In its first session of the year, the Erie County Legislature added its voice to a push aimed at reducing the pollution from Tonawanda Coke and other local industrial facilities.

Legislator Michele Iannello, D-Kenmore, collaborated on the resolution with Majority Leader Maria Whyte, D-Buffalo, who represents the nearby Riverside area. It urges Tonawanda Coke and others to implement plans reducing the amount of toxic materials they use and release in the air.

“If benzene (a cancer-causing substance) levels in Tonawanda are at a level that may be dangerous to the health and welfare of our residents, it is our responsibility to call on local manufacturers to take steps to protect our citizens,” Iannello said.

That would involve installing expensive pollution control equipment, but Iannello said that any green initiative is going to have an upfront cost.

“In the long range, you make that money back,” Iannello said.

The move was spurred on by reports of residents becoming ill after smelling strong odors, particularly at night. Department of Environmental Conservation air tests have shown benzene levels in the area near the coke plant at 100 times the state guidelines.

But while savings could be realized in decreased healthcare costs for residents due to lower carcinogen levels, the cost for the new measures would fall at Tonawanda Coke’s doorstep. That isn’t likely to appeal to the company, which is why Iannello’s resolution requests that the DEC and Environmental Protection Agency seek out technical, economic and tax credit assistance for Tonawanda Coke and others to install the technology. She’s hopeful new sources of income, such as the proposed expansion of the bottle bill, can free up money for these ventures despite tough economic times.

The City of Tonawanda Common Council passed a similar resolution at Tuesday’s meeting, with council members complaining of the stench that their residents know all too well. Town of Tonawanda Supervisor Anthony Caruana said the Town Board will likely follow suit at its next meeting.

Jackie James-Creedon, executive director of the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York, said she’s happy that the resolutions are passing, but isn’t sure how much good they’ll do.

The CAC requested a meeting with the leaders of Tonawanda Coke to address the community’s concerns in mid-November of last year. In the response her group received from Tonawanda Coke’s lawyers, the company contends that it has been a good neighbor, paying its taxes and contributing to the community. And although the benzene rates are at levels that concern residents, those rates fall within the current legal limits, James-Creedon said.

“We can’t force Tonawanda Coke and other industry to do this,” James-Creedon said. “That’s the problem.”

A woman who answered the phone at the Tonawanda Coke office did not identify herself and said the company had no comment after being told of the details of the county resolution. They’ve also refused to sit down with residents to discuss the growing health concerns, much to the CAC’s chagrin.

In the meantime, the CAC is going about its business lobbying for stricter laws and educating residents about local health issues related to air quality. James-Creedon said she called the DEC to inquire about why formaldehyde emissions from Tonawanda Coke weren’t monitored and was told it could be added in the facility’s new Title Five permit, up for renewal this year.

The DEC provided the group with a $40,000 grant that will be used on mass marketing, and James-Creedon said she’s hoping to kick off their door-to-door canvassing campaign after a Feb. 20 visit from well-known environmental activist Lois Gibbs, of Love Canal fame. The idea is to grow public sentiment into a movement for action.

“It’s unfortunate, but sometimes the community has to really watch what’s going on,” James-Creedon said. “We can’t just rely on the government to protect us. We’ll do something. We’re not just going to sit by and do nothing.”

Getting the DEC to tighten regulations is one possibility, but that would take plenty of time and likely face opposition from companies trying to maintain profitability, not to mention the governments statewide that depend on industry to support its tax base. Iannello said the public-private partnership the legislature is supporting, along with efforts to eliminate Grand Island Bridge tolls that leave cars lined up and producing benzene as well, are steps that can be taken more quickly to make inroads.

“The problem is we know Tonawanda has higher than average cancer rates, we know about the pollution from industry and we know there are cars idling nearby on the Grand Island Bridge, but there’s a problem connecting these things as the cause,” Iannello said. “But we know these things are being released, so let’s do something about it.”

Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.