Outside Erie

The USA Today has an interesting feature on the air quality at schools nationwide.
As part of its package, it has an interactive database that allows readers to see where individual schools rank nationally in terms of air quality.
Not surprisingly, many Erie schools grade quite poorly.
The lower the percentile, the worse the air.
Check out the air […]

If you think the debate over plans to build a tires-to-energy plant on the Lake Erie shore has been intense, brace yourself for what could be an even more caustic battle over the possibility of wind farms on the Great Lakes.
The Washington Post reports on the early efforts to develop offshore wind farms in Michigan, […]

If you haven’t yet seen the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review piece on the proposed Erie Renewable Energy plant, I suggest you check it out.
Emissions questions aside, it seems as though there is a bit of controversy over where the plant will actually get its tires.
According to the story:
[Caletta Renewable Energy] chief operating officer Victor] Gatto says he […]

In 1969, Chattanooga, Tenn., was known for having the worst air quality in the United States.
Today — with much cleaner air — the city is celebrating the arrival of a $1-billion Volkswagen plant that will bring 2,000 jobs.
For those who argue that those who are against the Erie Renewable Energy plant are against economic development, […]

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette raised some interesting points in its story Sunday about the proposed Erie Renewable Energy plant.
We’ve covered this issue exhaustively here, but I hadn’t yet come across this nugget:
The only other tire-to-energy plant operating in the United States is the Exeter Energy Limited facility in Sterling, Conn., which burns more than 10 million […]

Outside Erie reader and regular commenter Julio Reyes posted a question about who serves on Erie’s Zoning Board.
Curiously, you won’t find the list on the city’s Web page for the board.
But I do have a list of the members.
Jeffrey Johnson — chairman
Ron Desser
Lisa Austin
Dale Niemenski
Salvador Parco
Johnson was the sole member of the board to […]

The Erie Zoning Board will meet today at 1 p.m. at Erie City Hall to discuss the proposed Erie Renewable Energy tire plant.
Opponents are again rallying the public to come out against the proposed plant.
You might remember the Erie Housing Authority’s recent opposition to the plan.
They now look to have a new ally in […]

While you were out grilling hot dogs, watching fireworks, and enjoying the sunny holiday weekend, the world did not stop.
It might have slowed down a bit. But it certainly didn’t stop.
Here’s what you might have missed:
1. A comprehensive list of the board members of Erie authorities, business groups, and nonprofit organizations. We hope this page […]

I didn’t post a Comment of the Week on its usual day because of the July 4 holiday.
To make up for it, I’m offering not one, but two comments.
There’s been so much heated debate over the tire plant and the application filed by Erie Renewable Energy that I decided to highlight two comments — one […]

John Horan at the Erie Housing Authority has been kind enough to provide us with a link to Erie Renewable Energy’s application with the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Here’s the report.
You can read it for yourself and make your own determination on what it means.
I’m not an expert on these issues, so I’m hoping […]