Advocates For the Catskill Park Descend on Albany to Lobby for Desperately Needed Resources

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY Catskill Mountainkeeper and our partners in the Catskill Park Coalition will be heading to Albany on Tuesday, February 9^th, 2016 for the Catskill Park Awareness Day. We will deliver a petition with over 1,648 signatures to Governor Cuomo calling for the state to direct urgently needed resources to the Catskill Park—the crown jewel of our region, and one of the largest and most ecologically diverse natural areas in the East.

Mountainkeeper and our partners also will be meeting with members of the state legislature and other government officials to encourage them to allocate essential funding to help maintain and improve the park’s infrastructure. In addition, we will urge decision makers to provide the same kind of investment in marketing to help grow tourism in the Catskills that has been enjoyed by other regions of NY State.

When Governor Cuomo traveled to the Catskills in October 2015, he committed to invest in building tourism in our region. The Catskill Park Coalition applauds the Governor for his focus on the Catskills—one of the largest tourist attractions in the Northeast--and we will be asking the Legislature and government officials to direct money for the Catskill Park.  The Park has been neglected for years, and is in dire need of resources to fund essential repairs and improvements that will help more people enjoy these spectacular wild lands, and preserve them for future generations.  The Catskills region is experiencing a surge in public attention to its unique attractions--from farms and food to fishing and eco-tourism—and we will urge decision makers to keep this momentum going by investing in the region.

According to Ramsay Adams, Executive Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper and Co-Chair of the Catskill Park Coalition: “The Catskill Park has experienced years of financial neglect.  Administration after administration have passed over the Catskill Park and focused on other regions in New York State. But thanks to the leadership of Governor Cuomo and the elected representatives whose districts include the park, it’s the dawning of a new great era for the region. We are optimistic that the 2016 budget will finally include real investment in our beloved Catskill Park.”

The Catskill Park Coalition has identified $5 million in immediate and urgent funding priorities to ensure that the park can be maintained and enhanced for public use. These include $1 million in aid to localities for planning, infrastructure, and grants to Catskill towns; $2 million for stewardship, including support to fill Forest Ranger vacancies, expand Park oversight and maintenance, and counteract degradation due to increased visitorship; and $2 million for capital projects (including improvements at the Catskill Park Interpretative Center) and the acquisition of priority land parcels to knit public lands together for more recreational opportunities and increased access to the Catskills.  The commitment of these funds would cover only a small part of what is needed to realize the full recreational and economic development potential of the Park, but it would be a good beginning, and would help establish the base for increased funding in the future.

"The Catskill Center is proud to co-chair the Catskill Park Coalition and excited for another successful Catskill Park Awareness Day. Through these efforts we can continue to build a modern park that protects our state's leading legacy of first-in-the-nation conservation, stewards our natural environment and sustainably supports our region's economy," says Jeff Senterman, Executive Director, Catskill Center.

Adams concluded: “On February 9^th, a large contingent of Catskill Park supporters representing dozens of organizations that make up the Catskill Park Coalition will descend on Albany to deliver a petition with over 1,648 signatories to Governor Cuomo and to meet with legislators and representatives of the Governor to ask that $5,000,000 of State funding be allocated to the Park as a first installment in an ongoing campaign to expand the recreational and economic value of this extraordinary New York State asset.”

The Catskill Park Coalition is an alliance of likeminded groups committed to working together to broaden public appreciation for the Catskill Park and seek additional resources to enhance, maintain, and make available to the public the extraordinary opportunities the Park and its surroundings offer and can offer.  www.catskillparkcoalition.org 

Contact: Ramsay Adams, Executive Director Catskill Mountainkeeper

NEWS RELEASE: February 3, 2016

BROAD COALITION CHALLENGES CLEAN AIR VIOLATIONS AT ALBANY CRUDE-BY-RAIL TERMINAL

Cite environmental justice impacts to public housing residents adjacent to Global facility

ALBANY, NY -- A broad coalition consisting of the County of Albany, a tenants association, and several environmental groups filed a lawsuit today in federal court charging that a major crude-by-rail conglomerate is operating in violation of the Clean Air Act. The lawsuit claims that Global Companies failed to obtain a required air pollution permit and institute necessary pollution controls when it modified its Albany, New York facility in 2012 to allow a five-fold increase in the amount of crude oil handled at the facility. The lawsuit also claims that Global has violated a permit issued by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation by handling crude oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota, which emits more air pollutants than conventional crude oil. The lawsuit seeks an injunction requiring the company to apply for the required air pollution permit and prohibiting the facility from handling Bakken crude oil, and asks for fines of $37,500 for each day that Global has operated in violation of the Clean Air Act.

The Global facility is located in Albany’s South End, which is home to residences, schools, churches, businesses, and social service agencies. The facility is directly adjacent to Ezra Prentice Homes, which has approximately 400 residents, including over 200 children. Albany’s South End has been designated an “environmental justice area” by DEC, meaning that it is an area that bears a disproportionate impact of adverse environmental impacts.

“The families who live at the Ezra Prentice Homes should not have to be exposed to hazardous air pollution from Global’s operations,” said Charlene Benton, president of the Ezra Prentice Homes Tenants Association. “The polluted air makes us sick and that’s just not right. We are going to court today to be granted the basic right to breathe clean air.”

“It has been nearly two years since Albany County instituted a moratorium in response to the concerns raised by South End residents,” said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. “That moratorium was aimed at stopping Global’s plan to expand their existing operations, and to force compliance for a full environmental impact review under state law. The purpose of this lawsuit is to compel Global to comply as well with the requirements of federal law, specifically the Clean Air Act. I believe that we will prevail in this case and that Global will be required to operate its facilities at the port in a way that ensures the protection of all of the residents of Albany who may be harmed by Global’s noncompliance.”

The pollutants emitted by Global’s operations include a variety of hazardous air pollutants, including benzene, a known human carcinogen. Pollution from the Global facility also contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone, which is known to cause respiratory problems such as asthma, harmful cardiovascular effects, and premature death. The people living at Ezra Prentice -- as well as numerous other residences, businesses, health care facilities, parks, churches and schools in Albany’s South End that are in close proximity to Global’s Albany Terminal -- are at risk from breathing in toxic air with excessive levels of ozone.

“Global has operated its massive crude-by-rail terminal with no regard for the health and safety of the hundreds Ezra Prentice residents who live on the facility’s doorstep, and the thousands who live, work, and go to school within blocks of the Global facility,” said Earthjustice attorney Christopher Amato. “Today’s lawsuit seeks to protect the South Albany community from Global’s air pollution and hold the company accountable for its repeated violations of the Clean Air Act.”

"Since 2012, Global has unjustifiably quadrupled the amount of highly volatile crude oil it handles at its Albany facility based on a misrepresentation of the amount of air pollution that this expansion would cause, impacting both residents and those who work in the Albany metro area,” said Kate Hudson, Riverkeeper Director of Cross Watershed Initiative. “Our citizen's suit challenge to Global's failure to comply with the requirements of the federal Clean Air Act is crucial not only to protect the health of Albany residents and visitors alike, but also to protect the Hudson from a major oil spill as a result of the vast increase in crude oil being shipped from Global's facility, a spill that would jeopardize 50 years of work to restore the river."

“Global claimed in its application that they would handle conventional crude oil during marine loading operations, and a permit was issued based upon that information,” said Roger Downs, conservation director, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter. “But instead, Global has imported large quantities of Bakken crude oil, which is extremely volatile and emits significantly more VOCs than conventional crude oil. This continuing violation of air quality laws has to stop.”

“Global simply has no authority to handle Bakken crude oil, which not only emits high levels of pollutants, but is dangerously flammable,” said Mollie Matteson, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Global must be held accountable for its total disregard for human health and safety, and the well-being of our environment."

“Global tried to sneak more highly polluting crude oil into this community by hoping a major expansion of its facility would fly under the radar,” said Dan Raichel, staff attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Today’s suit will hold these polluters accountable. The oil industry cannot get away with reckless disregard for the laws that protect clean air and residents’ health.”

"Global has not met the basic requirements of the Clean Air act, and this threatens the people of Albany and beyond," said Wes Gillingham, Program Director for Catskill Mountainkeeper. "Global has tried to hide the volatility of the Bakken crude oil. By doing this they disregard the health, environmental and safety risks they pose to New York communities. Global should not be allowed to continue."

The citizen suit was filed by Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York on behalf of the Ezra Prentice Homes Tenants Association; the County of Albany; Sierra Club; Center for Biological Diversity; Riverkeeper, Inc.; Scenic Hudson; Natural Resources Defense Council; and Catskill Mountainkeeper.

ONLINE VERSION OF THE NEWS RELEASE AND LINK TO THE COMPLAINT:http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2016/broad-coalition-challenges-clean-air-violations-at-albany-crude-by-rail-terminal

CRUDE-BY-RAIL ACROSS AMERICA OVERVIEW WITH INTERACTIVE MAP: http://earthjustice.org/features/map-crude-by-rail

CONTACTS:

Christopher Amato, Earthjustice, 518-860-3696, [email protected]

Mary Rozak, Office of the Albany County Executive, 518-368-9528, [email protected]

Charlene Benton, Ezra Prentice Homes Tenants Association, (518) 472-0201

Roger Downs, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, 518-426-9144, [email protected]

Cliff Weathers, Riverkeeper, 914-478-4501, ext. 239, [email protected]

Mollie Matteson, Center for Biological Diversity, 802-318-1487, [email protected]

Kate Kiely, Natural Resources Defense Council, 212-727-4592, [email protected]

Wes Gillingham, Catskill Mountainkeeper, 845-439-1230, [email protected]

May 18^th, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Catskill Mountainkeeper: Kathleen Nolan, MD, MSL, (845) 417-6489; k[email protected]   
Coalition Against Pilgrim Pipelines -- New York:  Iris Marie Bloom (845) 687-7810,[email protected] 
Coalition Against Pilgrim Pipelines – Saugerties:  Sue Rosenberg (914) 466-0954, [email protected]
New Yorkers Against Fracking: Jess Mullen (917) 500-8923, [email protected]

Coalition to Pilgrim: “What part of ‘no’ doesn’t the industry understand?”

Elected officials, activists rally in Kingston, opposing controversial proposed pipelines for crude oil and gasoline transport: “There is no red or blue water.”

Kingston, NY – Ulster County Chief Executive Mike Hein joined lawmakers from Esopus, Plattekill, Rochester and Esopus, and a diverse array of clean energy advocates including farmers, physicians, faith-based and civil rights leaders, all standing together to confront Pilgrim, the company planning to build two controversial proposed oil and gasoline pipelines through the Hudson Valley.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 12, 2015

Citizen Groups Demand Transparency from New York State DEC on Constitution Pipeline

CONTACTS:
Anne Marie Garti - Stop the Pipeline (718) 601-9618
Wes Gillingham - Catskill Mountainkeeper (845) 901-1029
Keith Schue - Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy (407) 470-9433

Albany - On Monday, May 11th, leading state and regional organizations sent a letter to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens calling for full transparency in its review of the Constitution Pipeline (CP).

Press inquiries:
Wes Gillingham, Catskill Mountainkeeper - (845) 901-1029
Bob Neid, Center for Sustainable Rural Communities - (518) 852-4021

April 6, 2015
Schoharie, NY

STOP THE NORTHEAST ENERGY DIRECT PIPELINE

Rally and Press Conference

A coalition of local and national environmental groups including Catskill Mountainkeeper and the Center for Sustainable Rural Communities held a press conference and rally today in Schoharie, New York to Stop the Northeast Energy Direct Pipeline

*MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2015*

Saying NO to New Pipelines: Coalition of environmental groups to hold press conference

and rally to Stop the Northeast Energy Direct Pipeline

SAUGERTIES >> The Coalition Against the Pilgrim Pipeline will hold a public forum on the risks of the Pilgrim Pipeline at 3 p.m. Jan. 10 at the Saugerties Senior Center, 207 Market Street at the corner of Market Street....

(12/2014) Catskill Mountainkeeper is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant of $1.8 million from the State of New York to lead a collaborative project to increase energy conservation and solar penetration in the Southern Tier and Mid-Hudson regions.  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Erin Burch
[email protected]
(845) 707-1326

Livingston Manor, NY -- From Latin America to Africa, Peace Corps has overseas work opportunities in Environment, Agriculture, and other programs as well. Spend part of a summer’s evening at Livingston Manor Free Library and discover the benefits of Peace Corps service from returned Volunteers. Join us to learn about the challenging, rewarding, and inspirational moments of being a Peace Corps Volunteer. Have your questions answered and gain tips to guide you through the application process.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

July 9, 2014
Contact: Susan Jaffe, Consulting Director of Agriculture
[email protected] or call (845) 439-1230

Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Third Annual Mid-Summer Supper at Neversink Farm

Claryville, NY - Come join us for an afternoon of live music by Poison Love String Trio, guided farm tours, berry picking and a delicious spread prepared by James Beard award winning Chef, Patrick Connolly.  Only the freshest ingredients from main street farm, Neversink Farm, Java Love, Catskill Food Company, Snowdance Farm, Northern Farmhouse Pasta, Brandenburg Bakery, and many others in the region will be used!

Saturday July 19, 2014 
Doors open at 3pm/Supper served at 4 pm

Hosted by Neversink Farm at 635 Claryville Road, Claryville N.Y.