If anyone wants to call this fear-mongering, help yourself.

If we'd predicted airplanes smashing into highrises on 9/10, we probably would have been accused of being fear-mongerers then, too.

The first letter by Michelle Vanstrom was in today's Niagara Gazette and the Niagara Falls Reporter. The second letter ran in Sunday's Niagara section of the Buffalo News.

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Security issue being ignored

To the Editor:

It's agreed that, post-9/11, not having an open forum on New York Power Authority security measures due to "obvious concern about compromising measures" is an acceptable reason for NYPA to be reticent about safeguarding Niagara and, yes, "FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission), the licensing authority, has issued rules limiting public dissemination of potentially sensitive information."

Several things trouble me and other members of the Niagara Heritage Partnership about that statement. Yes, we agree anyone driving past the Power Project can see the "additional physical barriers" of boulders tucked inside the prison-wire fencing. And yes, NYPA has constructed a monitored security checkpoint for visitors entering or leaving the premises. As a coalition stakeholder in the relicensing process, the question the Niagara Heritage Partnership has yet to see addressed is: Why isn't the Robert Moses Parkway closed during times of heightened security? Why can vehicles cross the face of the power plant here, but other high-risk operations in the United States prohibit traffic during those times? What do they acknowledge that NYPA isn't addressing? Why hasn't our safety been a relicensing issue?

The NYPA Preliminary Draft Environmental Assessment (PDEA) document states, "The forebay has a volume of nearly 2 billion gallons ... and the 1,900 acre Lewiston Reservoir has a gross storage capacity of 74,250 acre-feet or 24 billion gallons" of Armageddon flood waters. (Note: NYPA's official Web site states, "In between the two plants is a forebay capable of holding 164 billion gallons of water; behind the Lewiston plant, a 1,900-acre reservoir holds additional supplies.")

With the air base listed by the U.S. government for closing, will terrorists now have the good manners to check in and out with NYPA officials before driving a truck loaded with explosives onto the Robert Moses Parkway over the plant? If terrorists have the unmitigated gall to flout power and authority, will a single row of boulders really stop a potentially massive disaster? Who will respond if the worst happens? Will anyone be left to respond?

Nevertheless, FERC and NYPA are charged with acknowledging and compensating for damage done to the environment. They admit damage is done when hydropower decimates land. It's why there is a relicensing process. That's why it's called an Environmental Assessment. Yes, rivers and streams from Erie County flow into the Niagara River; however, environmental monies allocated should go to environmental rehabilitation projects located in the seven Niagara County host communities, not to bail out Erie County. When all is said and done, the residents of the seven municipalities suffered most.

The removal of the Robert Moses Parkway is a topic of controversy. Yes, a few people will be inconvenienced if the parkway is closed. But what would be gained is priceless. Removal would open up great economic and growth possibilities. The construction of a greenhouse on the face of the Power Project would bring skilled professionals in the environmental and ecological fields to our area. It could also enhance the current horticultural programs at Niagara County Community College and the environmental programs at Niagara University. Creating an ecological center and birding site at the New York State Parks-owned DeVeaux Campus would not only protect the old-growth forest, but would add to the same benefits as the aforementioned greenhouse. We could become a resource for the world on how to do it right. We could be visionaries in environmental protection, erasing the stigma of Love Canal.

The Niagara region created the first state park, the Niagara Reservation. It could also be the first in the northeast to create an International Niagara Peace Park in this multinational space. Removing the 6.5 miles of road and reclaiming the land would create a tourist destination as well as ensure the protection of the fragile environment of the gorge and rim. It would allow access to our waterfront, a luxury only private residents and NYPA has in this small section of road.

Tourists and history buffs will still manage to find their way to Lewiston and Fort Niagara. And would it be so bad if they had to drive an alternate route instead of on the parkway? If you think about it, it's only after tourists have viewed the falls that they look around to see what else is here. Why not give them additional natural beauty to experience, especially since 9/11? Nature is known for its healthful, restorative properties.

The Niagara Heritage Partnership (www.niagaraheritage.org) believes Randy Crissman when he states, "We take the security of our generating and transmission facilities very seriously, and have devoted considerable time and expense to ensure we're well protected." We're just not sure it's enough and NYPA and FERC need to know this.

Michelle Vanstrom
Niagara Heritage Partnership




To the Editor,

Last fall, Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano announced that all vehicular traffic across the top of the Kensico Dam would be permanently ended due to the dam’s vulnerability to terrorist attack. Local officials joined him in this decision, since catastrophic flooding would engulf over 250,000 people in the event of an attack on this dam.

The Fontana Dam in North Carolina is located on the busy Appalachian Trail. Prior to the terrorist attacks of 9-11, hikers had unrestricted access to camping and shower facilities above and below the dam. Today, when the national terrorism security alert level is high (orange or red), public facilities at the dam close, and hikers must follow a circuitous route around the dam.

These are localities which clearly take the terrorist threat seriously. Why then does the Robert Moses Power Project in Lewiston, which supplies 10% of New York State’s electricity, allow several lanes of traffic to traverse its very heart? A large truck packed with explosives, or even a single car carrying a "dirty" bomb, could put the Power Project out of commission for months or longer.

The Power Authority claims that there have been security upgrades since 9-11 and that they are confident they can respond to any "contingencies". The question is, how do they respond to a contingency that just exploded over the turbine room, which holds back a reservoir of 164 billion gallons of water, from the Niagara gorge and downtown Lewiston?

James Hufnagel
225 Ontario St
Wilson NY 14172
716-751-3877