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- FirstEnergy announced in January that they would close all four of their outdated, highly polluting coal plants on Lake Erie. This announcement, closely followed by GenOn’s announcement that they would close plants in Avon Lake and Niles, were the result of decades of citizens’ campaigns to enforce the Clean Air Act.
- Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s plans to build a garbage incinerator on the west side of the city ground to a halt after hundreds of Clevelanders wrote to the mayor, attended public hearings and council meetings and exposed the serious financial and environmental flaws in the proposal.
- Cincinnati became the largest city in the nation to contract for 100% clean, renewable energy in May, a result of our campaign to use the power of community buying groups for electricity.
- The U.S. EPA’s rules governing toxic mercury releases from coal plants survived an industry-led attack in the Senate in June. Ohio Citizen Action members had sent 10,000 letters to Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman urging them to defend against the attacks on the Clean Air Act.
- The federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Ohio Citizen Action’s First Amendment rights in February 2012. This decision ended a seven-year legal case versus the City of Englewood, which had enacted unconstitutional restrictions on door-to-door canvassing.
- We supported successful campaigns by citizens in Broadview Heights and Mansfield to pass ballot initiatives in November 2012 restricting drilling and injection of fracking fluids in their communities.
- Pressed by Citizen Action, Attorney General Mike DeWine opened an investigation of Chesapeake Energy, including investments in the company by Ohio Pension Funds.
- Patriot Coal announced it would stop mountaintop removal coal mining, a landmark decision in the work by citizens in Appalachia, Ohio Citizen Action, and many others to stop the heinous practice.
- The Ohio Supreme Court blocked the expanding of the Rumpke landfill in Colerain Township, upholding the position of township trustees and the neighbors of the landfill.
- We introduced a new program for using cell phones to track pollution, and a new “ActionGram” App for people to use to send photo messages to their legislators.
- We presented the Ohio Citizen Action Howard M. Metzenbaum Award to Staughton and Alice Lynd of Niles, Ohio, who have devoted their lives to working for peace, civil rights, and economic and environmental justice.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In memoriam: Ohio Citizen Action fondly remembers several dear friends and supporters who died in 2012, including board member Mike Jones, Keeper of the Mountains Larry Gibson, long-time Ohio Citizen Action member Mark Wisniewski, and Rainforest Action Network director Rebecca Tarbotton.
— Sandy Buchanan, executive director, Ohio Citizen Action
The Ohio Citizen Action Education Fund, formerly the Citizens Policy Center, is the non-profit education and research affiliate of Ohio Citizen Action. The president of the Ohio Citizen Action Education Fund is Dr. Richard Wittberg. The executive director is Paul Ryder.
- You and the Environment Symposium, Ohio Citizen Action, Earth Day Coalition, Environmental Health Watch, Northeast Ohio Sierra Club, Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition, Green City Blue Lake Institute, June 2, 2012
- AK Come Clean, 30-minute video, Rachael Belz, Ohio Sierra Club, March 22, 2003
- 2002 candidates for Ohio Supreme Court Justice (52 KB doc), Catherine Turcer, Sep 30, 2002.
- 2002 candidates for Ohio Supreme Court Justice candidates, January 1 – August 31, 2002 contributions, Catherine Turcer, Patty Lynch, September 30, 2002
- Ohio GOP earns “A”, Dems “F” on disclosure, Catherine Turcer, Patty Lynch, September 4, 2002
- 2002 candidates for Ohio Supreme Court Justice candidates, pre-primary contributions, Catherine Turcer, Patty Lynch, May 2, 2002
- The Enron contribution hot-potato, Catherine Turcer, Patty Lynch, February 4, 2002
- Cincinnati City Council: The dash for cash, 1997-1999, Catherine Turcer, Patty Lynch, October 24, 2001
- 1999-2000 Disclosure Report Card: Which Ohio Candidates Properly Disclose Contributions? An analysis of employer identifications in 1999-2000 Campaign Finance Reports, Laura Yeomans, June 11, 2001 (.doc)
- Ohio political parties: Secrecy remains legal, Laura Yeomans, May 14, 2001
- Ban beryllium in dentistry, Amy Ryder, Feb 21, 2001
- Citizen air pollution audit of Morton International, subsidiary of Rohm and Haas, Reading, Ohio, Citizens Policy Center, Ohio Citizen Action, ECO: Environmental Community Organization, Sierra Club, Northsiders for Cleaner Air, Rivers Unlimited, Residents of Reading, Ohio and Greater Cincinnati, Nov 9, 2000.
- 1999-2000 campaign contributions to candidates for justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, Laura Yeomans, Oct 25, 2000
- Bond counsels and financiers gave over $2 million to candidates in last election cycle; Taft, Montgomery are major beneficiaries, Laura Yeomans, Oct 13, 2000
- Farming without chemicals in Ohio, Keith Dix, Ph.D., Innovative Farmers of Ohio, Citizens Policy Center, Aug 22, 2000.
- Our drinking water, its source and contaminants: Finding the answers to 10 good questions, Jane Forrest-Redfern, Jul 4, 2000.
- 1993-1998 campaign contributions to justices of the Ohio Supreme Court, Laura Yeomans, Feb 7, 2000
- Tobacco money in Ohio, Laura Yeomans, November, 1999
- Take the Money and Win, 1997-1998, Laura Yeomans, summary, searchable database, November 22, 1999
- Citizen Audit of Cincinnati Specialties, Rachael Belz, Campaign for Safer Neighborhoods, Citizens Policy Center, Ohio Citizen Action, Environmental Community Organization, October 12, 1999.
- Protect our drinking water and prepare farmers for the future, Jane Forrest-Redfern, June 4, 1999
- Ohio political parties make progress in disclosure, Laura Yeomans, May 24, 1999
- Electric utility contributions to Ohio candidates and political parties, 1997-1998, Shari Weir, Laura Yeomans, May 9, 1999
- 1998 Disclosure Report Card: Which Ohio candidates properly disclose contributions?, Laura Yeomans, April 26, 1999
- FirstEnergy bailout will cost northern Ohio up to 49,000 jobs, Jennifer O’Donnell, Shari Weir, Citizens Policy Center; Safe Energy Communication Council; February 1999
- Ohio Open Elections Project, a searchable database of 1998 contributions and expenditures, electronically submitted by statewide Ohio candidates, Laura Yeomans, updated October 28, 1998
- Poisons in our midst [narrative]: The release of pollutants that may cause cancer, damage human reproduction, hinder child development, or interfere with the human endocrine system, Laura Yeomans, Patty Wise, October 6, 1998
- Full Disclosure: What Ohioans need to know to clean up their rivers and tap water, Jane Houlihan, Richard Wiles, Environmental Working Group; Citizens Policy Center, October 15, 1998
- 1997 Disclosure Report Card: Which Ohio candidates properly disclose contributions?, Laura Yeomans, June, 1998
- Campaign contributions to the Ohio General Assembly from proponents and opponents of the Audit Privilege bill (S.B. 138), 1995-96 election cycle, Laura Yeomans, Patty Wise, March, 1998
- A Citizen’s Resource Guide: Protecting Ohio Groundwater, Jane Forrest-Redfern, February, 1998
- Take the money and win: the Power of Parties, Incumbency and Campaign Cash, an analysis of Ohio campaign giving in 1995-1996, Laura Yeomans, James Neff, Ohio State University, November, 1997
- Ohio Political Parties: One discloses, one doesn’t, Laura Yeomans, May, 1997
- Disclosure Report Card: Which Ohio Candidates Properly Disclose Contributions?, Laura Yeomans, May, 1997
- Poisons in our midst: The release of reproductive toxins and endocrine disrupters in Ohio in 1994, Laura Yeomans, February, 1997
- Brownfields and wellfields, Jane Forrest-Redfern, November, 1996
- Take the money and run: The first ever statewide analysis of campaign giving to the Ohio General Assembly, legislative caucuses and statewide elected officeholders, 1994 election cycle, Laura Yeomans, James Neff, Ohio State University, September, 1996
- Persistent pollution of Lake Erie, Laura Yeomans, December, 1995
- Protecting Ohio: A new look at environmental quality and policy, Elise Caplan, Diane Lewis, Richard Wiles, Environmental Working Group; Paul Ryder, Citizens Policy Center, May 16, 1995
- Environmental survey, Jane Forrest-Redfern, May 1995
- Enough is enough: it’s time to roll back electric rates in northern Ohio, Shari Weir, November 22, 1994
- Analysis of Toledo Edison revenues, Paula Ross, January 1992; July 1992; January 1993; July 1993; January 1994; July 1994
- Evaluation of Ohio EPA’s proposed ‘Review of New Sources of Toxic Air Emissions,’Scott Spicer, January 31, 1994
- Analysis and recommendations for the Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative: Analysis of cost estimates, incorporating pollution prevention measures, Paul Ryder, September 13, 1993
- Proposed Great Lakes Sport Fish Consumption Advisory provides needed warning to Ohioans, Laura Yeomans, July 1993
- Ohio’s 1993 pollution prevention report card, Ed Hopkins, June 1993
- Great Lakes manufacturers reject pollution prevention, Ed Hopkins, May 20, 1993
- Still holding our breath: Ohio EPA’s failure to reduce toxic pollution, Ed Hopkins, March 30, 1993
- Poison in our waters, Sandy Buchanan, Laura Yeomans, March 3, 1993
- A comparison of fish advisories in the Great Lakes basin, Laura Yeomans, February 1993
- Toxic air pollution: Ohio EPA’s failure to protect public health, Ed Hopkins, Scott Spicer, September 1992
- Halloween consumer alert, Laura Yeomans, October 1992
- Environmental outlaws: Violating Ohio’s hazardous waste laws, Ed Hopkins, Scott Spicer, September 1992
- Cancer-causing chemicals used widely in cosmetics, Laura Yeomans, May 21, 1992
- Consumer alert: Cancer-causing ingredients in cosmetics, Laura Yeomans, summer 1992
- Poisoning the Great Lakes: Manufacturers toxic chemical releases, Ed Hopkins, Tom Pollock, April 1992
- Ohio’s 1992 pollution prevention report card, Ed Hopkins, Scott Spicer, April 1992
- Alternatives to household hazardous products, Laura Yeomans, 1992
- Halloween makeup may include potential hazards, Laura Yeomans, October 1991
- Ohio’s 1991 pollution prevention report card, Ed Hopkins, Scott Spicer, April 1991
- Curbing Ohio’s garbage, Ed Hopkins, 1991
- Reducing Ohio’s toxic waste, Ed Hopkins, March 1991
- Alternatives to pesticides, Laura Yeomans, 1991
- BP-America’s toxic emissions and health problems in Lima: Is there a link?, Ed Hopkins, 1991
- Profile of consumer products most likely to cause harmful emissions, Laura Yeomans, 1991
- Toxic shock: BP Chemicals in Lima, Ohio, Ed Hopkins, Toledo Metropolitan, Winter, 1990
- Toxic chemical emergencies: Head for the hills … or reduce the risk?, Ed Hopkins, October 1990
- The perspective of a citizens organization on toxic chemical releases, Ed Hopkins, speech, American Association for the Advancement of Science, February 19, 1990
- Ohio manufacturers toxic chemical releases, 1987, Ed Hopkins, June 26, 1989
- From Ohio to Antarctica: How Ohio contributes to the destruction of the ozone layer, Sandy Buchanan, June 15, 1989
- The growing threat of toxic rail accidents in Ohio, Laura Yeomans, June 7, 1989
- Water pollution law enforcement, Ed Hopkins, June 1989
- It’s legal … but is it right? The toxic release inventory of Cuyahoga county, Nathan Sooy, Council on Hazardous Materials, May 2, 1989
- Toxic chemical releases in Summit county, Ed Hopkins, May 1989
- Toxic chemical releases in Lucas county, Ed Hopkins, April 1989
- Municipal electric rates, Jennifer O’Donnell, March, 1989
- Ohio railroad accidents, Laura Yeomans, March 1989
- Toxics in our backyard: A report on toxic chemical releases in Franklin county, Ed Hopkins, February 27, 1989
- Toxic releases: air, sewer, landfills, Ed Hopkins, February 1989
- Toxic chemical releases in selected Cincinnati neighborhoods, Roxanne Qualls, Susan Collins, January 18, 1989
- Comments on ‘The need for a balanced approach in regulation of alternative waste disposal options,’Ed Hopkins, January 1989
- Hazardous waste law enforcement,Ed Hopkins, 1989
- Poisons in our neighborhoods, Ed Hopkins, 1989
- Toxic transportation releases, Laura Yeomans, November 18, 1988
- Toxic chemical emissions at the General Motors Lordstown complex, Ed Hopkins, November 16, 1988
- Petrochemical spills by Ohio’s top companies, 1978, Ed Hopkins, October 17, 1988
- The senior citizens’ $2.7 billion physician subsidy: Excess physician charges under Medicare Part B, Laura Yeomans, October 3, 1988
- Community right-to-know guidebook, Sandy Buchanan, Ed Hopkins, Cathy Hurwit, October 1988
- Toledo electric rates, Jennifer O’Donnell, October, 1988
- Toxic chemical releases in Hamilton county, Roxanne Qualls, Susan Collins, September 26, 1988
- Toxic chemical releases in Montgomery county, Ed Hopkins, September 1988
- Right to know, Sandy Buchanan, materials for workshops in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo, fall 1988
- Garbage In, Toxic Waste Out: The hazards of incinerator ash, Ed Hopkins, July 5, 1988
- Toxic transportation accidents,Laura Yeomans, January 19, 1988
- Managing Ohio’s garbage, Sandy Buchanan, Ed Hopkins, newsletter, 1988 – 1992
- Using the right-to-know, Sandy Buchanan, Ed Hopkins, newsletter, 1988 – 1992
- Update: Train accidents in Ohio involving hazardous materials, 1985 – 86, Laura Yeomans, December 4, 1987
- Toxics unleashed: Toxic chemical releases in Montgomery county, Ed Hopkins, September 12, 1987
- Major truck accidents involving hazardous materials in Ohio, 1975 – 84,Laura Yeomans, June 11, 1987
- Product liability: Update on the insurance writers’ earnings in Ohio, Laura Yeomans, June, 1987
- Hazardous waste reduction techniques and the federal right-to-know provisions of the Superfund law, Sandy Buchanan, materials for training sessions for community leaders, June 1987
- Medical malpractice: Update on insurance writers earnings and paid losses, Laura Yeomans, May, 1987
- Product liability: Update on the insurance writers’ earnings in Ohio, Laura Yeomans, May 1987
- Medical PAC contributions to Ohio legislators in 1985 and 1986, Laura Yeomans, April 30, 1987
- 1987 Product liability rate increase, Laura Yeomans, March, 1987
- Insurance industry profitability in 1986: The facts, Laura Yeomans, January 19, 1987
- Bags, Beakers and Barrels: An action curriculum toward resolving hazardous materials issues, curriculum, Sue Lacy, Betsy Grund, 1987
- Medical malpractice: Report on insurance writers earnings and rate hikes, Lucie Audette, November 13, 1986
- Medical malpractice: Insurance writers earnings in Ohio and the United States, 1984 – 1985, Lucie Audette, November, 1986
- Product liability: Insurance writers earnings in Ohio and the United States, 1985, Lucie Audette, November, 1986
- 1986 Product liability rate increase, Lucie Audette, November, 1986
- Nuclear rate shock and jobs in northern Ohio, Bill Callahan, October 7, 1986
- Minimizing waste, maximizing profit: Industrial and hazardous waste reduction and recycling,Sandy Buchanan, materials for seminar, Columbus, Ohio, October 8, 1986
- Toxic train derailments and leaks: Ohio among worst in nation,Laura Yeomans, October 2, 1986
- Other liability policies: Insurance writers earnings in Ohio and the United States, 1984 -1985, Lucie Audette, August, 1986
- Commercial auto liability: Insurance writers earnings in Ohio, 1984 – 85, Lucie Audette, August, 1986
- Model bills on financial disclosure by the insurance industry, Lucie Audette, July, 1986
- Commercial multiperil: Insurance writers earnings in Ohio and the United States, 1984 – 85, Lucie Audette, July, 1986
- Ohio social service and school district liability insurance,Lucie Audette, July 1986
- The great hoax: The liability crisis — No crisis for Ohio’s property and casualty industry, Lucie Audette, May 20, 1986
- Lorain county court of common pleas: jury verdicts and lawsuits filed in 1984 – 85, Lucie Audette, May 5, 1986
- The mounting insurance bill: Ohio’s consumers in crisis, Lucie Audette, February 12, 1986
- Jury verdicts decrease in 1985, Lucie Audette, 1986
- The Cleveland hazardous chemicals right-to-know law: use it and make a difference, Stu Greenberg, Rob Bauman, Council on Hazardous Materials, 1986
- Ohio energy conservation program: Job creation study,Laura Meagher, December 10, 1985
- Recommendations for the creation of Ohio’s early warning system, Lucie Audette, August, 1985
- A promise being kept: A comparison of utility rate increases granted by the Celeste and Rhodes Public Utility Commissions of Ohio, Bill Callahan, July 31, 1985
- Throwing good money after bad: Why Columbus and Southern Ohio Electric Co. should get out of Zimmer,Bill Callahan, July 2, 1985
- Developing an Ohio early warning program, Lucie Audette, July, 1985
- Review and assessment of existing early warning programs, Lucie Audette, April, 1985
- Blue Crossed: The Blue Cross – Blue Shield competitive bidding plan, John Colm, Jay Westbrook, March 8, 1985
- The ERRIS list: EPA’s inventory of hazardous waste sites, Sandy Buchanan, March, 1985
- Chemical and material hazard incidence in Greater Cleveland,Stu Greenberg, February 22, 1985
- Rate shock: Why northern Ohio electric rates may skyrocket in the next three years and what to do about it,Bill Callahan, February 13, 1985
- Geauga county foreclosures, 1981 – 83, Lucie Audette, 1985
- Cuyahoga county foreclosures, 1982 – 85, Lucie Audette, 1985
- Dislocated workers leadership training program, Stu Greenberg, 1985
- Toxic profile of Greater Cleveland workplaces: What you don’t know can hurt you,Stu Greenberg, Angel Guzman, 1985
- Superfund: The unfulfilled promise, Sandy Buchanan, February, 1984
- Community response to plant closings: an action guide, Stu Greenberg, Lucie Audette, Bill Callahan, 1984
- Impact of the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company’s proposed $180 million rate increase,Sue Lacy, Don Rice, 1983
- The crisis of Ohio’s schools and services: background and options for the future, Edward Kelly, June, 1982
- Cost of natural gas decontrol to Cleveland, suburbs and schools, Jack Nicholl, Paul Ryder, June 15, 1981
- Ohio’s budget for FY1982: An analysis of H.B. 167 and fiscal options on taxes and schools currently under consideration, Edward Kelly, May 15, 1981
- The natural gas dollar drain: How the rising cost of interstate energy threatens Ohio jobs, Bill Callahan, February 19, 1981
- Plugging the energy dollar drain at home: Weatherizing Ohio homes for jobs and energy,Bill Callahan, July, 1980
- Ohio Fair Tax Initiative would ease the fiscal crunch for Cuyahoga county, Cleveland schools, RTA, and the City of Cleveland, Paul Ryder, March 24, 1980
- Testimony, Small Business subcommittee on antitrust and restraint of trade, U.S. House of Representatives, Edward Kelly, February 1, 1980
- Corporate prosperity and urban decline, Edward Kelly, Urban Concerns, February/March, 1980
- Urban economic development in the 1980′s: A survey of existing state economic development programs and economic development literature, Ed Kelly with Illinois Public Action Council, January 20, 1980
- The proposed Brook Park tank plant tax abatement, Paul Ryder, January 15, 1980
- Industrial revenue bonds issued in Cuyahoga county: May, 1978 – May, 1979,Sandy Buchanan, July 26, 1979
- The Ohio Education Association tax proposal, Edward Kelly, June, 1979
- Lykes: A case study of a shaky conglomerate,Edward Kelly, Mark Shutes, Business and Society Review, Spring, 1979
- The consequences of plant closings for the mental health and social stability of employees and their families, Stu Greenberg, training session materials for union leaders, public officials and social service professionals, 1979 – 81
- Sources of new jobs, 1970 – 76, Paul Ryder, 1979
- The Ohio fair tax initiative and school funding, Edward Kelly, 1979
- Plant closings reader: Resources for public officials, trade unionists and community leaders, Edward Kelly, Lee Webb, editors, published with the Conference on Alternative State and Local Policies, 1979
- Tax abatements reader, Edward Kelly, Lee Webb, editors, published with the Conference on Alternative State and Local Policies, 1979
- Testimony, U.S. Senate antitrust and monopoly subcommittee, Edward Kelly, May 12, 1978
- The disincentive to investment: A groundless argument against the unitary method of taxation, Paul Ryder, April 22, 1978
- Lykes and its bankers, Edward Kelly, April, 1978
- Will the Justice department antitrust investigation of the Lykes -LTV merger protect the interests of communities and steelworkers?, Edward Kelly, March 1978
- Public control of runaway plants, Edward Kelly, Public Interest Economics, February, 1978
- Analysis of the Goodyear closing, Edward Kelly, 1978
- Small businesses and multinational corporations, Paul Ryder, 1978
- Preliminary analysis of the Goodyear closing, Edward Kelly, 1978
- Testimony, Hearings on rules relating to shareholder communications, shareholder participation in corporate electoral process and corporate governance, Securities and Exchange Commission, Paul Ryder, November 1, 1977
- Industrial Exodus: Public strategies for control of corporate relocation, Edward Kelly, published with the Conference on Alternative State and Local Policies, October, 1977
- Lykes’ responsibility for closing the Youngstown Campbell works, Edward Kelly and Mark Shutes, October, 1977
- Survey of the effects of the Glidden closing, Edward Kelly, July 28, 1977
- What is the Multistate Tax Commission?, Paul Ryder, June, 1977
- Ohio and business incentives, Edward Kelly, April, 1977, reprinted in Public Policies for the ’80′s, Conference on Alternative State and Local Public Policies, 1978
- Response to the legislative program of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association and Chambers of Commerce throughout Ohio, Edward Kelly, 1977
- Ohio and business incentives, Edward Kelly, 1977
- Business closing legislation won’t place Ohio at a disadvantage, Edward Kelly, 1977
- Signs leading to the Diamond-Shamrock plant closing, Edward Kelly, Julius Majoros, 1977
- Federal economic development programs available to communities with high unemployment, Edward Kelly, Kathleen Carrick, 1977
- Economic conditions in right-to-work states, Mary Elizabeth Branaman, 1977
- Controlling corporations: Making corporations responsive to the public interest, Edward Kelly, in “New Directions in State and Local Public Policy,” Conference on Alternative State and Local Public Policies, 1977
- Business closing legislation won’t place Ohio at a disadvantage, Edward Kelly, 1977
- Corporate location decisions, Edward Kelly, 1977
- Do tax incentives attract industry?, Mark Shanahan, December 1976
CLEVELAND — “These groups already in place in Cleveland are well positioned to help develop proposals that would reduce waste, and generate income for neighborhood groups. As evidenced at the Cleveland Recycling/Composting these local groups already have contact with local and national public and private sector experts in reuse, recycling and composting.
While in an ideal world, the City of Cleveland’s Administration would be working closely with neighborhood groups to develop proposals to reduce waste, however that is not the case. The Frank Jackson Administration currently seems intent to develop an incinerator to burn garbage to create electricity. However, the grassroots groups can show the administration that there is an alternative and that the public can be engaged in reducing waste and creating jobs in a way that doesn’t pollute our air and the environment.
— Chuck Hoven, Cleveland Plain Press
link to article pdf
CLEVELAND — ” In a hotel ballroom filled with entrepreneurs, angel investors and government bureaucrats hungry for opportunities in the evolving field of turning household trash into energy, Ivan Henderson delivers some sobering advice: Waste to energy is not an easy ride.’It’s been a bumpy road,’ the soft-spoken commissioner for Cleveland Public Power told an audience at the Waste Conversion Congress in Philadelphia earlier this month.
Cleveland’s efforts to bring a promising, if unproven, technology to provide a local source of power and manage its waste stream has faced a few hiccups: local opposition, federal criticism and the firing of a top consultant.
… Citizen groups believe Cleveland Public Power’s gasification talk is a smokescreen for another incinerator project.
‘They don’t want to call it an incinerator because they know the public opposition to incineration,’ said Sandy Buchanan, executive director of Ohio Citizen Action. ”
— Tiffany Stecker, Midwest Energy News
link to article
Cleveland Public Power doesn’t need an incinerator to meet “advanced energy” standards
CLEVELAND — “In its full page ads promoting the incinerator in January, CPP said the alternative to building the facility is to ‘keep doing what we are doing,’ including ‘continue buying 99.9 percent of our power from the market.’ CPP also said it needs to build the incinerator to ‘obtain electric generation that helps meet the Advanced Energy Portfolio Standards goals for CPP.’
Both of these claims are red herrings. CPP has in fact already signed long term ‘take or pay’ contracts with American Municipal Power (AMP) to become, in effect, owners of at least 75 megawatts of baseload power and 60 megawatts of intermediate power that does not come from the market. The intermediate power has already come on line, and most of the other new plants are slated to go on line in 2012 and 2013. This means CPP has already committed to having at least 40 percent of its baseload power come from non-market sources.
These contracts include 50 megawatts of power from AMP’s new hydro plants on the Ohio River. The hydro power meets the city’s definition of ‘advanced energy,’ and will allow the city to fully meet, and likely surpass, its own standard of purchasing 15 percent of its power by renewable sources by 2015. CPP does not need a municipal waste incinerator to meet this standard.
Power from an incinerator would not be ‘clean’ or ‘green.’ Megawatt for megawatt, the proposed incinerator would be more polluting than a new coal-fired power plant, according to the incinerator’s proposed air pollution permit. At the public hearings, citizens urged CPP to invest in real sources of renewable energy and to investigate solar power, wind power and energy efficiency.”
— Sandy Buchanan, Eco Watch
Read the whole story: http://ecowatch.org/2012/clevelands-plan-to-build-a-garbage-incinerator-goes-up-in-smoke/
CLEVEAND — Citizens who have opposed the City of Cleveland’s plans to build a garbage incinerator at the Ridge Road transfer station are telling U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA, Major Frank Jackson, and members of City Council that the City should not be allowed to receive an air pollution permit for a proposed new incinerator.
Despite the fact that the city fired Peter Tien, the designer of the proposed incinerator, for incompetence, administration officials told City Council last week that they want to continue to work from the same “model” they had before, and that they intend to pursue the air pollution permit for the facility, now pending at Ohio EPA. The permit was written by a consultant hired by Tien, and relied on data and assumptions from Tien’s calculations.
Earth Day Coalition Executive Director Chris Trepal commented, “this whole proposal was built on a house of cards. The City should not be allowed to receive a permit for a facility whose foundation was so shaky that the consultant was fired for incompetence.”
Cleveland Public Power has asked City Council to approve a $200,000 contract for a consultant to study the potential for an incinerator and other forms of waste handling. Although information for the consultant to study wouldn’t be available until July 31, the administration wants Council to pass the ordinance as an “emergency” ordinance tonight.
“Everything about this project has been backwards,” commented Ann Marie Knotek, a neighbor of the proposed facility. “The city didn’t listen to the consultants they hired years ago who sent up warning flags about this whole project. What’s the rush to push through another $200,000 for a consultant? The mayor needs to start from a clean slate.”
— Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action and Chris Trepal, Earth Day Coalition
Read letter to the USEPA: http://ohiocitizen.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/USEPA_letter_4-8-12.docx
CLEVELAND – Sandy Buchanan, Ohio Citizen Action Executive Director, announced today that the organization had closed its Money in Politics Project after 18 years.
Buchanan said, “The Money in Politics Project has been the authoritative source for data and analysis of the role of big money in Ohio politics.
In 1999, it won a multi-year campaign to enact electronic reporting of campaign contributions in Ohio. Since then, it has published dozens of studies on the role of money in Ohio politics, assisting reporters in uncovering the spider webs of campaign contributions, and supporting key legislation to reform Ohio’s election and campaign finance laws.”
“The organization is now strengthening its focus on pollution — coal, fracking, and alternatives to the proposed Cleveland incinerator. We’ve just had a string of victories, on Baard Energy, Cincinnati electric aggregation, the Englewood canvassing case and FirstEnergy’s four Lake Erie coal plants. We want to keep the victories coming. The more focused you are, the more likely you are to succeed.”
“Of course, political corruption is part of most pollution issues. We’ll still be wrestling with money in politics, but on a campaign by campaign basis, not as a separate project.”
— Jim Siegel, Columbus Dispatch
— Paul Kostyu, Cincinnati Enquirer
— Lynn Hulsey, Dayton Daily News
 Back row: Christina Vasquez, Toby Bischoff, Lynn Rooks, Heather Stout, Brandon Nebeker, Ann Knotek, Nathan Rutz. Front row: Eric Dwyre, Rowan Kelley, Gwen, and Caelen. CLEVELAND — ”When I found out about Cleveland’s proposed waste-to-energy plant, I wanted to know more. It didn’t take much research to realize that those in charge didn’t know what they were doing or were deliberately ignoring the facts.
The city and Cleveland Public Power like to argue that the only real opponents of this project are rabid and impractical environmentalists, mainly from ‘organizations.’ I definitely care about the environment, but I don’t belong to any such organization. But none of this even matters if you’re focused on the facts: The plan is built on a house of cards.
CPP and the city chose to do business with consultant Peter Tien; he and his promises have proven to be untrustworthy. They claimed this was neither an ‘incinerator’ nor a ‘major’ pollution source; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proven otherwise. They were, initially, wooed by visions of becoming a waste-to-energy headquarters for the entire country; that proved not to be viable. Hired consultants handed them a less-than-glowing feasibility report on the proposed project; they, excitedly, went ahead anyway.
If this is the way the city performs ‘due diligence’ in all of its planning, we need much more transparency and citizen involvement in Cleveland.”
— Ann Marie Knotek, Letter to the editor-Cleveland Plain Dealer
Read the letter here: http://blog.cleveland.com/letters/2012/03/clevelands_waste-to-energy_deb.html
HARRISBURG, PA — Eric Papenfuse owns a bookstore in Harrisburg, Pa. He used to be on the city agency in charge of basic municipal services — sewer, water, trash.
He’s giving me a tour of the town, known mainly these days for having more debt per resident than any other city in the country. The city got into so much debt because of the way it deals with garbage. So, Papenfuse drives me out to the edge of town to see the trash incinerator that sunk the city.
‘Welcome to the almost-$350-million-in-debt Harrisburg incinerator,’ he says.
Garbage trucks are pulling in and dumping huge mounds of trash. The trucks have to pay a fee to leave their trash here. Those fees were supposed to pay for the incinerator. It didn’t work out that way.
— Zoe Chace, NPR
Read the whole story here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/03/23/149057880/how-a-city-goes-broke
 Ohio Citizen Action field and phone staff, back row left to right: Rowan Kelly, Mark Biszantz, Sarah Batke, Angela Oster, Lynn Rooks, Josh Biszantz, Sergio Sade, Curt Moultin, middle row: Gloria Zenisek, Heather Stout, Brandon Nebeker, front row: Molly Lutz, Eric Dwyre, Christian Bucknell CLEVELAND – In just seven weeks Ohio Citizen Action members and friends sent 1,457 letters and telewires to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson urging him to scrap plans for a garbage incinerator at the Ridge Road Transfer Station and instead focus on recycling and composting. Cleveland citizens and hundreds of neighbors from the surrounding suburbs including Lakewood, Brecksville, North Olmsted, Cleveland Heights, Bay Village, Solon, Chagrin Falls, Euclid, and Brunswick Hills have all written letters to Mayor Jackson.
— Nathan Rutz, Cleveland area organizer, Ohio Citizen Action
EAST LIVERPOOL — “Three employees of Heritage-WTI taken to a local hospital Tuesday afternoon have been released and will be back on the job soon, according to a company spokesman.
The three employees became faint while working with a solid hazardous waste and were taken by company safety personnel to East Liverpool City Hospital, where they remained overnight for observation,
None of the three was taken by helicopter to another facility as has been rumored, public relations specialist Raymond Wayne clarified, also saying that reports by other news media of four employees being involved were inaccurate.
…When they became ill, the employees were wearing personal protective equipment that included respiratory protection while working with the material which may have contained aniline, a chemical used in a variety of ways, including blue jean dye, polyurethane and medications.”
— Jo Ann Bobby-Gilbert, East Liverpool Review
Read the whole story: http://www.reviewonline.com/page/content.detail/id/553572/WTI-employees-return-to-work.html?nav=5008
Please don’t build the incinerator… Fresh air is important for humans and animals.
— Madelyn
CLEVELAND — “When the City of Cleveland notified Peter Tien on February 23, 2012, that he was in default on his $1.5 million no-bid contract to design a garbage incinerator for Cleveland Public Power, Utilities Director Barry Withers’ letter said there were numerous errors in Tien’s reports.
Ohio Citizen Action filed a public records request for copies of Tien’s reports and received several copies of reports on March 9. We still have requests pending for updates that Tien apparently submitted at the end of last week.
Although there were a variety of errors and inconsistencies in Tien’s filings, making all of the numbers suspect, the most damning mistake appears to be a miscalculation of the profit and loss for the facility.
Tien apparently submitted three different versions of his “Design Memorandum” to the city, one dated February 4, one dated February 11, and one dated February 17 (all had the wrong year on them, 2011 rather than 2012).
Tien’s analyses all showed that the facility would make money, with the final document on February 17, showing an annual profit of $4.7 million after covering operating cost and debt service.
But if he had done the math correctly, the February 17 report would have shown the facility losing approximately $17 million per year after operations and debt service.
Here’s the documentation: Continue reading Cleveland incinerator: Consultant gets caught cooking the books
 A proposed waste-to-energy plant would provide some of the electricity supplied by Cleveland Public Power. CLEVELAND — “City officials estimate that the plan could cost $180 million, which includes citywide curbside recycling. Proponents say the plant would operate cleanly and safely and reduce the city utility’s reliance on electricity purchased from coal-fired plants. They say it also would save millions of dollars each year on landfill fees and reduce the trail of pollution left by trucks commuting to dumps.
But environmental groups contend that the Japanese technology being considered by the city has not been tested on the volume of garbage that would pass through the Ridge Road site. They worry about the possibility of hazardous emissions, including mercury and lead, and want city officials to spend more time exploring alternatives like composting.
Tien holds U.S. licensing rights to the technology, which is owned by the Kinsei Sangyo Co.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told the Ohio EPA in a letter received Feb. 23 that the proposed plant would qualify as a tightly regulated major source of pollution, a designation the city had sought avoid. The federal agency also classified the plant as an incinerator, a word Cleveland officials had contended was inaccurate and refused to utter.”
— Thomas Ott, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Read the whole story: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/03/cleveland_trash-plant_consulta.html
 CLEVELAND — Cleveland Public Power’s proposal to build a garbage incinerator on Ridge Road is premised on the idea of turning garbage into pellets and then burning them as fuel. Although Cleveland Public Power Commissioner Ivan Henderson has never released a financing plan or finalized cost estimates for the project, he has repeatedly said the City will rely on the pellets to fuel the incinerator and that the project will generate additional revenue by selling excess pellets to various companies, including Cleveland Thermal. Financing for the project would be based on the generation of electricity from the incinerator.
But an elementary mathematical calculation shows that the city has nowhere near enough garbage to make this project work, much less enough to sell “extra” pellets to make money. The City of Cleveland only takes in enough trash from its own residents, as well as the residents of Lakewood and Brooklyn, to fuel a machine from one quarter to one third of the size of what they are planning.
When questioned about the volume of trash at public meetings, city officials have repeatedly stated they will produce enough trash to run the incinerator. But this statement doesn’t hold up against the following simple math: Continue reading Basic mathematical errors will doom incinerator project
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