Tonawanda Coke Corp. in 2018
On October 14th 2018, Tonawanda Coke's stacks belched out their final dose of toxic benzene laden air. We all sighed in relief. We finally won our 16 year fight for clean air and justice! As the warmer days of 2019 came upon us, we opened our windows and remembered what it was like to breath clean air. What a victory we have won! In 2020, we will now turn our attention to cleaning up the mess this company has left behind. A significant amount of our work will be focused on ensuring our gardens and backyards are safe and free from pollution. Thanks to the support of Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick, CSCR has secured funding to continue our soil testing work this year. As we move beyond 2020, we will diligently work hard to bring more citizen science and wellness programs to you. We will collaborate with our residents and youth to help our communities overcome the harmful legacy of Tonawanda's industrial past. Our Education Center is in its infancy. It's important that we have your participation as we fulfill the communities vision. We can’t do this alone, we need your input.
Going forward, we as a board are committed to a safe and thorough cleanup of the former Tonawanda Coke property and in doing so we unanimously voted to support the NYS Brownfield application submitted by Riverview Innovation & Technology Campus.
In closing, we could not do any of this work without the support of our elected officials and all of you. Thank you for your continued commitment.
In Solidarity,
CSCR 2020 Board of Directors
Benzene, a toxic air pollutant, was dramatically reduced in WNY communities after the shut down of Tonawanda Coke on Oct. 14, 2018