NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Neighbors Matteo Anello and Henry Saenz are calling for action against the nearby Goodyear plant. 

In July 2023, the state Department of Environmental Conservation cited the Goodyear plant for not meeting air control standards after rejecting the facility’s stack test due to “anomalies” affecting data.

“You see the soot," said Saenz. "It piles up on your windowsills outside."

As of this week, the DEC and Goodyear issued a consent order that includes requirements of the company to submit an air pollution study proposing permanent solutions and installing permanent pollution control equipment by Oct. 31, 2026.

In a statement to Spectrum News 1, the DEC said:

"The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is committed to holding polluters accountable and entered into an Order on Consent with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. on Jan. 14, 2025, that requires state-of-the-art pollution control technology that will continue to protect Niagara Falls residents.

The order includes a civil penalty and requires Goodyear to undertake operational modifications that will further reduce off-site concentrations of ortho-toluidine and result in short- and long-term reductions in emissions.

Specifically, the Order requires interim controls and a reduction in the production limits that will be operational within two months of DEC approval. Goodyear will also submit an air pollution control engineering study proposing the permanent pollution controls to be installed following DEC approval. Goodyear is also required to submit a revised air state facility permit modification detailing the equipment changes and emission calculations, an air dispersion model protocol and related documents associated with the permit modification application, including a CLCPA analysis and a Public Participation Plan to ensure enhanced public outreach and engagement regarding the facility’s operations. 

DEC will hold a listening session to present information about the recent consent order and Goodyear’s permit renewal and provide an opportunity for the public to ask questions. Details will be announced soon.

Based on available data, potential emissions from the Goodyear facility have not been shown to pose a significant or immediate risk to public health.

New York State’s health-based ambient-air guidelines for ortho-toluidine are set at levels to protect the public from health effects and are more stringent than federal risk thresholds.

DEC’s Annual Guideline Concentrations (AGC) are not standards and should not be considered a bright line between concentrations that cause health effects and those that do not. Rather, they are set at a level to inform permitting decisions and reduce emissions with the best controls available. 

The State is committed to ongoing monitoring and enforcement of environmental regulations to ensure the protection of public health and the environment."

Goodyear responded to a Spectrum News 1 inquiry via email, saying:

"Goodyear is taking immediate steps to reduce emissions that include equipment updates and interim production limits. The company is also putting longer-term solutions in place to further reduce emissions as quickly as possible and will drive progress in accordance with the schedule outlined in the agreement with the DEC."

A community meeting is scheduled for Jan. 30 at the New Hope Baptist Church at 1122 Buffalo, Ave., Niagara Falls, starting at 7:00 p.m.