LWV Chautauqua Dec.-Jan. 2015-16

LWV Chautauqua County
PO Box 42
Fredonia, New York 14063
Inside This Issue
About Our Next Meeting
Reservation Form
From the Board
Hazardous Cargo
Getting Out the Vote
Hazardous Symbols
Landfill Update
Map of State Regulations
Constitutional Convention
Screening of “Suffragette” at the
Opera House
Calendar
Membership Form
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The Leaguer
Volume 20, Issue 13
Dec. – Jan. 2016
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY
[email protected], 672-4275
Exploding Freight:
Danger on the Rails
The White Inn
52 E. Main Street in Fredonia
January 13th at Noon
Julius Leone & Charley Bowman
Speakers
Volume 20, Issue 13
Page 2
Charley Bowman graduated from SUNY Albany in 1982 with a PhD in cell
biology and retired from UB as a Research Assistant Professor. He increased
volunteerism at the WNY Peace Center as its Interim Executive Director and
chaired the Environmental Justice Task Force of the WNY Peace Center. The
task force visualizes NY State producing all its electricity from renewable
sources of energy by 2030.
The transition to 100% renewable energy work includes work at halting
further investment in fossil fuel infrastructure, e.g. pipelines - underground or
above ground in the form of tanker cars. For example they oppose rail
transport of Bakken shale crude oil -- “bomb” trains -- going through Upstate
NY, and oppose the plans for gas storage in unstable salt caverns under the
shores of Seneca Lake.
One bomb train derailed and destroyed Lac Magantic Quebec in 2013. Since then there have been 13
subsequent derailments and explosions -- two in early November. It's not a matter of if, but when such a train
will cause a conflagration in a heavily populated area such as Buffalo. Buffalo has thirty six K-12 schools within
the 1/2 mile evacuation zone on either side of CSX rail tracks, and 33% of Buffalo's population also resides in
this zone.
Besides risks to life and property, crude-by-rail transport also risks our precious aquifers. Apart from Lake
Ontario and Lake Erie, NY State has a plentiful supply of underground sources of drinking water. CSX rail
tracks traverse these Upstate NY groundwater and aquifer sources which supply drinking water to 100,000's of
NY State residents. A spill of one tanker car could permanently ruin an aquifer or local groundwater. It's
dangerous policy to allow these "pipelines on rails" to continue to carry such explosive and polluting oil.
Julius Leone Jr. has been the director of the Office of Emergency Services for
Chautauqua County since 2002. He is a lifelong resident of the Village of Fredonia and
has been a member of the Fredonia Fire Department since 1980 and served as Fire
Chief from 1991-1995.
He is a a Certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) since 1981 and a Certified
EMT Instructor since 1987 teaching at SUNY Fredonia and Certified as Hazardous
Materials Technician at the Command Level since 1997.
He is a member of the Board of Director for the New York State Association of Fire
Chiefs.
Exploding Freight: Danger on the Rails - Meeting Reservation Form
The White Inn 52 E. Main Street in Fredonia
th
January 13 at Noon
Luncheon cost is $15.00
Cup of Tomato Bisque Soup and choice of
____Chicken Salad Sandwich
____Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Name___________________________________phone________________email_____________________
Make checks payable to LWV Chautauqua County. Mail reservations to Gen Ludemann, 129 Lambert Avenue,
Fredonia, NY 14063, 672-4771, [email protected]
If you wish to attend the program only, contact Gen Ludemann and arrive at 1pm.
Volume 20, Issue 13
Page 3
From the Leadership Team…
Tis the season – already!!!
We can’t help but take time before the festivities begin to extend our thanks to all the members of the LWV
Chautauqua for all that you do to make this League such a joy to be part of! You are hardworking, committed,
knowledgeable, tireless, creative, patriotic, fearless, fun and generous with your time and your many talents!
Do you check the LWVNYS website?
Here’s an example of some of the news on the home page:
LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY
LWV Applauds Governor Cuomo’s Signing of Women’s Suffrage 100th Anniversary Commemoration Commission
Testimony to NYS Assembly Election Law Committee on Early Voting and No-Excuse Absentee
Good Government Groups Call for Comprehensive Ethics Reform Press release
A special thank you to Paula Coats and Laura Sarek for their membership efforts in processing renewals and
promptly sending information about the League to potential members.
We wish you Happy Holidays, and we so look forward to working with you in 2016.
Warmly,
Marcia Merrins, editor, Minda Rae Amiran, Priscilla Bernatz, Gen Ludemann, Marcia Merrins, Judy Reynolds,
Rose Sebouhian, Tillie Solomonson, Linda Warner
Despite Rise in Spills, Hazardous Cargo Rides Rails in Secret
American railroads have long operated under federal laws that shield them from local or state oversight and
provide a blanket of secrecy over much of their operations. But now a rapid rise in the number of trains carrying
crude oil — along with a series of derailments and explosions — has brought new concern about the risks of
transporting dangerous cargo by rail.
Local and state officials complain that they receive very little information about when hazardous materials are
shipped through their communities or how railroads pick their routes. Federal interstate commerce rules give
them little say in the matter and railroads are exempted from federal “right to know” regulations on hazardous
material sites.
Little oil was transported by trains just five years ago. Today, about 784,000 barrels a day of oil, or 11 percent
of domestic production, goes on trains, according to the Association of American Railroads, and those figures
are expected to keep growing in the next decade. Carrying mostly oil from the Bakken, these trains cross the
country to reach coastal refineries.
Railroad officials say there is no need for tighter regulation. They argue that the industry has made big
investments in recent years to upgrade tracks and that train safety has improved. But critics say the federal
government has been too slow to address the danger posed by these new shipments.
LWVNYS REGIONAL WORKSHOPS
The state League is offering training workshops for all League members in 4 locations around the state on
Saturdays during March and April, 2016. These workshops will cover many aspects of local League
management, as well as advocacy, current issues and more. We are encouraged to attend. Any takers? The
schedule currently is:
•
•
•
•
March 5 in NYC
March 12 in Round Lake (just north of Albany)
April 2 in Syracuse area
April 9 in Buffalo area
Volume 20, Issue 13
Page 4
What Can You Do?
It is hard to remember presidential primary campaigns in which the candidates have been as polarized
as they are today. Whether the issue is health care, immigration, criminal law, police activity, foreign
policy, taxation, climate change, women’s rights, or gun control, the parties’ views are so far apart that
we can expect small or very great changes to our private lives and the direction of our country
depending on who wins the 2016 elections.
The polls have focused on members of the two principal parties, and especially on those who have
land-lines, as opposed to those who rely exclusively on mobile phones. Which probably means that
they are sampling older and more partisan voters. It follows that nobody really knows where American
voters stand at present. The outcome of the elections will depend on who turns out to vote, especially
among independent and younger voters, the latter of whom tend not to vote, as our election
commissioners told us at our meeting on October 14. It would be sad if a minority view were to prevail
at such a critical time simply because most people didn’t bother to vote. Whatever the outcome, it
should be one that most people want.
Our local challenge, therefore, is to motivate citizens to vote, with special attention to younger
voters. At the end of the October meeting, as reported in an earlier Leaguer, a small committee
formed to brainstorm ideas as to what we can do. We have scheduled a meeting with the SUNY
Fredonia Women’s Student Union for March 9, and we’ll ask for their ideas. Zach Beaudoin, who
spoke at our October meeting, said students needed to see candidates on campus. Maybe we can
get our local candidates to schedule appearances, but it doesn’t seem likely that we’ll see any
presidential candidates doing so.
Please give some thought to people you know who don’t vote. How might we reach them? What
are some things we can do here in Chautauqua County? The problem isn’t getting people registered
to vote: it’s getting them to the polls. Please send any suggestions to Minda Rae Amiran,
[email protected] or 679-4636.
Volume 20, Issue 13
Page 5
Local Climate-Change Efforts: Progress and Setbacks
By Minda Rae Amiran
As this issue of The Leaguer goes to press, the expansion of the County landfill in the Town of Ellery is still
in question. The County is ready to go ahead: it owns the land and the EPA has approved the expansion.
But the Town has voted against this action, and the courts may have to decide whether the Town or the
County has the last word.
Unfortunately, the Town has not passed its proposed resolution against allowing fracking waste into the
landfill. Its reason for rejecting that part of its original regulation is specious. For its part, the County says it
doesn’t take such waste from Pennsylvania. At least, not now. We of LWV have no position on expansion of
the landfill. But we are concerned about fracking waste, and especially about escaping gases that contribute
to climate change.
If the matter does come to court, however, we will have to hope that the ruling goes against the County
(despite increased costs that would result), because the success of anti-fracking regulations in other New
York counties has been based on the courts’ giving priority to local authorities. If, as seems likely, the court
rules that the County’s interest prevails, it may set a dangerous precedent if our next governor removes
Governor Cuomo’s moratorium on high volume horizontal hydrofracking, and we have to begin that battle all
over again.
On a brighter note, the group working on the project to promote solar energy in parts of the north County
has been encouraged by the authorities to which it has applied for funds. There is every possibility that we
and our fellow organizations will soon have the money to buy yard signs, to produce informational leaflets,
and to begin bargaining with solar energy providers for cut-rate prices.
Addressing Food Waste's Ripple Effects to the Climate
In 2013, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, 21.1 percent of America's 167 million tons of
municipal waste consisted of food. This organic waste decomposes in landfills emitting methane gas which
has a global warming potential more than 25 times greater than carbon dioxide. That's a whopping 35.2
million tons of food that could have been used to feed people and livestock or composted to grow a new
cycle of food, if handled differently. All that food waste contains significant resources which are also wasted,
such as water, fertilizer, paper products, fossil fuel for growing, transportation and storage, and human labor.
This food waste/climate change link is so critical America now has a national policy to address it. On Sept.
16, 2015, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the United
States' first-ever national food waste reduction goal of 50 percent by 2030. This announcement in the week
before the United Nations General Assembly met to discuss sustainable development practices signaled the
urgent need to shift how America produces, sells, uses and discards our food.
On December 7, 2015, Unite States Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced the Food Recovery
Act, a comprehensive bill that seeks to address food waste from the farm to table.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/12/14/3731628/food-waste-bill/ While the New York State League
cannot take action without coordinating with National, the goals in this bill are worthy of consideration for
action taken to reduce food waste in New York.
Closer to home, Beth Radow, who chairs the Committee on Energy, Agriculture and the Environment met on
December 15, 2015 with Assemblymember Steve Otis who sits on the New York State Assembly's
Environmental Conservation Committee. Assemblymember Otis has been appointed to chair the Legislative
Commission on Solid Waste and the Assembly's 10 member Climate Change Task Force. Steve Otis and
Beth Radow discussed climate change, the role of food waste management and related topics. The
conversation will be ongoing. League members with local or proposed statewide solutions to reduce food
waste (whether lending themselves to legislative or otherwise) are encouraged to send them to Beth by email at [email protected]
Volume 20, Issue 13
Page 6
Constitutional Convention
The last time New York State held a constitutional convention, Bobby Kennedy was senator. That was in 1967.
The last time a constitutional convention met and voters actually ratified its result, was 75 years ago. It was in
1938, at the height of the Great Depression. Now voters will have another chance, in November 2017, to decide
whether they want to hold another convention.
A recent poll found 69 percent of voters open to the idea. The do-over could include issues like limiting or
banning outside income for lawmakers, or closing loopholes in campaign-finance laws.
The League of Women Voters joined other progressive elements in opposing a constitutional convention
the last time the vote was held, twenty years ago. The League is still deliberating at this point whether to
back the effort in 2017, but Barbara Bartoletti, LWVNYS lobbyist says it needs to be clear that no one
group would control the event, and that campaign money would not be a major influence. She says it
needs to be “less of an insider, and more of a people’s convention."
If voters approve a convention, the next step is to choose delegates, and that opens a whole new set of issues.
Lawmakers are allowed to serve, and under current rules can double dip for salaries and pension credits. The vote
on delegate selecting would be held in November of 2018.
Even though the governor of the state does not really have a role in the process, they say Governor Andrew
Cuomo could be key in encouraging a yes vote. Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo championed a convention in the
1990s, but he left office before the 1997 voter occurred. The constitutional convention was ultimately voted down.
In 2010, his son said he favored a gathering, but so far has taken no action.
Excerpted from WSKGnews
Join LWV
Chautauqua
County
On
January 9
January 12
7:00 p.m.
at the
1891 Fredonia
House
presentation of
“Suffragette”
“The League of Women Voter of New
York State applauds Governor Cuomo for
authorizing the Women’s Suffrage 100th
Anniversary Commemoration
Commission. New York State has played
a critical role in the history of the
women’s suffrage movement nationwide.
This Commission will help implement
events and programs to celebrate these key
accomplishments during the centennial
year of 2017.
Volume 20, Issue 13
Page 7
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
JANUARY 9 – 7:00 p.m. “Suffragette” at the 1891 Fredonia Opera House with LWV Chautauqua
JANUARY 11 – 1:30 P.M. - Program Meeting at Gen Ludemann’s 129 Lambert Avenue, Fredonia. 672-4771
JANUARY 12 – 7:00 p.m. “Suffragette” at the 1891 Fredonia Opera House with LWV Chautauqua
JANUARY 13 – NOON – Exploding Freight: Dangers on the Rails – The White Inn in Fredonia
JANUARY 20 – 1:30 p.m. - Board meeting – Minda Rae Amiran’s, 12 Lowell Place in Fredonia
FEBRUARY MEETING – Date/Location TBA “POVERTY IN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY: Cause, Effect, Cure
Kniti Griti Works
Pottery
THANK YOU TO OUR ADVERTISERS
672-4275
knitigritiworks.com
679-1981 www.fredopera.org
Dunkirk & Fredonia Yoga Center
Fairmount House
672-6697
ANTIQUES, COLLECTIBLES, GIFTS
Supporting Your Journey in Health & Wellness
carolyngrady.com
12 E. Fairmount Ave. Lakewood
708-8549
DARWIN’S
Health Club, Inc.
Fredonia Baptist
Christian Nursery School
“Investing in Their Future”
43-57 Water Street, Fredonia
679-1591
Volume 20, Issue 10
Page 8
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY
[email protected], 672-4275
The League of Women Voters of
Chautauqua County is where
hands-on work to safeguard
democracy leads to civic
improvement.
InviteaFriendtoJoinorGivethe
GiftOfLeagueMembership!!
League of Women Voters
of Chautauqua County
Management Team
Minda Rae Amiran
Priscilla Bernatz
Gen Ludemann
Marcia Merrins
Judy Reynolds
Rose Sebouhian
Tillie Solomonson
Linda Warner
MakeYourVoiceHeard!
JoinUsToday!
MembershipForm
Mailto:
LWVChautauqua
P.O.Box42Fredonia,NY14063
MembershipDues:throughDecember31,2016Individual:$60;Family:$90;
Student:$25(CheckpayabletoLWVChautauquaCounty)
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