Published: March 19, 2006

Senator: Area may have to wait for state action on CWM
BY Aaron besecker
Niagara Gazette

YOUNGSTOWN — A state senator said to be close to Gov. George Pataki believes the community may have to wait for a change in state leadership before it will know more about the future of hazardous waste in Niagara County.

State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, told an audience Saturday at the annual meeting of Residents for Responsible Government that his staff was told by Department of Environmental Conservation officials that CWM Chemical Services in Porter is “not on the front burner right now.”

“Our best opportunity ... may be to wait for a new governor and a new DEC commissioner,” Maziarz told a gathering of about 30 people in the Red Brick Schoolhouse.

Maziarz said he was “reading between the lines” of what environmental officials recently told his staff during discussions about CWM, the only hazardous waste facility in the Northeast.

The same position was echoed by Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte, D-Lewiston, whose staff also has been involved in discussions with state environmental officials.

“I’d be very surprised if any action was taken in the next six months,” DelMonte said.

In 2005, the state enacted legislation calling on the DEC to finalize a statewide plan to establish an equitable system of waste disposal.

The move came after the original law enacted in 1987 directed the state agency to complete the plan.

A draft version of the “Hazardous Waste Facility Siting Plan” was introduced by state environmental officials in 2004. The document would serve to guide the permitting process of CWM by New York.

CWM, a subsidiary of the waste-industry giant Waste Management, is in the process of applying for a permit to build a new hazardous waste landfill at its Model City site.

Both Maziarz and DelMonte found it hard to explain the DEC’s lack of action. They said they believe the area already has done its fair share by hosting a hazardous waste landfill at the CWM site, and they both plan to monitor any activity in Albany.

“Ultimately, that’s our goal — to put some standards into play,” DelMonte said.

Contact Aaron Besecker

at 282-2311, Ext. 2263.
This story from yesterday's Niagara Gazette
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No offense intended to the Niagara Gazette reporter but this is a non-story.
A meeting where the officials say "wait until things change before we can change things" is the very definition of a non-story non-event.

These fruitless political gatherings are meant strictly for public relations and have proven to be of little or no value to the possibility of any positive health outcome with the situations around the Lewiston Porter, Youngstown, Ransomville, Niagara Falls and generally Niagara County, New York.

It is ill advised to be so focused on what else gets buried at the old Lake Ontario Ordnance Works (LOOW) site, or, what might be sent here at some future date. This community needs to be concerned with what's already been buried at this legacy site (over the last 65 years by past military-government activities-including a massive amount of radioactive materials), the assured poor future health outcome from decades of poor waste practices and questionable judgement of past and current officials.

It's been said before--"If it's been buried, it's been buried in Niagara County." Now, it appears as if the truth is also being buried along with the wastes.
The Bomb That Fell On Niagara, series of informative articles about the subject.

The original state and federal ordered edicts to not disturb any soils there at the LOOW site were never followed. Still aren't. Waiting for a new governor or environmental honcho isn't the answer to any of these immediate problems--particularly since the original health order and restrictions weren't followed at all since; 1966, 1972, 1973, 1987, 19 years ago, 33 years ago, 34 years ago and 40 years respectively--The very definition of a non-story and public relations event.

Why weren't "stop orders" enforced in the first place since 1966-1972 by local officials including the Niagara County Department of Health?

There is still no enforcement (except the smoking laws) only word play and "information collection."

No mention of the 2004-2005 reclassification of the dangerous African Uranium wastes by the current D.C. Administration, all the while they (RRG, local legislators and town councils and others) were protesting the phantom Hudson River PCBs that were never destined to come to Niagara in the first place. "Hey, look over there!" (See: "PCB Dilemma: Government, industry" 2001.)

As far as "information gathering" by the Niagara County Department of Health and the newly formed, quasi-governmental, Niagara "Health-Science Project" AKA "The Community LOOW Project" goes - note this: The LOOW site was ordered decades ago to NOT have ANY soils disturbed there because of radiological materials present and known by the federal government since at least 1940s. Local government was totally aware of this by 1972. From the village boards to Lockport, NY. EVERY local official since that time has known about this. NOW, look at which local politicians recently retired--voluntarily left office or decided to not run again. A congressman, a county legislator, a village trustee, and in this sequence.

That first "stop order" came down the pike in 1966 through property deed restrictions issued by the federal government to local authorities and should be recorded and on file in the Libers of the Niagara County seat. At that time (1966) the federal government said not to disturb anything down there on and around the LOOW site. This was repeated in a 1972 NYS Albany-level health order that was never enforced by county or town officials either. This may have been related to the original "host agreements" by town officials making monetary deals with the various waste companies and that have grown into today's state of affairs and the certain dilemma that will have to be faced by future generations.

Recently, the NC health department collected about $200,000 dollars to determine a ... public relations plan?? (See: NCDH Buffalo based grant language for quasi-NHS-CLP) [insert link].

No mention has yet been made of the 2004-2005, 20+ Air Force rocket-test complex and other buildings that were recently and quietly torn down in the woods of Niagara County off Balmer Road (See:Lewiston Sentinel-Canadian scrap yard explosion due to shipped hazardous LOOW materials) on the still secret-Unrestricted Use-CURRENTLY Operating Without Any Environmental Rules or LAWS--near to the schools, or Air Force Plant #38 on government lands at the Lewiston Porter Youngstown LOOW site and several other issues that are conveniently being ignored--like the court identified leaking radioactive "containment" structure, Niagara Falls Storage Site (NFSS) and the sworn testimony of a US Army official saying that residents who lived "within a mile of this site should be in fear for their lives." That's a quote from sworn testimony!

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Additional Readings

Lewis, Ricki. 2001. "PCB Dilemma: Government, industry, and public debate..." The Scientist 15([6):1, Mar. 19, 2001. An interesting debate.. . risk assessment.,
Artvoice Magazine 2001-2005, Tokyo Physicians, The Bomb That Fell On Niagara, L. Ricciuti and G. Kelly,
Road Paving Job Shut Down