Photo by Virginia State Parks. Creative Commons license Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0). https://www.flickr.com/photos/37922399@N05/52749816654. Image description: Closeup of a Scarlet Tanager, a bird with a bright red body and black wings and eyes, perched on a branch, with many crisscrossing gray branches and greenery blurring in the background.
January 25, 2024 Action Alert - Protect our Refuge! Pull the Permit!
Background:
If you’ve been following our campaign to stop the WNY STAMP mega-industrial site, you already know that construction of the site’s wastewater pipeline has been a disaster since drilling began in July. Today, we say: this outrage must end. Join us in taking action to halt construction once and for all.
To recap: in July, DEC told the developer that the SPDES permit for the wastewater pipeline was based on invalid information, but did not withdraw the permit. Just days later, pipeline drilling began and in mid-August, spills of hydraulic drilling fluid first occurred in the Refuge, although the Tonawanda Seneca Nation was not informed until after a second set of spills in early September. In October, we found out that these spills were much larger than initially reported, and in November we learned that material removed from the remediation site tested positive for hazardous waste. In December, the developer failed to complete required testing to identify the specific chemicals and other contaminants present in these materials.
In early January, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) said ‘happy new year’ with the news that runoff from the remediation pit - which tested positive for hazardous waste - continues to leak into nearby water bodies from supposedly "lined" containers. Lab analysis showed that leaked material contained arsenic, barium, cadmium, lead, acetone, pyrene and phthalates. As you can see in these photos and this video, the containers were left unsecured and literally floating in open water, representing a clear failure by the developer to take basic protective measures - thus allowing the further spread of toxins into our environment. This damage occurred pursuant to a SPDES permit NYSDEC has disavowed but let stand.
Today, we demand that New York state officials take action to halt further environmental destruction in and around the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Let’s tell our government leaders that the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation must immediately withdraw the SPDES permit to prevent further environmental catastrophes.
WNY STAMP is on shaky ground. With not just one but two lawsuits and increasing negative press coverage, the momentum is turning against this catastrophic boondoggle - and in favor of Indigenous sovereignty and land justice. In order to make these visions a reality, the NYSDEC must pull the SPDES permit that currently allows WNY STAMP’s developer to commit ongoing egregious environmental harm. Take action today! Keep scrolling for all the details.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Take Action Now! Sample email text
To:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
From:
<Your email address>
Subject: Protect our Refuge! Pull the Permit!
Dear Governor Kathy Hochul, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, NYDEC Commissioner Basil Seggos, and Deputy Secretary for First Nations Elizabeth Rule,
I demand that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation immediately withdraw the SPDES permit for the STAMP wastewater pipeline.
Thank you,
<Your name and address>
Additional ask: Call the Governor at 1-518-474-8390 and leave her a message!
Background:
If you’ve been following our campaign to stop the WNY STAMP mega-industrial site, you already know that construction of the site’s wastewater pipeline has been a disaster since drilling began in July. Today, we say: this outrage must end. Join us in taking action to halt construction once and for all.
To recap: in July, DEC told the developer that the SPDES permit for the wastewater pipeline was based on invalid information, but did not withdraw the permit. Just days later, pipeline drilling began and in mid-August, spills of hydraulic drilling fluid first occurred in the Refuge, although the Tonawanda Seneca Nation was not informed until after a second set of spills in early September. In October, we found out that these spills were much larger than initially reported, and in November we learned that material removed from the remediation site tested positive for hazardous waste. In December, the developer failed to complete required testing to identify the specific chemicals and other contaminants present in these materials.
In early January, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) said ‘happy new year’ with the news that runoff from the remediation pit - which tested positive for hazardous waste - continues to leak into nearby water bodies from supposedly "lined" containers. Lab analysis showed that leaked material contained arsenic, barium, cadmium, lead, acetone, pyrene and phthalates. As you can see in these photos and this video, the containers were left unsecured and literally floating in open water, representing a clear failure by the developer to take basic protective measures - thus allowing the further spread of toxins into our environment. This damage occurred pursuant to a SPDES permit NYSDEC has disavowed but let stand.
Today, we demand that New York state officials take action to halt further environmental destruction in and around the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Let’s tell our government leaders that the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation must immediately withdraw the SPDES permit to prevent further environmental catastrophes.
WNY STAMP is on shaky ground. With not just one but two lawsuits and increasing negative press coverage, the momentum is turning against this catastrophic boondoggle - and in favor of Indigenous sovereignty and land justice. In order to make these visions a reality, the NYSDEC must pull the SPDES permit that currently allows WNY STAMP’s developer to commit ongoing egregious environmental harm. Take action today! Keep scrolling for all the details.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Take Action Now! Sample email text
To:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
From:
<Your email address>
Subject: Protect our Refuge! Pull the Permit!
Dear Governor Kathy Hochul, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, NYDEC Commissioner Basil Seggos, and Deputy Secretary for First Nations Elizabeth Rule,
I demand that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation immediately withdraw the SPDES permit for the STAMP wastewater pipeline.
Thank you,
<Your name and address>
Additional ask: Call the Governor at 1-518-474-8390 and leave her a message!