[Announce] Fwd: Dr. Richard Orsi's Letter to DEC's Bill Clarke ; City of Albany's "Secret" Meeting Tonight

Wed Jul 11 05:45:04 MDT 2007

James Travers <jatrav at yahoo.com> wrote:    Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 04:40:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: James Travers <jatrav at yahoo.com>
Subject: Dr. Richard Orsi's Letter to DEC's Bill Clarke ; City of Albany's "Secret" Meeting Tonight

  Save The Pine Bush and Stop The Tire Burn members,

  Today I received from Dr. Orsi his permission to share his letter to  
  to NYSDEC Region 4 Permit Administrator Richard Clark regarding his feelings about the proposed Rapp Road Landfill Expansion.

  It is preceeded below by mine to him seeking his permission to do so. I have also enclosed, in part, my response to Dr. Orsi thanking him for granting his permission to share his letter which is the first below and carries an urgent message:

  Albany has scheduled a "Secret" meeting for this evening.

  Read on!

  Jim Travers
  Working with SCRAP Selkirk, Coeymans, Ravena Against Pollution  
  518-756-7591 (H)
  206-724-3509 (C)

  jatrav at yahoo.com
  jimtravers at netzero.com

  ----------

  "Thank you Dr. Orsi,

  This evening Wednesday, July 11, 2007, there will be a meeting held at the Polish Community Center, at 6:30 pm, which is located on the corner of Rapp Road and Washington Avenue Extension in Albany. 

  This meeting has only come to our attention through coincidence. Clough Harbour, an agent of the City of Albany or one of their subcontractors has been conducting tests at the landfill and we believe they will be reporting on the findings of those tests. We know little else of the meetings purpose. 

  I had been corresponding by email with one who has experienced cancer and happens to live in close proximity to the landfill when they casually mentioned this meeting was planned. 

  Several people were being contacted by a fellow by the name of Jason Gorman, an employee of CH who also happens to be the person who has been fielding complaints made by citizens about the city's landfill odors. He was inviting, as he put it to one invitee, "a select few" of those who live in close proximity to the landfill who are believed also to be complainants. Colonie Village Mayor Frank Leak was also invited.

  Mr. Gorman was asked directly by the invitee who first informed me of this meeting, "wasn't this supposed to be a meeting open to the public at large?" His reply was to the effect of him saying "we don't want a lot of people coming and complaining about the landfill expansion".

  As the City is currently involved in a State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) action, as is required by their proposed expansion of the Rapp Road Landfill permit application, it seems this is a clear violation by the City of the SEQRA requirements and also the Open Meetings Law.

  So sadly for and to the consequence of the City, I broadcast this as a "secret" meeting. 

  Now Save The Pine Bush are informed and their members are planning on attending en masse. I contacted a few reporters and Dominick Calsolaro, a proactive member of Albany's Common Council also was informed by someone within the ranks of Save The Pine Bush. 

  Mr. Calsolaro fired off a letter to Willard Bruce, Albany's Comissioner of their Dept. of General Services, asking why no one on the Council had been informed about this meeting, also it seems that not even the Council's own DGS Committee Chair, Mike O'Brien was aware of it.

  Mr. Calsolaro's letter to Bill Bruce asked why wasn't the Common Council members informed of this meeting seeing that they are the body that has the authority to approve the bonds for the landfill's operation.

  Mr. Bruce offered a rather lame response explaining to Mr. Calsolaro that "This is not any type of official public meeting or hearing. It is an informal informational meeting with an informal committee of neighbors that was scheduled at the request of Sandra Fox and Bill Clay (County Legislator) 

  Not unlike a neighborhood informational meeting.

  Nevertheless, anyone who shows up is welcome to attend. 

  I believe Mike O'Brien was also invited but I would have to check with CHA since they compiled the contact list following the last meeting with the group. ..."

  Thanks again for your permission to disseminate your rather profound letter. As you will soon see, I've mailed your letter on to the Save The Pine Bush folks and also to the SCRAP membership.

  Again you have my thanks and my gratitude for your caring enough to write a letter voicing your objection to the expansion of the Rapp Road Landfill.

  Most sincerely,

  Jim Travers"

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  James Travers <jatrav at yahoo.com> wrote:
  Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2007 09:00:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: James Travers <jatrav at yahoo.com>
Subject: Your letter to DEC concerning proposed Rapp Road landfill expansion

        Dr Orsi,

  Over the many years we have been fighting Albany's proposed Coeymans landfill I have enjoyed the letters you've written voicing your concerns and opposition to it. All have been coherent lucid statements of your concern for the wellbeing of public health and the environment. 

  Again you have written words of wisdom regarding the proposed expansion of the Rapp Road Landfill. 

  I am writing you to ask your permission to share your recent letter to DEC with the Save The Pine Bush organization's members and SCRAP's members. They too should know of your concerns and observations regarding the landfill's proposed expansion and Albany's continued operation of this dirty and toxic business.

  If you allow me to forward your letter I will delete your phone numbers and street address if you so desire.

  Sincerely,

  Jim Travers

      Dear Mr Clark:

  I am a physician and member of the New York State Medical Society, Rural and Preventative Health committee.   In that capacity I have been aware of research regarding the adverse health effects of landfills and waste incineration.  That the city of Albany does not have a state of the art recycling program, and that it relies on predatory commercial practices to justify running a landfill is wrong.  The financial problems of the city of Albany do not mean the people of Albany, or Coeymans, have to suffer the ill health effects of imported refuse and toxic waste.  There are other solutions to their 'financial woes'.  Abuse of the environment is not one of those solutions.  The job of DEC is to protect the environment.  The financial cost of lost, one of a kind, pine bush habitat is inestimable.  There is no debate here.  The only questions are:  when will the Rapp Road toxic waste site be closed, and when will it be remediated.  Expansion or even continued operation is not
 conscionable.  Albany has a record of poor stewardship, they are scofflaws when it comes to following even the weak regulations now in effect, let alone what should be the standard of 'best available technology'.   I urge you in the name of public health to deny the City their inappropriate request to expand the Rapp Road landfill.  I further urge you to go beyond this immediate matter and pursue the shutting down of the dump and the elimination of Albany as a dump operator, in Albany or anywhere else.

  Richard Orsi, MD
  Selkirk, NY 12158

---------------------------------
  8:00? 8:25? 8:40? Find a flick in no time
with theYahoo! Search movie showtime shortcut.

---------------------------------
Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news, photos & more. 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://nodumpinthepinebush.org/pipermail/announce_nodumpinthepinebush.org/attachments/20070711/75d40bbc/attachment.html 