Oct 02, 2006 — More than 150 North Country leaders and residents had an urgent message for a state task force Friday in Massena. They said selling cheap power downstate would crush the region's future. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Sep 21, 2006 — A new assembly plant from one of Detroit's Big Three car companies is getting attention for its "green" qualities. Big Three automakers may not rank at the top of most environmentalists' list for companies of the year. But some say the new auto plant is a sign that environmentally-sensitive manufacturing has finally gone main-stream. It's not just because building green plants is the right thing to do. Really, it comes down to a different kind of green. The Environment Report's Dustin Dwyer has the story.  Go to full article

Feb 13, 2006 — Union leaders from Massena's General Motors plant were at a United Auto Workers conference in Washington last week. While they were there, they lobbied lawmakers for help saving about a third of the plant's production line. As David Sommerstein reports, they're fighting worldwide competition to keep making a part that employs almost 180 people.  Go to full article

Dec 01, 2005 — Akwesasne Mohawks who live on the reservation near Massena filed a class action lawsuit against Alcoa and General Motors Wednesday. The suit alleges toxic chemicals the companies dumped in St. Lawrence River decades ago have caused a myriad of health problems for thousands of people. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Nov 21, 2005 — The General Motors plant in Massena won't be affected by the company's plans to slash 30,000 jobs in the U.S. and Canada. GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said this morning the cuts were needed to make the company more competitive. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Apr 14, 2005 — There's renewed debate over the future of the North Country's share of cheap electricity produced at the hydropower dam in Massena. The local Alcoa and General Motors plants currently use almost 500 megawatts at below market prices. That's more than the amount of electricity all the households in northern New York use. The agreement expires in 2013. Lawmakers want the industrial giants to extend their side of the deal and commit to providing jobs long term. But if Alcoa and General Motors were to close, people worry downstate interests could grab the cheap power. Two North Country lawmakers are writing bills to stop that from happening. But as David Sommerstein reports, they differ over how to do it.  Go to full article

Oct 14, 2004 — The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined General Motors Powertrain in Massena $160,000 for poor record keeping and safety hazards. As David Sommerstein reports, OSHA alleges GM intentionally failed to record work-related injuries and illnesses.  Go to full article

Oct 01, 2004 — General Motors Powertrain has announced it will lay off 450 workers at its plant in Massena for two weeks.  Go to full article

Sep 24, 2004 — After a 14-year impasse, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe will allow General Motors on to tribal land to clean up an inlet on the St. Lawrence River. Turtle Cove is contaminated with PCBs, a cancer-causing chemical. The EPA ordered the work to be done in 1990. But tribal officials wouldn't allow it because General Motors giant toxic landfill is right next to the cove and they feared the water would get re-contaminated. Different visions of what "clean" means have stalled clean-up of the GM landfill Superfund site near Massena. Listen again to David Sommerstein's report from 2001 on how GM, the EPA and the Mohawks see the PCB problem.  Go to full article

Aug 14, 2003 — Twenty years ago, the federal government declared General Motors toxic waste dump by the St. Lawrence River a Superfund site. That designation made it a high priority for cleanup. But a stand-off between the company and the nearby St. Regis Mohawk Tribe has left small amounts of PCBs still seeping into the river. General Motors wants to contain and monitor the chemicals forever. The tribe wants GM to truck them away. This week, General Motors is digging up contaminated soil to convince the tribe that their solution works. As David Sommerstein reports, the sides are still far from agreement.  Go to full article