By Dylan Hall
Buffalo, NY – Protesters sold cups of lemonade yesterday in front of te Adam's Mark Hotel Thursday, where they hoped to catch the eye of Governor Pataki. They said they were fundraising for New York's bankrupt Superfund.
The state Superfund program was established to clean up toxic waste sites that are not covered under the federal cleanup program. Mike Schade, Western New York director of the Citizens Environmental Coalition, says the Superfund's failure is going unnoticed.
"Across the state, we have almost 800 dumps, and most of these sites are located in residential communities or near schools and woprkplaces," Schade said. "Unfortunately because there's no money for a clean up, these sites pose a serious risk to people who live in these neighborhoods."
The budget for the toxic clean up program was frozen earlier this year when the governor and the State Legislature could not agree on a plan to replenish the fund.
Schade estimated that at 25-cents a cup, they would be able to restart the program themselves by selling 10-billion cups of lemonade.