this article is a bit different than the article that appears in the NF gazette -in the east end of the state the DEC seems to have more authority ......i dont know why they have linked the program to income ? or race ? but they have .

there are a few spots in niagara county that seem like they may fall under this program .

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060319/NEWS04/603190374   

On the Web

To view the maps and for information about environmental justice, visit this DEC Web page: www.dec.state.ny.us/website/ej/index.html

Where to call

DEC Environmental Justice Hotline: 1-866-229-0497.

At a glance

Areas were labeled as potential "environmental justice" areas if more than 23.6 percent of residents were below the poverty line, or if 51.1 percent of the residents of an urban area were minorities, or if 33.8 percent of a rural area were minorities. The varying size of areas reflect the census information, which divides geographic areas into chunks of 250-500 housing units

Any business that pollutes the air or water, or handles solid or hazardous wastes in New York must now make a special effort to inform low-income and minority neighborhoods of projects that might affect them under a new state Department of Environmental Conservation policy.

Pollution that harms the environment and threatens human health is often more acute in poor and minority neighborhoods. These environmental problems can be seen as one of a set of interconnected factors that contribute to poverty — from poor health and the need to work multiple jobs to thin political clout and subpar schools. These communities often don't organize to fight environmental problems as wealthy suburban neighborhoods do.

The new policy is part of the DEC's effort to improve what it calls "environmental justice" by ensuring these neighborhoods are well informed and more likely to act on their own behalf.

Larry Fauntleroy, a member of the Dutchess County Human Rights Commission, said the policy could help in places such as the north side of the City of Poughkeepsie, depending on its execution.

"When these decisions are made about certain communities, like the north side, the north side is not involved,"

he said. "People tend to fix things from where they're standing without going into the neighborhood — eating at the table with the people, so to speak."

Twelve parts of the mid-Hudson Valley are highlighted on new state maps identifying the areas with high populations of impoverished and/or minority people. The maps were posted recently on the DEC's Web site.

Any business applying for a major permit to operate or upgrade in or near the identified areas must take steps at the outset of the permitting process to inform neighbors about the project and permitting process. They must contact leaders and groups, hold public meetings and establish local repositories for documents.

Outside of these neighborhoods, a company would be required only to publish a legal notice in the local newspaper.

The projects may also be subject to more intensive environmental impact studies during the state Environmental Quality Review Act process. Typically, local municipal planning boards coordinate those reviews.

Grants to be made available

Community groups active in addressing environmental problems in the identified neighborhoods will also soon be eligible for state grants up to $25,000, under a new program financed by the Legislature.

Eleanor Thompson, a Beacon councilwoman who lives in one of the identified neighborhoods, said she's long been concerned that hazardous waste from past industry in the area may have been a factor in local illnesses. She fought breast cancer twice.

"I still do believe it's a problem, because of what's happened to me," she said. "When you think about these things, the effect of it, you don't really know. It takes years for these things to develop."

The DEC maps use 2000 Census data and Environmental Protection Agency guidelines to identify areas with high minority or impoverished populations. The maps don't indicate the areas are affected by specific environmental problems.

"We describe them as potential environmental justice areas," said Monica Kreshik, the DEC's environmental justice coordinator. "We don't have an analysis tool that tells us they are disproportionately impacted by environmental problems."

Marilynn A. Vetrano, the executive director of the Dutchess County Human Rights Commission, called the maps and notification "an extremely good strategy."

"It's long overdue," she said.

Dan Shapley can be reached at dshapley@poughkeepsiejournal.com