Does anyone know of any solutions for Olin Pollution in Niagara?

Question

Im searching for some initiatives that the Niagara region could take to resolve the problems with pollution caused by the Olin factory. Can anyone help guide me to some ideas of information?

Answer 1

First of all thank you for asking a question that does not have anything to do with Global Warming.

The Olin plant issue seems to be one of public opinion.  The people who work there are afraid that if stricter requirements were implemented, that the plant would close rather than upgrade.  There are also many people in the Niagara area that would rather have the plant closed than have the mercury residue in the air and water.

The problem is that the plant is meeting the EPA requirements, and you would at least have a legal battle if Niagara Falls tried to pass legislation that would restrict mercury emissions more than the EPA.  I believe that the effective course would be to get the people of Niagara Falls and the Greater Buffalo area to let the Olin Corporation know that they really want to see a change.  Perhaps the city could offer tax abatement's in exchange for improvements in the mercury output.

The real problem is that you have to make the solution as attractive to the company as possible while at the same time making them realize that most of the Greater Buffalo population will not miss the Olin plant if they close.  That would be a hard sell at this point in time, but the people should start writing to the company and their representatives anyway in order to get the idea planted.