NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — New York State held a virtual listening session to address air quality concerns near the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Plant in Niagara Falls on Thursday.
As the 7 News I-Team has been reporting, Goodyear is releasing a high concentration of o-toluidine — up to seven times the current legal standard — over parts of this community. After the release of the 7 News I-Team report, the state fined Goodyear $15,000.
You can watch our original reporting below.
The virtual meeting held on Thursday allowed residents to voice their concerns directly to state officials.
"DEC's Air Modeling, which used certain data from the 2022 Goodyear Stack test, shows orthotolidine emissions are not currently causing an imminent public health threat to the community," said Margaret LaFarr, DEC Division of Air Resources Assistant Director.
"Upon learning the violation, DEC staff issued a notice of violation," Terri Mucha, DEC Region 9 Regional Attorney, explained," It was based on two violations that included failure to submit a timed stack test report and the inability to evaluate compliance and control efficiency required in the permit."
The DEC is taking ongoing enforcement actions to ensure that Goodyear's emissions continue to reduce through both short-term and long-term requirements.
"The stack testing was not required as a permit condition nor was it done for compliance purposes," Mucha said. "That's why in the notice of violation as well as the consent order, there is no violation for not doing the stack test."
The listening session marked a step towards transparency and accountability, with state officials committing to ongoing dialogue with the Niagara Falls community and local government to address the air quality issues.
