Massena, NY, Oct 04, 2012 — The St. Regis Mohawks say the federal government's plan to clean up toxic chemicals from the Grasse River has improved, but it's still not good enough. The Alcoa aluminum plant in Massena dumped cancer-causing PCBs into the river before they were banned in the 1970s.  Go to full article

Massena, NY, Mar 09, 2011 — A judge has approved a deal between "Old GM" -- the bankruptcy offshoot of the auto giant -- and the Federal Government for the cleanup of contaminated sites across 14 states. As Innovation Trail's Ryan Morden reports, that includes two sites in Upstate New York.  Go to full article

Massena, NY, Aug 31, 2010 — The post-bailout arm of General Motors that's in charge of liquidating failed assets of the car-maker wants to tear down the Powertrain plant in Massena. The plant closed for good last year. But the buildings, the equipment, and the soil underneath is contaminated with toxic PCB oil. Federal environment officials now say Motors Liquidation Company has to clean it all up before demolition can begin. As David Sommerstein reports, the extent of the contamination has some former workers and the Massena community worried.  Go to full article

Star Lake, NY, Jul 28, 2009 — St. Lawrence County lawmakers want more time to decide whether to foreclose on the site of a polluted former iron mine in the southern part of the county. Residents of Clifton and Fine want the county to take control of the J&L mines site so a wood chip processor can open a plant there. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Fort Edward, NY, May 15, 2009 — After years of lawsuits and political wrangling, General Electric will begin removing toxic PCBs from the bottom of the Hudson River today. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Apr 15, 2008 — In 1997, Massena's 200-year old dam breached, sending miles of slow, flat water downstream. Environmentalists saw the change as a victory for free-flowing rivers and the endangered fish that thrive in them. But many Massena residents miss the high, placid waters of the old Grasse River. People used to fish and boat there. Local leaders have started a movement to return the pond, by building a hydropower dam half-a-mile downriver from where the old dam used to be. The dam's fueled a classic debate of the economy versus the environment, but with a twist. A Superfund site of toxic chemicals is also in the mix. David Sommerstein reports.  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

May 09, 2005 — The EPA is testing new ways to clean up toxic waste in the Grasse River this summer. Alcoa dumped PCBs downstream from Massena before the cancer-causing chemicals were banned in 1979. As David Sommerstein reports, an earlier attempt to cover up the contaminated river bottom failed.  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

Jun 11, 2004 — The search for PCBs in the Hudson River valley will soon move to downtown Fort Edward. According to the Glens Falls Post-Star, state environmental officials plan to begin testing soil and groundwater later this month. Brian Mann has details.  Go to full article