News stories tagged with "toxic-chemicals"

(08/31/10) 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.

(06/11/10) As the effects of the Gulf oil spill continue to grow, all was calm and sunny on the St. Lawrence River Wednesday. That was the setting for the St. Lawrence Seaway to test its spill response plans. The exercise raised two questions. Should some of the containment boom and manpower positioned along the St. Lawrence be used to help in the Gulf? And if the River were to be the site of a spill today, could America fight oil spills on two fronts? David Sommerstein reports. more

(10/28/09) A rural tradition is now a thing of the past, or at least, so says the law. Two weeks ago, New York outlawed burn barrels and many other types of open burning. You can still burn brush and small tree limbs and have small campfires. The question is will people obey the new burn ban? David Sommerstein surveyed some residents and has our story.

(07/28/09) 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.

(08/13/08) Two forms of a toxic flame retardant are being phased out by companies or banned by state laws. But, Lester Graham reports, a third form is still being used.

(08/04/08) Tomorrow night is the last public comment session in the North Country about the state's proposed ban on burn barrels and other forms of opening burning. It'll be held from 4 to 8 at SUNY Canton. There's widespread agreement that burning garbage outside is very bad for public health and the environment. But there are concerns about unintended economic consequences. As David Sommerstein reports, the devil's in the details.

(05/06/08) 150 scientists from the U.S. and Canada meet in Cornwall, Ontario, today to assess the health of the St. Lawrence River. The St. Lawrence River Institute's annual conference comes on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the construction of the hydropower dam. The dam brought clean power and good jobs, but also pollution, Superfund sites, and environmental destruction. David Sommerstein reports.

(04/15/08) 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.

(12/01/05) 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.

(07/28/04) Shipping on the St. Lawrence Seaway reopened at 6:20pm yesterday as officials work to remove a grounded tanker barge from the river near Alexandria Bay. The barge was carrying liquid calcium chloride, a kind of salt. Some 12,000 gallons of the chemical escaped into the river before the leak was stopped. As David Sommerstein reports, Vicki Garcia of the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation says the Canadian owned tug boat Salvor was pushing the barge downriver early yesterday morning when the tug's steering malfunctioned.