge, mercury, mercury levels
NY Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin.
Schodack resident Ken Stokum.
Area resident Mary Driscoll.
Ravena Mayor John Bruno.
Elyse Kunz from CASE.
Ward Stone.
Susan Falzon of Friends of Hudson.
John Reagan, environmental manager of Lafarge.
From WGXC Town Recorder Sam Sebren:
About 70 people attended the final legislative hearing for public comments hosted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on the Lafarge cement company’s modernization proposal Thursday, Jan. 20 at the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School auditorium in Ravena. A higher percentage of the crowd seemed to be in support of Lafarge, including local resident Mary Driscoll, politicians such as new 108th District Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin, Ravena Village Mayor John Bruno, as well as a representative who spoke for Congressman Paul Tonko, and a spokeswoman from the Albany County Regional Chamber of Commerce. They primarily supported the plant because of the community’s need for jobs. Several other citizens and environmental advocate groups included Elyse Kunz from Community Advocates for Safe Emissions, Susan Falzon of Friends of Hudson, and Haley Mauskapf of Scenic Hudson raised concerns over how clean the proposed modernizations will be, and whether they will be monitored.
Sebren took the photos included in the WGXC Newsroom and made an audio recording of the entire meeting, so you can hear for yourself what everyone said. Click here to listen to an mp3 recording, or copy and paste the url below into your computer’s media player.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2011/01/Lafargelegislativehearing_RavenaHigh_WGXC_SamSebren_012011.mp3
Tags: business, CASE, Friends of Hudson, John Bruno, Lafarge, Mary Driscoll, modernization, Paul Tonko, Scenic Hudson, Steve McLaughlin, Steven McLaughlin
The National Weather Service has posted a Hazardous Weather Outlook with snow forecast late Thursday/early Friday and then frigid temperatures with wind chills below zero forecast this weekend.
Snow totals
From the National Weather Service, snowfall totals from the latest storm:
COLUMBIA COUNTY
KINDERHOOK 3.0 1138 AM 1/19 TRAINED SPOTTER
LIVINGSTON 3.0 1110 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
TAGHKANIC 2.5 730 AM 1/19 WEATHERNET6
NORTH CHATHAM 2.0 538 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
CHATHAM CENTER 2.0 504 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
ANCRAMDALE 1.5 538 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
CLAVERACK 0.5 1146 AM 1/19 WEATHERNET6
GREENE COUNTY
WINDHAM 6.0 754 AM 1/19 WINDHAM MTN SKI AREA
HUNTER 5.0 500 PM 1/18 WTEN
EAST JEWETT 4.3 630 AM 1/19 CO-OP OBSERVER
DURHAM 4.0 413 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
SE NEW BALTIMORE 3.3 700 AM 1/19 COCORAHS
KISKATOM 3.0 558 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
CAIRO 3.0 700 AM 1/19 CO-OP OBSERVER
CATSKILL 2.0 850 PM 1/18 WEATHERNET6
Town meetings tonight
LAFARGE LEGISLATIVE HEARING A formal legislative hearing on proposed changes at the Lafarge cement plant in Ravena, billed by the company as an modernization but seen by opponents as an expansion, will take place at the Ravena High School at 6 p.m.
CITY OF HUDSON Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency board meeting at noon at City Hall.
Weather
SNOW Snow starts late Thursday then Friday temperatures drop.
Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 2:59 a.m./Low, 10:03 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:19 a.m./4:53 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 6:16 p.m./7:35 a.m.
Birthdays
JANUARY 20 Juan Garcia Esquivel, Federico Fellini, and David Lynch.
Live on WGXC Thursday
*6-8 A.M.: WGXC Morning Show Hosted by Casson Kennedy, and Mark Lacoy. A mix of news headlines, audio features, and conversation. This morning there will be updates about the storm, possible closings, and more.
6:30 A.M.: WGXC Farm Report
7 A.M.: WGXC Newsroom Headlines
7:15 A.M.: Paul Smart calls in with live news update.
7:30: Story and audio about votes in Washington and Albany.
9 A.M.: WGXC Newsroom Headlines with Richard Roth, Alan Skerrett, Joan Geitz, Christina Malisoff, Sam Sebren, and/or Nancy Rothman.
9:15 A.M.: WGXC Farm Report
9:30-10 A.M.: Sam Sebren and Ellen Thurston preview weekend events in Greene and Columbia counties.
10 A.M.: “Tell It Like It Is” with Richard Roth, Alan Skerrett, Joan Geitz, Christina Malisoff, Sam Sebren, and/or Nancy Rothman.
NOON-2 P.M.: Crossroads Jazz show hosted by Alan Skerrett.
Tags: Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency, Lafarge, snow
Two media accounts of the report from scientists from the Harvard University School of Health Thursday night at Ravena High School about heavy metal exposure to members of the Ravena community differ enough to make one wonder what really happened there.
From The Albany Times-Union story Friday headlined “Town sees mercury spike”:
“Nearly one person in 10 tested for toxic mercury had elevated blood levels enough to warrant a visit to their doctor, according to a study of people who live around the Lafarge cement plant by the Harvard University School of Public Health.” — Brain Nearing
From The Daily Mail story Saturday headlined “Harvard’s Lafarge test results inconclusive”:
“Results from a study by the Harvard School of Public Health eagerly awaited by local environmental groups about the presence of heavy metals in human blood and hair in people from the Ravena area have proved inconclusive.” — Hilary Hawke
So what was said at the meeting? Let’s go to the audiotape, or, digital file.
WGXC’s Sam Sebren recorded the meeting, so you can hear for yourself what happened Thursday night at Ravena High. Click here to listen to an mp3 recording or paste the following url into your computer’s media player:
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2011/01/Harvardhealthprelimstudy_RavenaHigh_010611.mp3
UPDATE: Sunday, The Register-Star and The Daily Mail, ran the following correction to the story both papers ran on Saturday:
Editor’s note: The percentages reported for higher than normal mercury levels in the “Harvard metals test results aren’t definitive” story that ran Saturday was erroneously cited as 7.3 percent of the 172 participants.The correct number is 9 percent for adult blood samples and 10 percent for all participants’ hair samples. The following is the corrected version of the story.
Tags: CASE, environment, Lafarge, local audio, mercury, town meetings
Tune in today
TUNE IN WGXC will air the following live shows on WGXC Online Radio Thursday:
•WGXC Morning Show/Tell It Like It Is 9/10 a.m.
•Crossroads, Alan Skerrett’s jazz show noon-2 p.m.
•Cheryl K. jazz show 7-9:30 p.m.
•The Magic Stranger “’69″ 9:30-midnight
Click here to listen.
Town meetings tonight
SLOOP ELEANOR Informational meeting for possibly restoring historic boat Sloop Eleanor return to Hudson. Meet at 5 p.m. at Wunderbar in Hudson to discuss restoring 1903 sail boat. More information: 828-7884.
RAVENA HEALTH Presentation and Q&A about Ravena health concerns surrounding the Lafarge cement plant. Dr. Michael Bank, principal investigator for the Harvard School of Public Health’s study of heavy metals in people within a ten-mile radius of the Ravena Lafarge Cement Plant, presents group results of his study at 8 p.m. at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School auditorium, 2025 Route 9W, Ravena. Individual results will be released at a later date. Bank’s research was sparked by a request from CASE (Community Advocates for Safe Emissions) co-founders Elyse Griffins and Elyse Kunz. Harvard tested blood and hair of 185 volunteer individuals on May 15 and 16, 2010 at Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary School in Ravena. Bank_HSPH_Press_Release_FINAL-1
Weather
CLOUDY Around freezing.
Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 4:18 p.m./Low, 11 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:24 a.m./4:37 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 8:37 a.m./7:15 p.m.
Birthdays
JANUARY 6: Alan Watts, Syd Barrett, and Van McCoy.
Tags: environment, health, Lafarge, Sloop Eleanor
Next up in the Lafarge cement plant expansion review process unfolding in the southern Albany County community of Ravena, but drawing in increasing numbers of concerned citizens and environmental watchdogs from Columbia and Greene counties, is a January 6 report on a Harvard School of Public Health study of the effects of heavy metals pollution on persons living within a ten mile radius of a plant such as Ravena’s. Dr. Michael Bank, principal investigator for the Harvard School of Public Health will report on group results on blood and hair tests of 185 volunteer individuals tested May 15 and 16, 2010 at Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary School in Ravena. The study came about when several local residents in Ravena formed Community Advocates for Safe Emissions (CASE), who then approaches the noted school about a study to put better perspective on a state Department of Health look into the cement plant’s history, in light of its current request before the state to expand and allegedly better clean up its activities. Lafarge was recently named one of the state’s top air polluters. The Register Star has a story on the study and what’s happening at Lafarge out today.
Tags: environment, Harvard School of Public Health, health, Lafarge, state Department of Health
Lafarge's quarry mining map, from Logimine.com.
Environmental Manager John Reagan said the land, covered with topsoil and planted with various indigenous plants will eventually become part of a public park. The 400 foot deep quarry produces 8,000,000 tons of limestone a year. According to Lafarge, that’s enough “to fill the Empire State Building three times.”
After a preview story on possible outcry against Lafarge’s permit processes with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and state Department of Health ran last month, representatives of the national company phoned WGXC to question our headlines and story slants. The company is currently in the midst of a SEQRA Environmental Impact review process. For the story in today’s papers, read here.
Tags: DEC, DOH, environmental review, EPA, Lafarge, permit process, quarries, reclamation
Cement makers Holcim and Lafarge are among the state’s top polluters, according to a recently released report from the Environmental Protection Agency reported on in today’s Daily Mail. The report, which details the amount of toxic chemicals released to land, air and water in 2009 by industrial facilities across the United States, shows Holcim’s Catskill plant and Lafarge’s plant in Ravena are among those most responsible for pollution in New York. And all this despite recent public relations campaigns to the contrary by both companies, and Lafarge’s being currently in the midst of a major effort to rebuild its Albany County plant. The report says Lafarge released about 445,500 pounds of chemicals, including hydrochloric acid, ammonia and lead and mercury compounds, ranking it ninth in the state for on-site releases. Last year’s pollution total at Lafarge represents a nearly 70 percent increase over 2008, the report shows, although the amount of lead and mercury compounds emitted is lower. Lafarge spokespeople attributed the drastic increase to additional testing done by plant officials. The report says Holcim released 189,000 pounds of chemicals, including hydrochloric and sulfuric acid, as well as lead and mercury compounds, ranking it 14th in the state for on-site releases. But unlike Lafarge, Holcim emissions were lower last year than in 2008 — by more than 120,000 pounds. The EPA report, known as the Toxics Release Inventory, is a yearly analysis of pollution data and has been made public since 1988. “This report informs the public and policymakers about the types of pollution in our communities and where they come from,” said Judith Enck, EPA regional administrator for New York, in a statement. “It is an invaluable tool that we all can use to better understand pollution problems and to take action to protect health and their environment. The data is a reminder that we need to work toward preventing pollution at the source.”
Tags: air pollution, EPA, Holcim, Judith Enck, Lafarge, Lehigh Northeast Cement, Stiefel, Toxics Release Inventory
Lafarge DEC Presentation December 2010
Above, the Lafarge cement plant is sharing their presentation from the Dec. 8 DEC hearing on their “Ravena Plant Modernization Project.” The Lafarge website also includes a post from the DEC presentation at that hearing.
DEC Lafarge Ravena Presentations: SEQR, UPA and Air Permit
Tags: DEC, Lafarge, town meetings
Following last week’s meetings on Lafarge’s plans for its Hudson Valley cement plant and the first phase of an ongoing state Department of Health review of the facilities history, local coverage has started to shift somewhat, acknowledging opposition to and concern over the plans and studies that belied Lafarge representatives’ predictions, while meanwhile Lafarge has started beefing up its behind-the-scenes dissemination of its own materials to local press. Recent editions of The Daily Mail and Register-Star have run stories about the informational meetings held last week at Ravena High School, leading off today with a prominent mention of how the main Wednesday meeting saw a crowd of “roughly 50 people turned out” and emphasizing Lafarge’s “recently completed DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement)” and the fact that the state Department of Environmental Conservation “recently renewed the Lafarge air permit for its existing plant,and the company is now focusing on moving forward with the modernization which requires its own set of permits.” Comments are being accepted by the DEC until Feb. 22, 2011. DEC has also scheduled a Legislative hearing Jan. 20 for all “persons, organizations, corporations, or government agencies which may be affected by the proposed project to submit oral or written comments.” DEC will then determine whether “substantive or significant issues” were raised during the public comment period and legislative hearing warranting an Adjudicatory Hearing/Issues Conference. Project documents including the DEIS and draft permits are available for review at http://lafargeravenafacts.com, a company-sponsored website being promoted by the daily newspapers at present.
•WGXC recording of DOH Lafarge hearing Dec. 9 at RCS High, Ravena.
•WGXC recording of Lafarge Environmental impact Statement Public Informational Meeting Dec. 8 at RCS High School, Ravena.
Tags: company representatives, DEC, DOH, Lafarge, public meetings
Ward Stone, former NYS DEC wildlife pathologist, speaking at DOH Public Health Assessment meeting about Ravena's Lafarge cement plant. Photo by San Sebren.
Ward Stone, who resigned as a pathologist at the Department of Environmental Conservation earlier this year, spoke at length at the Department of Health’s Public Health Assessment meeting Thursday night at RCS High School in Ravena. Sam Sebren recorded Stone’s comments. Click here to listen to an audio mp3 recording, or copy and paste the following url into your computer’s media player:
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/12/WardStone_DOHLafargeHealthAssessmentmeeting_RCSHighSchool_120910_20101211_0037.mp3
Tags: DOH, environment, Lafarge, local audio, town meetings, Ward Stone
Bettsy Prophonic of NYS DOH at Public Health Assessment hearing on Ravena's Lafarge cement plant. Photo by Sam Sebren.
WGXC volunteer Sam Sebren recorded audio and took photos at Thursday night’s NYS Department of Health (DOH) Public Health Assessment meeting at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School. From Sebren:
“Members of the community clearly expressed frustration and anger at the NYS DOH Public Assessment Hearing, Dec. 9 at the RCS High School in Ravena. After years of requests, there is still no clear data about the contaminants being produced and dispersed by the Lafarge cement factory in Ravena. Ward Stone, retired NYS Wildlife Pathologist minced no words and said, “We need to take care of the environment. Because we’re all dependent on it and it’s falling apart.” This hearing was a chance for people to comment and ask questions. People can still make comments to the DOH until Feb 15.”
To listen to the mp3 audio recording of the meeting, click here, or copy and paste the following url into your computer’s media player:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/12/RavenaDOHhearing_WGXC_12090.mp3
Jan Storm of NYS DOH leads DOH hearing on Lafarge Ravena cement plant. Photo by Sam Sebren.
Susan Falzon of Friends of Hudson speaking at the Lafarge DOH hearing in Ravena. Photo by Sam Sebren.
Slide asking audience for questions at DOH Health Assessment meeting about Lafarge cement plant. Photo by Sam Sebren.
Tags: Bettsy Prophonic, DOH, environment, Jan Storm, Lafarge, local audio, Susan Falzon, town meetings, Ward Stone
Elyse Griffin from CASE spoke at the Lafarge DEC hearing 120810 at RCS High. Photo by Sam Sebren.
Lafarge representatives at a Lafarge Environmental impact Statement Public Informational Meeting at RCS High School, Ravena 120810. Photo by Sam Sebren.
Sam Sebren from WGXC took photos and recorded the Lafarge Environmental impact Statement Public Informational Meeting tonight at RCS High School, Ravena. Click here to listen to mp3 audio recording of the hearing, or paste the following url into your computer’s media player:
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2010/12/LafargeEnvironmentalImpactPublicMtg_120810.mp3
Tags: environment, Lafarge, local audio, town meetings
Engineer says there’s no getting over some decrepit bridges
Debora Gilbert in The Columbia Paper goes on a tour of decaying Columbia County bridges with Dean Knox, Director of the Engineering Division of the Columbia County Department of Public Works. The bridges in need of repair in Columbia County they visit include Gallitanville’s single-lane Mill Hill Road Bridge, the Pleasant Vale Bridge in Clermont, and Copake’s Miller Bridge on Empire Road, which will reopen this month.
DEC accepting applications for Urban Forestry Grants
Municipalities, public benefit corporations, public authorities, school districts and not-for-profit organizations that have a public ownership interest in a property or are acting on behalf of a public property owner may apply for grants through the state’s Environmental Protection Fund, from $2,500 to $62,500 depending on municipal population, with a 50/50 match requirement. Eligible projects include tree inventories and management plans, tree and shrub planting and maintenance, and green infrastructure projects such as green roofs and rain gardens. Communities impacted by the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive and damaging beetle, can also seek funding for projects that include removal of at-risk trees or new tree plantings. Additionally, $1,000 “Quick Start Arbor Day” grants – with no match requirement – are available to help communities generate support for a tree program with an Arbor Day celebration. Applicants may obtain all necessary instructions and forms at www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5285.html. Grant applications must be postmarked by Feb. 10, 2011, and sent to: NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Urban Forestry, Division of Lands and Forests, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4253. For more information, call DEC at (518) 402-9425.
Saratoga Race Track may close?
Jimmy Vielkind in Capitol Confidential quotes Larry Schwartz, the NYC Off Track Betting chairman and secretary to Gov. David Paterson, saying there’s a “definite possibility” that the Saratoga Race Track will close as a result of the shutdown of Off Track Betting (OTB). The OTB corporation shut its doors at last night because it is out of money, and a restructuring plan was not approved by the Senate. “I think that’s a definite possibility. I’ve been talking with both the thoroughbred industry and the harness industry. They’ve indicated real concerns to me,” Schwartz told the Times-Union blogger. “I think this is going to have a devastating impact to horse breeders because 40 percent of the fund that they get to cover their expenses…has been eliminated.”
Designs to showcase look of new facility
Doron Tyler Antrim in The Daily Mail reports design plans for the new Cairo public library will be unveiled tonight with a booksigning by three local authors from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the current library, in Cairo’s municipal building at 512 Main Street. Writers include Hudson Talbott, author and illustrator of “River of Dreams;” retirement consultant Patrice Jenkins, author of “What Will I Do All Day?;” and Chet Meyer, co-author of “The Tooth Fairy Legend.”
Town meetings tonight
Public Information Meeting on State DOH Public Health Assessment of Lafarge’s Ravena Plant at 7 p.m. at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School, 2025 Route 9W, Ravena.
Birthdays
Dec. 9 birthdays include Redd Foxx, John Cassavetes, and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Tags: bridges, Cairo Library, DOH, environment, forests, grants, Lafarge, libraries, OTB
RAVENA – As if in anticipation of tonight’s public hearing on LaFarge Cement’s plans in Ravena, as well as tomorrow’s look-see on Phase 1 of an ongoing state Department of Health study of those plans, the Register Star this morning runs an unattributed piece on a national coalition of community environmental groups that has come together to support efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up toxic air pollution from over 100 cement kilns atround the country, including those in the Hudson Valley. The story notes how the EPA estimates the pollution limits will avoid up to 2,500 premature deaths, prevent thousands of heart and respiratory incidents, and save billions of dollars in health costs every year starting in 2013 when the rules take effect… while the Portland Cement Association—an industry trade group representing 41 of the biggest cement companies in North America— is challenging the EPA’s protective rule.
Friends of Hudson, which came together to challenge growth plans by St. Lawrence Cement in Columbia County last decade, is prominently mentioned. St. Lawrence has since changed its name to Holcim.
“The Lafarge plant in Ravena has been operating for almost 50 years without the proposed emissions limits and has perpetrated the myth that it is perfectly safe and legal,” Susan Falzon of Friends of Hudson is quoted in the piece. “We’ll never know just how much damage has been done to the public health and the environment, but we know that without EPA limits these companies will continue to pollute with impunity and continue to expose the public to unnecessarily high levels of dangerous emissions.”
A public information meeting about proposed changes at the Lafarge plant will take place at the Ravena High School at 7:00 PM on December 8 and a legislative hearing is scheduled for January 20, 2011. Going forward, the DOH is seeking public input on the report and will hold public meetings. A public hearing on Phase 1 of the new DOH study takes place on Thursday, December 9, 2010 at 7 pm at the RCS High School Auditorium.
For the full story click HERE.
Tags: air pollution, cement, conservation, Department of Health, Friends of Hudson, Lafarge, mercury, public hearing
Final Daily Freeman printed in Kingston
This YouTube video shows the final Daily Freeman newspaper printed in Kingston Dec. 6. They moved printing to Troy, eliminating 58 jobs and claiming to save the paper $500,000.
New Lebanon voter referendum Dec. 11
The Town of New Lebanon holds a voter referendum to grant the town authority to finance $435,000 for the construction and renovation of the Town Hall on Sat. Dec. 11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Church of The Immaculate Conception, US Rt. 20, New Lebanon. All registered voters of New Lebanon are eligible to vote yes or no to grant the Town authority to finance the construction and renovation of the Town Hall. Register-Star has a story here on this election. Currently, the board rents space to hold meetings and other business.
Town meetings tonight
Columbia County Board of Supervisors’ Public Information Session on CRC proposed purchase of Wal-mart and move of County agencies to Greenport at 5 p.m. at Elks Lodge, Harry Howard Avenue
Columbia County Board of Supervisors’ Public Hearing on the County budget. 7 p.m. at 401 State St., Hudson.
Columbia County Board of Supervisors’ meeting to vote on the County budget. 7:30 p.m. at 401 State St., Hudson.
LaFarge Environmental Impact Statement Public Information meeting at 6 p.m. Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School auditorium, 2025 Route 9W, Ravena, NY.
Birthdays
Dec. 8 birthdays include James Thurber, Delmore Schwartz, and Sammy Davis, Jr.
Tags: elections, Lafarge, taxes, The Daily Freeman
The Daily Mail and Register-Star are running a comprehensive story by Hilary Hawke this morning on a newly released Health Consultation that starts to evaluate the impact of the Lafarge Cement plant emissions on community health in its home town of Ravena, as well as communities surrounding and across the river from its lower Albany County location..
Sparked by concerns expressed by Community Advocates for Safe Emissions, the DOH, in conjunction with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is conducting a Public Health Assessment on communities potentially impacted by the plant to evaluate whether the chemicals released are harmful.
The newly released document, known as a Phase 1 Health Consultation, summarizes “all available environmental data and information about the cement plant over its 48 years of operation and completion of an exposure evaluation.”
According to the HC, “exposures to cement plant-related contaminants in other environmental media (public drinking water, groundwater, soil, on-site cement kiln dust, surface water, sediment or fish) are not expected.”
“Although cement kiln dust exists on the Lafarge property, the HC states people in the community are unlikely to contact it,” Hawke writes. “The report also states that neither the Coeymans Creek nor fish in nearby waterways contain cement plant-related contaminants.”
Phase two, the actual Public Health Assessment, will include evaluation of possible exposures to chemicals from the cement plant through the pathways identified in the HC.
If the PHA indicates “some areas around the plant may have air contaminant levels above health comparison values” the DOH could evaluate health outcome data on a smaller geographic scale.
The DOH gathered HOD including respiratory and cardiovascular disease hospitalizations, perinatal health outcomes and elevated blood lead levels in children.
CASE has reported that there were several community residents suffering from the rare cancer Ewings sarcoma.
But the HC states, “We have been unable to verify these cases and have asked CASE for more information.”
It also found “the number of cases of childhood cancer is small.”
The public comment period on the report, which seems designed to spur a split in the already divided greater community, continues until February 15, 2011.
Stay tuned as this one unwraps…
For full story, click HERE.
Tags: airstream, CASE, cement, DOH, factory, industrialization, Lafarge, pollution, review
RAVENA — Brian Nearing at the Albany Times Union reports this morning that Lafarge North America has finally filed a completed application with the state Department of Environmental Conservation outlining consequences of its proposed $500 million expansion/renovation project, more than two years after announcing plans to replace its aging cement plant, which is the state’s second-largest source of airborne mercury,
A completed draft Environmental Impact Statement will be released on Wednesday, according to a notice also set to be issued Wednesday by the DEC that was obtained by the Times Union.
The EIS release will start a 90-day public comment period that will end Feb. 22. A public information meeting on the plant is set for Dec. 8 at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School, located across the street from the plant. A public hearing is set for Jan. 20 at the high school.
Lafarge announced plans in July 2008 to rebuild its two high-temperature kilns, which have been in place since the plant was built in 1962, with modern, less-polluting versions.
In September, Lafarge received a five-year extension of its federal air pollution permit from the DEC.
The new facility will be able to produce about 63 percent more cement, up from 1.7 million tons a year to 2.8 million tons. While emissions of carbon monoxide will increase, “other emissions will decrease or remain constant,” according to the DEC notice.
When Lafarge announced the project, the company indicated construction would begin in 2013 and take three years to complete.
Copies of the draft Environmental Impact Statement will be available Wednesday online at http://www.bethlehemchamber.com/modernization, as well as at DEC headquarters on Broadway in Albany; the town halls of Coeymans, Stuyvesant, Chatham, Kinderhook, Schodack and New Baltimore; and at public libraries in Kinderhook, North Chatham, Chatham, Valatie and Ravena.
For more on this story click HERE.
Tags: environment, Lafarge
Mark Scheerer from Public News Service reports:
The LaFarge cement plant in Ravena, south of Albany, is one of many cement factories nationwide under orders from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to cut back on dangerous mercury emissions. The cement industry announced last Friday it’s going to fight the new rules, and Earthjustice has responded quickly. On behalf of six environmental groups, the law firm is filing a brief in support of the EPA’s decision, saying it would avoid 2500 premature deaths nationwide every year, and result in up to $18 billion worth of health benefits. Susan Falzon, an environmental activist, lives across the Hudson River from the LaFarge facility and is disappointed in the industry’s resistance. “This is just a further delay that just causes all of us to be taking more mercury into our systems.” The industry trade group, the Portland Cement Association, argues that the proposed emission limits are too low and some plants won’t be able to meet them. And it says the new rules are a threat to many cement companies, the jobs they provide, and the communities where they are located. Attorney Jim Pew with Earthjustice says the industry’s argument is “nonsense” and the EPA has determined that the economic benefits of meeting the rules will outweigh the costs. He adds that the U.S. cement industry is largely owned by multi-billion-dollar foreign companies. “It’s not going to drive them out of business. It’s not going to cause them to cut jobs. They can do this, but they would just rather keep the money and let their toxic pollution go on killing people here in America.” Susan Falzon is director of Friends of Hudson, a local group that’s been fighting the cement industry over pollution for many years. She’s not surprised they are resisting the EPA rules. “It is a rule with requirements that they can easily meet if they are willing to take on the expense. It makes me very angry to see how cynical they can be with people’s lives.” Read the entire story here.
Tags: environment, Lafarge, Susan Falzon
Stephanie Lee in the Times-Union reports:
The state has allowed the Lafarge cement plant to continue its current level of mercury emissions until 2013, when a federal standard will cut the rate nearly in half. The air permit for the plant, renewed Monday by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, caps the annual amount of mercury it releases into the air at 176 pounds to meet a new state law. Lafarge, the state’s second-largest source of airborne mercury pollution, must cut its yearly mercury emissions nearly in half by 2013. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced last month that the annual nationwide limit will be set at about 95 pounds, a change that will force more than 100 cement plants to spend an estimated $1 billion to comply. Read the entire story in the Albany Times-Union.
Tags: business, environment, Lafarge
Susan Falzon speaking at Beattie-Powers Place 080810.
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/08/SusanFalzon_BeattiePowers_WGXC_080810.mp3
Tags: environment, Holcim, Lafarge, local audio
WGXC’s Sam Sebren made it out to record the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation legislative hearing for renewal and modification of the existing Lafarge Title V Air Permit application last night at 6 p.m. at the Ravena-Coeymans Selkirk High School Auditorium.
Click here to listen to mp3 audio recording of the hearing, or paste the following url into your computer’s media player:
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/05/Lafarge_DEChearing_WGXC_RavenaHigh_051110.mp3
Review the complete LaFarge application documents at this link: http://www.dec.ny.gov/dardata/boss/afs/draft_atv_l.html. The DEC will be accepting written comments until May 21. Please mail or email your comments & include the application number so your comments aren’t lost.
Mail to:
Sarah H. Evans
NYSDEC Region 4 Headquarters
1130 North Westcott Rd.
Schenectady, NY 12306
518-357-2069
r4dep@gw.dec.state.ny.us
Application ID# : 4-0124-00001/00112
Tags: business, environment, Lafarge, local audio, town meetings
From Brian Nearing in The Albany Times-Union:
Several hundred people turned out for a hearing Tuesday on the proposed state air pollution permit for the Lafarge cement plant, and nearly all gave the same message — the state must do more to limit the amount of mercury and other toxins coming from the smokestack. “I think we are splitting hairs here over just how much they are poisoning us,” said Leigh Jamison, who lives about seven miles downwind of the Route 9W plant in Stuyvesant, Columbia County. Nearly 30 people spoke during the three-hour hearing held across from the plant at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Read the entire story in the Times-Union.
WGXC’s Sam Sebren was at the hearing, and made a recording we will upload on Wednesday.
Tags: environment, Lafarge, town meetings
Hilary Hawke in The Daily Mail reports:
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced a legislative hearing for renewal and modification of the existing Lafarge Title V Air Permit application on May 11, 6 p.m. at the Ravena-Coeymans Selkirk High School Auditorium. All New York State contaminant-emitting facilities must have either a Title V Air permit, a state facility permit or a registration certificate. Lafarge’s permit expired in 2006 and it has been running under an extension since then. The company, which manufactures Portland cement and operates a limestone quarry, has extensive plans for modernizing the plant, the kilns and for reducing emissions. Administrative Law Judge Richard A. Sherman will preside over the hearing session and will accept unsworn statements on both the Title V application and the draft permit. Any member of the public potentially affected by the proposed project is invited to attend and provide oral or written comments. DEC originally gave public notice for the project in November 2009 and provided a 30-day comment period, later extended to 68 days, which ended on January 11, 2010. Rick Georgeson, DEC Region 4 spokesman, said the agency scheduled the May 11 hearing based on 44 comments, all in written or e-mail form, received during the public comment period. He also said 32 individuals expressed interest in further hearings. Georgeson said that after the May 11 hearing, “DEC will issue a response to the public comments. Going forward DEC can either issue or deny the Lafarge permit or issue a permit with added conditions.” The final decision can take anywhere from months to years. Read the entire story in The Daily Mail.
Tags: business, environment, Lafarge, town meetings
From Casey Seiler in Capitol Confidential:
[A] multistate settlement, just announced by the office of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, includes 11 other states and affects operations at 13 cement plants — including the Ravena facility that’s been the subject of controversy for years.According to the Attorney General’s press release, the settlement requires LaFarge to take the following steps:
* Eliminate a total of over 9,000 tons of nitrogen oxide and 26,000 tons of sulfur dioxide each year from its plants, including those in upwind states whose pollution impacts New York.
* Either construct a new Ravena plant – as the company has proposed – or retrofit the existing facility with aggressive air pollution reduction technology. In either case, Ravena’s air pollution emissions will be cut by roughly 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxide and 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide each year – equivalent to reductions of more than 30% and 80%, respectively.
* Pay a civil penalty and provide funding for environmental benefit projects totaling $5.07 million, with $3.38 million of that amount going to the federal government and the coalition of states receiving $1.69 million. Of that amount, New York State will receive $490,000 to fund energy efficiency and pollution reduction mitigation projects in communities near the Ravena plant.
Tags: Andrew Cuomo, business, environment, Lafarge
Greene Supports Cement
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2009/07/16/news/doc4a5e963a75857373047517.txt
CATSKILL — Greene County lawmakers on Wednesday roundly endorsed operations of local cement manufacturers to remind state and federal officials that the industry is important to the local economy. The support was given in a unanimous vote, with one absence, during a county Legislature meeting, where officials asked that funding for modernization be considered for Holcim U.S. and Lehigh Northeast Cement Co. in Catskill as well as LaFarge North America in Ravena in Albany County.
Ulster has first swine flu death
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/July09/17/swineflu_UC_fatal-17Jul09.html
KINGSTON – Ulster County Thursday reported its first swine flu associated fatality. The individual was a man from Saugerties who had been hospitalized with underlying medical conditions in addition to the flu.
Hudson Valley Job Losses
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/July09/17/unemp-17Jul09.html
The Hudson Valley lost another 18,300 jobs year over year in June, bringing to 746,400 the number of people who have become unemployed in the last 12 months, the state Labor Department reported Thursday. Putnam is feeling the least relative pain, with a 7 percent jobless rate last month. At the bottom, Sullivan and Greene, close to 9 percent.
DOT: Portions of Route 23 to close
http://www.thedailymail.net/articles/2009/07/16/windham_journal/news/doc4a5e4e126cd25036863359.txt
ASHLAND – The Department of Transportation will be close a section of Route 23 between the towns of Ashland and Prattsville starting July 20 to address long-recognized slope stabilization problems adjacent to the old Catholic church. Both lanes will be shut down to fix the road. This is the first of three jobs, totaling $2.2 million, on Route 23, though the other two will not shut down both lanes. A detour will be set up on Route 296 in Windham and then onto Hensonville and Hunter, where they can connect with Route 23A into Prattsville, more than 20 miles out of the way.
Utility ratepayers could get stuck for millions in unfunded stimulus program
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/July09/17/util_rates-17Jul09.html
ALBANY – The federal stimulus package is going to providefunds for New York utilities – including Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation and Orange and Rockland Utilities – but the money would only pay for half of the cost of the $1 billion program. Smart grid utility projects proposed by the utility companies may qualify for stimulus funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. The term smart grid refers to the application of various digital technologies to, among other things, modernize and automate transmission and distribution assets to anticipate and respond to system disturbances, enable greater use of variable energy sources, including renewable energy, and provide the capability for customers to control their energy consumption effectively.
Greene Lawsuit Settled
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2009/07/17/news/doc4a5fe6fec5bb0085621011.txt
CATSKILL — Greene County lawmakers have agreed to pay an engineering firm $35,000 to settle a lawsuit over disputed bills for services. At a Legislature meeting Wednesday, officials said the county had withheld $24,899 from Crawford and Associates Engineering for services on the county Mental Health building in Cairo and $30,368 from the firm for its alleged failure to include required electrical services in the design of the county Highway Department building in Athens. The firm had sought $95,000 in its lawsuit against the county.
Artist and musician Roger Mason moves studio into Chatham’s clock tower
http://www.registerstar.com/articles/2009/07/16/chatham_courier/news/doc4a5e0592ac5c1176339793.txt
CHATHAM – Musician Roger Mason, who has played with Bob Dylan, Itzhak Perlman, John Denver, members of The Band, the Carradine Brothers and Larry Campbell, who produced Levon Helm, is moving his studio into the third floor of the clocktower in Chatham.
On The Air
WGXC is on 90.7-FM now, at full-power, 3300 watts. We cover all parts of Greene County except parts of the mountaintop, and all of Columbia County except for a bit of Western Columbia County south of Germantown. WGXC also covers a large part of southern Albany County. We have heard reports that the signal is getting from Delaware County to Great Barrington, from Selkirk to Saugerties, from Pine Plains to the I-90 extension.
Local weather/webcams
National Weather Service, Albany
Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page
When the computer is turned on, the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page reports weather information in Harlemville. Check dates and times to see whether reports are live or from when the computer was turned off.
Greene County webcams:
Catskill webcam: Thomas Cole House Claude Mirror
Nearby webcams:
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