It's been 29 years since Allegany County - Bumped the Dump

Editor's note - Quite by accident, it was this reporter - on a Saturday morning almost three decades ago - that broke the story that Allegany County had been targeted to be the home of a low level radioactive waste site. An overnight package was delivered early to a property owner and that person called me. I broke the news during a special noon report. After that, all Hell broke loose.

“Bump the Dump” Documentary: Join CCAC and ACNAG Members for a Free Screening at Alfred University

Angelica - Concerned Citizens of Allegany County (CCAC) is proud to co-sponsor a screening of its own documentary film, “My Name Is Allegany County”, at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, 2019 as part of a weekly Critical Cinema Film Series, a student-led program curated by Alfred University senior Emma Hilderbrant.

The screening takes place in Holmes Auditorium, in Harder Hall at Alfred University in Alfred, NY. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.  CCAC and ACNAG members who participated in the 'Bump The Dump' movement will attend for a Q&A period after the film. This film is free and open to the public.

This year marks the 29th anniversary of the successful grassroots battle to 'Bump The Dump' in Allegany County, NY.  Faced with the prospect of becoming host to a large scale low-level radioactive waste dump, people mobilized quickly. When 5,000 people attended the first public meeting, NYs Siting Commission got a taste for the fierce, unyielding opposition they were about to endure. In the era before Internet and mobile phones, activists relied on land-lines and CB radios to communicate. Thankfully, video cameras and the regional media captured archival footage of this uplifting struggle, which has been preserved as an important historical record in this documentary film. 

We are proud not only of our neighbor-warriors and the fight they waged and won, but also of this film, which preserves the record for future generations. It’s hard to imagine what life in our pristine rural county would be like now had these citizens not given their all to ‘Bump the Dump.’  Thanks to our friends at Alfred State College, the original film has been re-mastered and subtitles have been added.  The film is also available for viewing on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NXQh_O_NoY.

Concerned Citizens of Allegany County, Inc., is a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation that continues to fight against pollution, focusing primarily on ending the expansion of infrastructure related to fracking, and halting the disposal of hazardous and radioactive gas field wastes in Allegany and Steuben county landfills.  We meet monthly in Angelica and welcome interested parties to join the effort to raise awareness and protect our clean water, soil, and air. Tax-deductible contributions can be mailed to: CCAC  PO Box 425, Angelica, NY 14709. Learn more at ccallegany.org or follow us on Facebook.  Email contactusccac@gmail.com or call/text 585-466-4474.