Durable steel makes new Buffalo Bills stadium greener / Public News Service

The Buffalo Bills’ new stadium may not be the best environmentally, but it does have some green credentials.

The stadium’s steel is manufactured locally and climate-friendly, using an electric arc furnace. Studies show the process emits 75% less carbon than traditional steelmaking.

Brian Raff, vice president of sustainability and government relations at the American Institute of Steel Construction, said there are external benefits to using electric arc furnace steel.

“The EAF steel supply chain is just a circular economy,” Raff emphasized. “Everything that is waste, considered waste at one point, is put back into the supply stream, shredded, melted, and then made into new steel, over and over again.”

Some disadvantages of electric arc furnace steel are higher impurities and inclusions and uneven heat distribution.

Other environmental benefits of the new stadium include reduced water consumption, improved stormwater drainage and a modern electrical system. The stadium will accommodate 14% fewer spectators, which will also reduce other environmental impacts. Highmark Stadium will be completed in 2026.

Beyond environmental impacts, construction of the new stadium will create 10,000 union jobs in Western New York, and 60% of the 25,000 tons of steel used for the stadium will be developed in New York.

Raff stressed that local steel production would have an economic ripple effect.

“25,000 tons of steel represents millions of man hours, which means it will keep these manufacturing companies operating,” Raff explained. “The money is coming in, which means they are able to pay their employees. All that money will be saved and spent in local economies.”

The project also creates greater opportunities for minority, women and veteran-owned businesses. An important part of the labor agreement negotiations involved involving local workers in the construction of the new stadium.

receive more stories like this by email

Environmental groups say more should be done to protect people’s health from what they call toxic and radioactive sludge.

A court has granted a temporary restraining order against Austin Master Services, a fracking waste storage facility located in Martin’s Ferry, at the request of Ohio Attorney General David Yost.

Ohio has some of the least restrictive rules for fracking waste, said Jill Hunkler, director of the local advocacy group Ohio Valley Allies. She said this makes communities “dumping grounds” for fracking byproducts, and residents often have to educate themselves about the risks of living near fracking operations and landfills.

“We can see for ourselves how dangerous these facilities were and how poorly they operated,” she said, “and less than 500 feet from the drinking water supply of 5 million people , which is the Ohio River.”

At a city council meeting, residents expressed concerns about the security of the water supply and ongoing health risks to neighboring communities.

In a court complaint, the AG’s office said the Martin’s Ferry facility exceeded the amount of waste it was allowed to store by several thousand tons.

Austin Master Services could not be reached for comment. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources maintains there is no evidence the waste has affected public health.

Hunkler said a judge ordered Austin Master Services to clean up excess trash during a recent hearing, but the company said it didn’t have the money to do so.

“This is just a really good example of the failure to adequately regulate, enforce and protect communities from this toxic industry,” she added.

According to Food and Water Watch, fracking waste contains a mixture of heavy metals, brines, volatile organic compounds, carcinogens and naturally occurring radioactive contaminants. Research from Yale University has linked exposure to some of these substances to reproductive and developmental problems.

receive more stories like this by email

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, say they continue to live with health problems, including rashes, nosebleeds and breathing problems, following the massive train derailment and spill of chemicals from last year.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 177 tons of solid waste and 68 million gallons of water were transported out of East Palestine for disposal.

Jess Conard, Appalachian director for the advocacy group Beyond Plastics, said vinyl chloride is a key ingredient in making PVC plastic. She said the disaster highlighted the need to reduce industrial plastic production and better regulate all stages of the plastic life cycle. She added that residents still don’t have the resources they need to stay safe.

“We also desperately need indoor and outdoor air monitoring and assessments of the air in our homes,” Conard said. “Over the past month, some residents have reported detections of vinyl chloride outside their homes.”

Norfolk Southern recently agreed to a $600 million settlement to try to resolve a series of lawsuits involving thousands of people.

If it gains approval from all parties, it will resolve all class action lawsuits filed by individuals and businesses within a 20-mile radius of the derailment site, as well as personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius. miles. In a statement posted on the company’s website, the company emphasized that the settlement is in no way an admission of liability, wrongdoing or misconduct.

Conard stressed that the settlement will not prevent another train-related environmental disaster from occurring. She stressed that the amount of money in the proposed settlement would leave no dent in the pockets of a company whose profits topped $8 billion last year.

“If the court accepts this settlement, it will set a precedent that there will be a price to pay for the poisoning of communities,” Conard said. “The court must uphold justice for the people.”

Congress has blocked passage of legislation to strengthen regulations regarding inspections and fines for railroad companies that violate safety standards. Earlier this month, the Biden administration adopted a new rule requiring cargo operators to have at least two people on board, in an effort to increase safety.

receive more stories like this by email

Chemical plants in West Virginia and other states will be required to reduce their emissions of toxic and carcinogenic pollutants – such as ethylene oxide, chloroprene and other chemicals – under a new state rule. Environmental Protection Agency.

Hundreds of facilities, most located near low-income communities or communities of color, will also be required to collect air pollution data and submit it to the EPA.

The data will also be made available to communities, which Jeremy Symons, senior advisor to the Environmental Protection Network, said is an important tool for transparency and environmental justice.

“Not only will this EPA action reduce these dangerous toxic air pollutants by 96 percent,” Symons said, “but it will also require chemical plants to install air pollution monitors on fences.”

Research has shown that long-term exposure to ethylene oxide and chloroprene may increase the risk of certain types of cancer, such as lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer, and liver cancer.

Children are particularly at risk.

The Biden administration says this rule will reduce more than 6,200 tons of toxic air pollution each year in affected regions.

Symons, a former EPA adviser, said the rules come after years of work by local community members and environmental organizations who raised the alarm about the impact of deadly air pollution.

“There have been particularly high cancer rates in these communities,” Symons said. “So it’s really significant that EPA has taken action and gone into communities that haven’t been protected as much as they should have been in the past.”

A handful of West Virginia companies — including Chemours, Koppers and Altivia — will have to comply with the new rules.

Investigative reports released in 2021 by Mountain State Spotlight and ProPublica revealed how toxic chemical pollution has harmed the state’s predominantly Black communities.

receive more stories like this by email