Friday, September 30, 2016

THANK YOU!!!

Well, the comment period for the i3 Elecrtonics SPDES permit is now closed.

I just logged in to the account for "Concerned Citizens of Endicott" and am overwhelmed by all of wonderful comments made to DEC which were forwarded to me.

(I'd estimate around 25 quality comments?)

Presumably, there were others sent to DEC which we were not CC'd on.

I was panicked a few weeks ago, feeling abandoned by the NGO's and the lack of certain big-name water warriors in NY helping us.

It's what I call the "not enough" curse. I heard this so many times from event organizers in 5 years of fighting fracking. Often, "I wish more people had shown up". But we have a ban now, so clearly we had enough!

And we DID have some big names helping us, and one NGO came through in a major way: Sierra Club.

I will compile all these comments shortly. But for now, let me thanks some of the people whom I feel helped out in a major way:

Rachel Treichler, esq
John Barone, esq
Ann Khanna, esq
Dr. Ron Bishop
Roger Downs, Sierra Club
Scott Lauffer,
Sierra Club, Susquehanna Group
Jim Little, WBESC
Western Broome Environmental Stakeholders Coalition
Mark Bacon, CCoE
Gerri Wiley, RN
Gudrun Scott, RN
Valdi & Karen Weiderpass
Broome-Tioga Green Party
NY Assembly Member Donna Lupardo

...probably a few I'm forgetting...

Thanks to EVERYONE who came to a meeting, took the plant tour, drove to the outfall and looks for flow or took samples, shared one of our memes or emails, spoke at the hearing, and/or filed a comment on the docket.

I am overwhelmed w/Joy.
Let's hope it makes a difference.

Bill Huston,
Concerned Citizens of Endicott

--
--
May you, and all beings
be happy and free from suffering :)
-- ancient Buddhist Prayer (Metta)

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Help Needed in Endicott and Downstream (Susquehanna): DEADLINE FRIDAY!


Thank you for your interest in protecting the water quality of Endicott and downstream!

Concerned Citizens of Endicott is a very small group, and we are operating without any NGO support.  We have a small team of about a dozen people who have been very active, and another 10 or so informants and helpers, who for various reasons, cannot go on the record.

Concerned Citizens of Endicott have identified major concerns with the i3 Electronics SPDES permit, which is essentially a license to pollute.
Major concerns:
  • Transparency: A new business was created in 2011: commercial waste processing in downtown Endicott, but the DEC kept it a secret until 2013, when some citizens started smelling something foul (both figuratively and literally) and started making FOILs.
  • The operator created this new business with unique and substantial community impacts, clearly within the purview of local land-use authority (village, town, and county planning/zoning), but also kept it a secret.
  • Potential threats to water quality and quantity in the Village of Endicott and downstream.
  • Essentially no DEC oversight. Everything is "self monitoring" and "self reporting". No checking by NYS DEC.
  • NO fines, and NO violations from DEC, despite numerous spills
  • Truck traffic = ~250 trucks/week, trucks lack HAZMAT placards,
  • foul, noxious odors
  • potential health impacts
  • Numerous Process Questions, including NO NOTICE from NYSDEC for the 2011 Pilot, NO SEQR review, NO Environmental Impact Statement, despite major changes in the permit conditions,
  • and apparently NO CONTROLS: The operator has accepted numerous waste streams which are OUTSIDE the scope of their original SPDES permit (processing wastes relating to manufacture of circuit boards), and also outside the scope of the 2011 Pilot.

Here's how to make a comment to NYS DEC in re: i3 Electronics SPDES permit, which is a license to pollute the Susquehanna River in Endicott. Deadline is Friday, 9/30, 5pm!!!
SAMPLE LETTER

TO: DEPPermitting@dec.ny.gov
CC: Teresa.Diehsner@dec.ny.gov
CC: ConcernedCitizensOfEndicott@gmail.com
Subject: Comment on SPDES NY#0003808

My name is --------------. I live in --------------. 
I care about the Susquehanna River because -----------.
(ideas: fishing, recreation, people living downstream, clean drinking water, etc) 

With regards to the i3 Electronics SPDES permit, I am concerned about ------------.
(ideas: truck traffic, water quality impacts, odor, hazardous waste concerns, trucks should have Hazmat markings, flooding concerns, insufficient testing protocol, "self-monitoring program", no DEC oversight, aging facility, storm sewer use/leakage into old village dump site, health of the fish/river, human health impacts, etc)

I therefore join with Concerned Citizens of Endicott (CCoE) and respectfully request:

1: NYS DEC reclassify this permit modification as a Type-I SEQR action, perform a full environmental review, including an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

2: NYS DEC perform an audit of this facility over the last 10 years; identify and list all permit violations, leaks and spills, and the operators response; the operator's character and financial ability to maintain the facility; and investigate the operator for their acceptance of waste streams which are both

a) outside what is contemplated in their existing permit (manufacture of circuit boards) and/or

b) outside the scope of the 2011 Pilot (including Reverse Osmosis Concentrate, Pharmaceutical Waste, Sanitary Sewage, Medical Waste, and/or waste from the Oil and Gas industry).

3: Issue a moratorium on the importation of all offsite waste streams until

a) the EIS is completed

b) An integrity study of the plant is performed, including assessment of secondary containment, condition of plants, valves, pipes, etc.

c) An integrity study of the storm sewer network is completed, with particular focus to flooding issues, and possible leakage at the site of the old village dump,

d) and until the DEC gets notification from the Village of Endicott, Town of Union, and Broome County Zoning and Planning boards that this new business activity is a permitted use, or show that a Special Use Permit has been obtained.

Best Regards,
(your name)


More info:


--
--
May you, and all beings
be happy and free from suffering :)
-- ancient Buddhist Prayer (Metta)



--
--
May you, and all beings
be happy and free from suffering :)
-- ancient Buddhist Prayer (Metta)

Monday, August 22, 2016

Got TCE? Just add Leachate, Horse Pee, and MBTE



The problems for poor Endicott, already a TCE contaminated Superfund Site, keep getting worse.

Yes you've been hearing about Landfill leachate.
Then we learned it was 10x SUPER CONCENTRATED
REVERSE OSMOSIS CONCENTRATE!

You won't believe the latest toxic crap we've discovered is being trucked in from over 2 hours away....

Warning...  this is extremely revolting....
Grab your Barf Bag before you read this one, friends.



--
--
May you, and all beings
be happy and free from suffering :)
-- ancient Buddhist Prayer (Metta)

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

public hearing announced! Fwd: I3 Electronics Inc. SPDES NY0003808 - Notice of Public Availability Session & Notice of Public Statement Hearing



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Diehsner, Teresa (DEC) <teresa.diehsner@dec.ny.gov>
Date: Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Subject: I3 Electronics Inc. SPDES NY0003808 - Notice of Public Availability Session & Notice of Public Statement Hearing


You have expressed an interest in the above referenced SPDES permit.  A Notice of Public Availability Session and Notice of Public Statement Hearing has been published in today's 8/3/2016 Environmental Notice Bulletin http://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/20160803_hearings.html and is copied below.

 

I3 Electronics Inc.

August 3, 2016

STATE OF NEW YORK
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AVAILABILITY SESSION
NOTICE OF PUBLIC STATEMENT HEARING

Applicant: I3 ELECTRONICS INC
1093 CLARK ST
ENDICOTT, NY 13760, USA

Project Location: I3 ELECTRONICS, INC.
1093 CLARK ST
ENDICOTT, NY 13760

DEC Permit ID Number(s):

- ECL Article 17 Titles 7 & 8 Industrial SPDES - Surface Discharge

NY#0003808

Project Description: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is proposing a Department Initiated Modification (DIM) to the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (SPDES) Permit (NY#0003808), pursuant to 6 NYCRR Part 750-1.18, and 750-1.19, the Priority Ranking System known as New York State's Environmental Benefit of Permit Strategy (EBPS). This modification will also serve to renew the SPDES permit, the term of which was extended under the State Administrative Procedures Act (SAPA). A Notice of Complete Application was previously published in the Environmental Notice Bulletin on June 29, 2016.Notice of the extension of the public comment period was previously published in the Environmental Notice Bulletin on July 27, 2016 at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/20160727_not7.html

Public Statement Hearing: Pursuant to 6 NYCRR Subpart 621.8, the NYSDEC will conduct a public statement hearing on September 14, 2016 at the:

Union-Endicott High School
1200 E Main St,
Endicott, NY 13760

The public statement hearing will begin at 6:00 pm. The public statement hearing is to receive unsworn comments on the proposed project. Written comments may also be submitted. DEC will evaluate the application and the comments received on it to determine whether to hold an adjudicatory hearing. Comments and requests for an adjudicatory hearing should be in writing and addressed to the Department representative listed below. A copy of the Department's permit hearing procedures is available upon request or on the Department web site at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6234.html

Public Availability Session: The NYSDEC will conduct an availability session on September 14, 2016 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at:

Union-Endicott High School
1200 E Main St,
Endicott, NY 13760

The purpose of this session will be for NYS DEC staff to answer questions that the public may have on the technical, environmental, and procedural aspects of the Department initiated modification.

ALL PERSONS, ORGANIZATIONS, CORPORATIONS, OR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THE PROPOSED PERMITS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THE HEARING AND TO SUBMIT ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMENTS ON THE MODIFICATION. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO FILE IN ADVANCE TO SPEAK AT THE HEARING. LENGTHY COMMENTS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED IN WRITING. EQUAL WEIGHT WILL BE GIVEN TO BOTH ORAL AND WRITTEN STATEMENTS. THE ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE (ALJ) MAY LIMIT THE TIME AVAILABLE FOR ORAL COMMENTS TO 3 MINUTES PER PERSON TO ENSURE THAT ALL PERSONS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD. THE HEARING FACILITY IS REASONABLY ACCESSIBLE TO THE MOBILITY IMPAIRED.

Translator services shall be made available, at no charge, upon written request to the ALJ. All requests must be made to the NYSDEC Office of Hearings and Mediation Services, ALJ Molly T. McBride, 625 Broadway, First Floor, Albany, New York, 12233-1550, phone (518) 402-9003. The request must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on September 7, 2016. Interpreter services shall be made available to deaf persons, at no charge, upon written request to the ALJ at the address listed above by September 7, 2016.

Document Availability:

- The permit and related documents, may be reviewed at the following locations during normal business hours:

- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Region 7 Office, 615 Erie Blvd. West, Syracuse, NY 13204

- Broome County Office Building, County Clerk, Edwin L. Crawford County Office Building, 3rd Floor, 60 Hawley Street, Binghamton, NY 13902

- Village of Endicott, 1009 E Main St, Endicott, NY 13760

- George F. Johnson Memorial Library, 1001 Park St, Endicott, NY 13760

How to Provide Your Comments: Any interested person may submit comments in writing, or verbally at the public comment session. All comments will be considered in making the final decision about issuance of the permit. Written comments about the permit modification and renewal must be RECEIVED BY September 30, 2016 to be considered and should be sent to:

Teresa Diehsner
NYSDEC Headquarters
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233
(518)402-9167
DEPPermitting@dec.ny.gov

 


--
--
May you, and all beings
be happy and free from suffering :)
-- ancient Buddhist Prayer (Metta)

Sunday, April 17, 2016

May 3, Endicott: Health of local rivers: Important mtg coming up

What: WBESC meeting

When: May 3 2016, 6 pm

Where: First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave, Endicott, NY 13760(At the intersection of McKinley Ave and Monroe St, entrance at rear)

This concerns a NYS DEC permit application to legally dump 80,000 or more gallons per day of highly toxic landfill leachate into the Susquehanna River, directly on top of 1 of 2 shallow wells which is Endicott's primary water source, and upstream of the other.

My friend Mark Bacon is one of the few people who has been tracking the local landfill leachate issue.

He has a coffee shop in downtown Endicott (he hauls spring water for his coffee from Lisle).

4-5 times per day he sees either a 130 BBL or a 215 BBL (5,000-9,000 gallon) tanker truck carrying landfill leachate drive by each day, some of it comes from over 2 hours away, which is minimally treated by EIT/Huron, then dumped into the Susquehanna River.

As far as we know, the volume is 80,000 gallons each day. This is 21B gallons per year, 1.7M gallons per month.

Huron/i3 Electronis (owned the Maines and Matthews families) have made tons of money in the leachate dumping business.

PS: This is just one "approved" source out of dozens all along the river. (actually i3 owns one SPDES permit, and Huron owns another. So there are 2 different pipes which discharge toxic waste into the river).

It's not really approved. It's been going on since April 2011 as a secret DEC "pilot program". It was only through the investigative effort by members of WBESC (Jim Little, Mark Bacon, Scott Lauffer and me) to figure out what was going on.

There was even a *media disinformation* campaign in 2011 coincident when it started. The headline was "Huron Campus Won't be Treating Frack Waste!". Why is this even a story!?

Yet every news outlet in town reported it. And NONE reported about the unpermitted leachte "pilot program" granted by the NYS DEC in secret.

Are the local media lapdogs, and the local business elites in the Greater Binghamton Chamber (who control the media) engaged in a coverup here? And a smokescreen?

And even the claim "we won't be treating fracking waste" turned out to be untrue. (Google: "What Stinks in Endicott" for more info).


Mark also fishes and helps stock the rivers with fish. Huh? Yes, he puts the farm-hatched fish into the river, then he goes and catches the fish he put in the water.

I thought this sounds unnatural. I asked him, "why do we have to stock the rivers with fish?" His answer shocked me.

"Fracking". Yes of course! We've all heard about fish in the Susquehanna with tumors.

But long before fracking there were many threats. "Dams, quarries (stone for building cities and highways), illegal dumping..."

Then there is *LEGAL* dumping under the "Clean Water Act" (1) including landfill leachate and industrial wastes, toxic runoff from farms (fertilizer, pesticides/herbicides and animal wastes), human sewage.

(1: In NY, the CWA permit is called SPDES, "State Pollution Discharge Elimination System"! The license to pollute claims in name to be eliminating pollution! Each permit considers each point source only. As far as I can see, there are no cumulative impacts analyses being done.)

Also over-fishing impacts natural fish population.

Still, he eats the fish he catches from the river polluted by many sources he tells me about.  

Because fishing in the river is how people have lived for centuries.

Except the natural system has been really FUBARed* by humans.

FUBAR = F'ed up beyond all recognition. So much so we oblivious to how unnatural and what a red flag stocking the river with fish is! It's "normal", so we don't see it.

Friends, if we are having to stock the rivers with fish, because the natural fish have died off, this is a big problem!!

If we cannot drink river water without filtration, this is a big problem!

My friend Mark hates fracking, but not for the same reason we do. Mark hates fracking, because as an issue, it has completely dominated local environmental reporting for the last 5-6 years.

This obliterates and displaces reporting on many other environmental threats.

Please come to this important meeting with a DEC rep about Huron/i3's application

What: Western Broome Environmental Stakeholders Coalition (WBESC) meeting with NYSDEC officials regarding Endicott i3 on (Huron Campus) effluent permit.

Issues: Presently, 80,000 gallons per day of minimally processed, highly toxic landfill leachate from Seneca Meadows landfill, and also Broome County Landfill.

1) Is this a good idea?
2) What exactly is being dumped?
3) What is the "treatment" process?
4) Who is performing input composition analysis and output analysis?
5) what controls are in place?
6) WHEN IS THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PERMIT?? DEC promised us one 2 years ago: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ScoBNTlVM0c
 
The meeting is open to the public. The DEC will explain the treatment process and permitting process, and will answer questions and take concerns.
 
Where: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Ave, Endicott, NY 13760
(At the intersection of McKinley Ave and Monroe St, entrance at rear)
 
When: May 3 2016, 6 pm
 
Contact: Frank Roma, WBESC spokesperson at 607-727-5705 if you have questions.


--
--
May you, and all beings
be happy and free from suffering :)
-- ancient Buddhist Prayer (Metta)




--
--
May you, and all beings
be happy and free from suffering :)
-- ancient Buddhist Prayer (Metta)

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Fri/Sat/Sun: Urgent call for support: Hollerans New Milford PA

Bodies needed!
(yours :)

I have just received a call from Craig Stevens asking for a big rally of support for the Zeffer/Holleran Maple forest starting on Friday.

WHEN: Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
WHY: Hollerans ordered into Federal Court Fri afternoon facing contempt charge.
WHERE: 2131 Three Lakes Rd, New Milford PA (Susquehanna County)

I have received a copy of the "order to show cause", and will send it to you upon request: WilliamAHuston@gmail.com

In their latest assault on private property rights, and the right of free assembly, Williams Partners + Cabot Oil and Gas, d/b/a "Constitution Pipeline Company" is making the rather strange argument that people standing on private property, NOT EVEN inside the pipeline right-of-way, is interfering with their attempt to cut trees.

Keep in mind that this pipeline HAS NOT received approval from the NYS DEC or the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Meanwhile, numerous violations of Federal Law, including the Natural Gas Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the actual US Constitution, are being litigated in the federal courts now by several big environmental NGOs. Yet the tree cutting continues.

Craig, Vera Scroggins, and I, as well as the property owners themselves feel the best defense now is a strong show of support.

Please come to New Milford if you can Fri-Sun, Feb 19-21.

Environmental and property rights activists from at least 7 states have already visited the property over the last 2+ weeks.

Maps, address, phone numbers:

http://williamahuston.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-last-stand-need-bodies-here-now.html

Official communications at this Facebook event page:

https://facebook.com/events/1519906745006626

Thanks! Please share on NE US regional lists, esp. NY and PA, inc.

* Pipeline Fighters
* Environmental Lists
* Green Party lists
* Property Rights groups
* Social Justice
* Anti-war Anti-Occupation

This group is 100% committed to peace / non-violence. Please DO NOT bring weapons!

Thanks!
Bill Huston


--
--
May you, and all beings
be happy and free from suffering :)
-- ancient Buddhist Prayer (Metta)

Monday, February 15, 2016

"Constitution" seeks court order to remove people on private property

Hey, good luck with removing people from private property, who are not even in the ROW!, "Constitution".

NOTE: my understanding (and according to an earlier article in the Times-Trib, is that the PA State Police ordered Constitution tree cutting crews to turn back was NOT due to the defenders on the property, but due to litigation. "state police instructed Constitution representatives to hold off until a decision is made on their case")

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/pipeline-company-seeks-court-order-to-remove-tree-protesters-1.2007464

Pipeline company seeks court order to remove tree protesters

TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER, STAFF WRITER
Published: February 15, 2016

A pipeline company blocked from cutting down maple trees at a Susquehanna County family business seeks a court order to allow state police to remove protesters preventing it from clearing the land.

Catherine Holleran and three other property owners should be held in contempt of court for violating a court order that granted the company permission to fell trees on their New Milford Twp. property, argues Elizabeth Witmer, attorney for Constitution Pipeline Company.

Loggers for Constitution arrived at the property Wednesday, but were turned away by about 30 protesters, including Megan Holleran, daughter of Catherine Holleran. State police were called, but troopers advised the company they could not remove the protesters without a court order, Ms. Witmer says in an emergency motion filed Friday in federal court.

Constitution has been battling the Holleran family and other property owners, Patricia Glover, Dustin Webster and Michael and Maryann Zeffer, regarding the acquisition of property needed to construct a 124-mile natural gas pipeline that will transport natural gas from Susquehanna County to New York and New England.

Constitution offered the property owners more than $3,000, which it says exceeds the appraised value of the land, according to court documents. The owners rejected the offer, arguing the appraisal was not properly done.

That led Constitution to seek to take the property through eminent domain. Judge Malachy Mannion ruled in favor of Constitution on March 17, 2015. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, granted the firm permission last month to fell the trees.

Despite Judge Mannion's and FERC's orders, the Hollerans and other protesters have occupied the property, preventing Constitution from cutting the trees by standing in the fall zone, creating a safety risk, Ms. Witmer says in the motion. The protesters interference threatens the pipeline project as the FERC order requires the trees be cut by March 31 so not to affect migratory birds.

Contacted Monday, Megan Holleran said she wants to halt the cutting of the trees until a federal appellate court in New York rules on a separate challenge to the pipeline project that was filed by a group known as Stop the Pipeline. That case challenges FERC's approval of the project. While it's not directly related to her family's dispute, the outcome of the New York case could impact their case, she said.

"While that's still pending we think it's premature to take action on our land," she said. "If they cut the trees too soon, it's an error you can't take back."

Ms. Holleran said the protests have been peaceful. She was surprised Constitution filed the emergency motion.

"We are not doing anything illegal or to try to inspire a conflict," she said. "We had an extremely polite interaction. ... I asked them to leave and they did."

Ms. Witmer stressed Constitution is not seeking to bar the property owners from continuing their protest, so long as they do so peacefully and do not interfere with the loggers or otherwise pose a safety threat.

The property owners will have an opportunity to respond to the motion. Ms. Witmer requested Judge Mannion rule on the matter as soon as possible given the deadline the company faces to fell the trees.

Contact the writer: tbesecker@timesshamrock.com; @tmbeseckerTT on Twitter.



--
--
May you, and all beings
be happy and free from suffering :)
-- ancient Buddhist Prayer (Metta)