This week’s preview highlights some local opportunities to learn, expand perspectives, and engage meaningfully in important conversations.
environmental justice
Posted inNews & Opinion
Groups press for thorough Vacuum Oil cleanup
For decades, the vacant Vacuum Oil refinery on Flint Street has been a drag on the Plymouth-Exchange neighborhood. The hulking building with boarded-up entrances and broken-out windows sits on land that’s seriously polluted with petroleum and other refining-related pollutants. DHD Ventures bought the property a few years ago and intends to redevelop it for residential […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Paris may be last, best chance to achieve carbon cuts
All eyes are on Paris. The world reacted to the horrific attacks that killed 129 people and injured many more with shock, grief, anger, and fear. But many people also look at the City of Light with optimism; Paris refused to let the violence prevent it from hosting the crucial United Nations climate treaty talks […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Albany County may sue over oil trains
Albany County is preparing to take legal action against the operator of an oil train terminal in the City of Albany. The terminal, which is owned and operated by Global Companies and provides access to the Hudson River, has become a major East Coast oil train hub. Hardly any oil passed through the terminal three […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Cuomo wants brownfields tax credit reform
When Governor Andrew Cuomo presented his 2014-15 budget earlier this year, he called on the Legislature to renew and reform the state’s brownfield tax credit program. Critics say the help isn’t going where it’s really needed, to distressed communities. The program provides tax credits to developers who clean up and reuse contaminated properties. It’s set […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Sounding the alarm on water
The Aral Sea in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan was once one of the world’s largest saltwater lakes. But in the 1950’s and 1960’s, the Soviet Union ramped up agricultural programs in the sea’s basin, which included diverting the freshwater streams that fed the sea and using the water for farming. By 2010, the Aral Sea was […]
