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.
April 26, 2024
On April 24, 2024, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) rescinded the permit that would have allowed construction of an industrial wastewater and sewage pipeline through the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. This is a major victory in the struggle to stop the construction of WNY STAMP and protect the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and their homelands.
This tremendous win owes in no small part to advocacy from dedicated allies like you. So: read on, take a moment to celebrate this victory, and then keep scrolling or click here to take action to fully STOP the STAMP and uphold the sovereignty of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation!
In their letter to the Genesee Economic Development Corporation, the USFWS states that “construction of [the pipeline] cannot be completed as originally permitted and… the environmental impacts extend beyond the permitted Right-Of-Way (ROW).” Termination of the permit is effective as of June 24, 2024, and any further proposed pipeline construction would require the developer to file a new permit application. Click here for the Nation’s press release.
As you may recall, the Nation first called on USFWS to pull the permit in September 2022, citing fatal flaws in its issuance that included failure to consult with the Nation. USFWS refused the Nation’s request and allowed pipeline construction to begin in July 2023. Construction was halted in September 2023 following multiple spills of hundreds of gallons of drilling fluids onto federally protected land and wetlands, and the Nation filed suit against USFWS in federal court in November 2023.
Cleanup of the spills has taken more than seven months and included removal of more than 73 tons of contaminated drilling mud from wetlands in the Refuge. Engineers and state regulators acknowledge that some drilling mud cannot be removed and will likely remain in the environment permanently.
The USFWS’s decision to pull the permit represents yet another setback for WNY STAMP. And, the fight to fully stop the STAMP is not over. In the words of Chief Roger Hill, “Protecting the land and water for future generations is one of our greatest responsibilities, and preventing this pipeline through the Refuge is an important step. But our Nation still faces a looming threat from the proposed STAMP industrial site and we hope to move forward collaboratively with the Fish and Wildlife Service and New York State to ensure potential impacts from heavy industry are fully analyzed and avoided before permits are issued. It shouldn’t take an environmental disaster for agencies to follow the law.”
Unbelievably, while USFWS is terminating the permit it issued for pipeline construction within the Refuge, the NYS DEC has taken no action to withdraw the permit it issued for pipeline construction through wetlands outside the Refuge - even though Notices of Violation issued by NYS DEC following the spills show the disastrous consequences of pipeline drilling near state wetlands.
Take Action Now!
Let’s call on NYS DEC to protect the environment and Seneca ancestral lands, and withdraw the ECL freshwater wetland permit issued for the STAMP wastewater pipeline!
Sample email text
To:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Bcc: [email protected]
From: <Your email address>
Subject: Pull the Permit and Consult with the Tonawanda Seneca Nation!
Dear Interim NYSDEC Commissioner Sean Mahar, Deputy Commissioner for Remediation and Materials Management Patrick Foster, Deputy Commissioner for Equity and Justice Adriana Espinoza, and Deputy Secretary for First Nations Elizabeth Rule,
I just learned that the USFWS has pulled a permit that would have allowed construction of an industrial wastewater and sewage pipeline through the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. I commend the USFWS on its decision. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation must follow suit!
I demand that the NYSDEC immediately rescind the Freshwater Wetlands permit for the wastewater pipeline and require environmental review that includes robust, meaningful consultation with the Tonawanda Seneca Nation Council of Chiefs.
Thank you,
<Your name and address>
Want to take further action?
On Friday, April 26, at their annual meeting, the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) is honoring the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) as its Economic Development Partner of the Year award. What is ESDC? The NYS entity that has continued to plow subsidies into propping up the WNY STAMP boondoggle! So: let’s tell ESDC, Governor Kathy Hochul and GCEDC that we don’t appreciate this honor.
Tweet at Gov. Kathy Hochul, ESDC, and GCEDC
Share on Facebook
Post on Instagram
On April 24, 2024, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) rescinded the permit that would have allowed construction of an industrial wastewater and sewage pipeline through the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. This is a major victory in the struggle to stop the construction of WNY STAMP and protect the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and their homelands.
This tremendous win owes in no small part to advocacy from dedicated allies like you. So: read on, take a moment to celebrate this victory, and then keep scrolling or click here to take action to fully STOP the STAMP and uphold the sovereignty of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation!
In their letter to the Genesee Economic Development Corporation, the USFWS states that “construction of [the pipeline] cannot be completed as originally permitted and… the environmental impacts extend beyond the permitted Right-Of-Way (ROW).” Termination of the permit is effective as of June 24, 2024, and any further proposed pipeline construction would require the developer to file a new permit application. Click here for the Nation’s press release.
As you may recall, the Nation first called on USFWS to pull the permit in September 2022, citing fatal flaws in its issuance that included failure to consult with the Nation. USFWS refused the Nation’s request and allowed pipeline construction to begin in July 2023. Construction was halted in September 2023 following multiple spills of hundreds of gallons of drilling fluids onto federally protected land and wetlands, and the Nation filed suit against USFWS in federal court in November 2023.
Cleanup of the spills has taken more than seven months and included removal of more than 73 tons of contaminated drilling mud from wetlands in the Refuge. Engineers and state regulators acknowledge that some drilling mud cannot be removed and will likely remain in the environment permanently.
The USFWS’s decision to pull the permit represents yet another setback for WNY STAMP. And, the fight to fully stop the STAMP is not over. In the words of Chief Roger Hill, “Protecting the land and water for future generations is one of our greatest responsibilities, and preventing this pipeline through the Refuge is an important step. But our Nation still faces a looming threat from the proposed STAMP industrial site and we hope to move forward collaboratively with the Fish and Wildlife Service and New York State to ensure potential impacts from heavy industry are fully analyzed and avoided before permits are issued. It shouldn’t take an environmental disaster for agencies to follow the law.”
Unbelievably, while USFWS is terminating the permit it issued for pipeline construction within the Refuge, the NYS DEC has taken no action to withdraw the permit it issued for pipeline construction through wetlands outside the Refuge - even though Notices of Violation issued by NYS DEC following the spills show the disastrous consequences of pipeline drilling near state wetlands.
Take Action Now!
Let’s call on NYS DEC to protect the environment and Seneca ancestral lands, and withdraw the ECL freshwater wetland permit issued for the STAMP wastewater pipeline!
Sample email text
To:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Bcc: [email protected]
From: <Your email address>
Subject: Pull the Permit and Consult with the Tonawanda Seneca Nation!
Dear Interim NYSDEC Commissioner Sean Mahar, Deputy Commissioner for Remediation and Materials Management Patrick Foster, Deputy Commissioner for Equity and Justice Adriana Espinoza, and Deputy Secretary for First Nations Elizabeth Rule,
I just learned that the USFWS has pulled a permit that would have allowed construction of an industrial wastewater and sewage pipeline through the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. I commend the USFWS on its decision. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation must follow suit!
I demand that the NYSDEC immediately rescind the Freshwater Wetlands permit for the wastewater pipeline and require environmental review that includes robust, meaningful consultation with the Tonawanda Seneca Nation Council of Chiefs.
Thank you,
<Your name and address>
Want to take further action?
On Friday, April 26, at their annual meeting, the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) is honoring the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) as its Economic Development Partner of the Year award. What is ESDC? The NYS entity that has continued to plow subsidies into propping up the WNY STAMP boondoggle! So: let’s tell ESDC, Governor Kathy Hochul and GCEDC that we don’t appreciate this honor.
Tweet at Gov. Kathy Hochul, ESDC, and GCEDC
- Tag @GovKathyHochul, @WNYSTAMP, @EmpireStateDev, @GCEDC
- Sample tweets:
- @GCEDC: The @WNYSTAMP is a failing boondoggle. This is NOT the moment to honor @EmpireStateDev!!
- @GCEDC! The USFWS just pulled a major @WNYSTAMP permit. It’s time to stop the STAMP, not celebrate @EmpireStateDev!
- @GovKathyHochul: Let’s follow the lead of the USFWS: Pull the permits, STOP the @WNYSTAMP. Honor Indigenous Sovereignty, NOT @EmpireStateDev!
- @EmpireStateDev: Why are you continuing to prop up @WNYSTAMP, a failing boondoggle! Tell @GCEDC thanks but no thanks for the honor.
Share on Facebook
- Tag @govkathyhochul, @EmpireStateDevelopment, @WNYSTAMP, @GCEDC
- Sample posts:
- Gov. Hochul: @WNYSTAMP is a failing boondoggle. This is NOT the moment to honor @EmpireStateDevelopment!!
- Hey @Kathy Hochul! The USFWS just pulled a major WNY STAMP permit. It’s time to stop the @WNYSTAMP, not celebrate @EmpireStateDevelopment!
- @Gov. Hochul: Let’s follow the lead of the USFWS: Pull the permits, STOP the @WNYSTAMP. Honor Indigenous Sovereignty, NOT @EmpireStateDevelopment
- Hey @EmpireStateDevelopment: The USFWS just pulled a major WNY STAMP permit. No more money for @WNYSTAMP
- Hey @GCEDC: why are you honoring @EmpireStateDevelopment for propping up @WNYSTAMP, a failing boondoggle? Stop the STAMP, Honor Indigenous Sovereignty
Post on Instagram
- Tag @govkathyhochul
- Sample posts:
- @govkathyhochul: @WNYSTAMP is a failing boondoggle. This is NOT the moment to honor @EmpireStateDevelopment!!
- Hey @govkathyhochul! The USFWS just pulled a major WNY STAMP permit. It’s time to stop the @WNYSTAMP, not celebrate @EmpireStateDevelopment
- @govkathyhochul: Let’s follow the lead of the USFWS: Pull the permits, STOP the @WNYSTAMP. Honor Indigenous Sovereignty, NOT @EmpireStateDevelopment