Celebrating our History, One Way or Another
The Concerned Citizens of Allegany County (CCAC) board,
along with various alumni and other volunteers, spent the last year or so
dreaming up, planning, and making arrangements for the 30th Anniversary weekend
celebrating the citizen actions and non-violent resistance that has come to be
known as the “Bump the Dump” movement.
We have regretfully postponed the weekend’s activities until
further notice due to the Coronavirus and the need for social distancing. Please feel free to connect with us via
phone/text (585-466-4474) or email (contactusccac@gmail.com) or find us online
at ccallegany.org and on Facebook.
April 4th was to include a musical B.A.N.D.I.T.S. reunion,
speakers, visual displays, and a communal dinner. We also planned an informal
commemoration at the Caneadea Bridge on April 5th.
Most of these activities can only be enjoyed in person, and
we look forward to rescheduling. But here is one commemoration of which we are
very proud and can easily share at this time.
To celebrate and call attention to this unique and momentous
period in Allegany County history, which has affected legal decisions across
the nation in the years since Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor read
the majority opinion in New York v. United States, we are extremely honored to
announce that the Allegany County Legislature has proclaimed April 5, 2020 to
be “My Name is Allegany County Day.”
PROCLAMATION
My Name is Allegany County
Whereas, the citizens and government of Allegany
County (the County) rejected the New York State proposal to locate a low-level
radioactive waste dump in Allegany County; and
Whereas, the citizens and the County resisted this
proposal with challenges in the courts, in legislation, in science, and on the
land itself; and
Whereas, non-violent actions by members of Allegany
County Nonviolent Action Group (ACNAG) to deny entry by the Siting Commission
to the proposed waste dump sites resulted in dozens of arrests; and
Whereas, ACNAG members, upon arrest, identified
themselves by responding “My Name is Allegany County,” and
Whereas, several hundred citizens, using the
principles of civil disobedience, made a stand at Caneadea Bridge on April 5,
1990, which resulted in Governor Cuomo suspending the siting process, and which
finally, once and for all, denied the Siting Commission access to the land; and
Whereas, a subsequent legal case, New York v. United
States, argued before the Supreme Court found that the "Take Title"
provision of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985
exceeded Congress's power under the Commerce Clause; and
Whereas, this 1992 decision reaffirmed 10th Amendment
states’ rights and has been cited in case law hundreds of times since,
Now, Therefore, I Curtis W Crandall, Chairman of the
Allegany County Board of Legislators, herby proclaim April 5, 2020, as My Name
Is Allegany County Day in Allegany County in commemoration of citizens and
local government standing up for the environment, their families, their land,
and their home rule rights under the Constitution of the United States of
America.
This document was entered into the permanent record of the
Legislature by Chairman Curtis W. Crandall on March 23, 2020. Please thank your legislator.
And then, if you will, please spend a moment in quiet
appreciation for the individuals who carried out this monumental, years-long
effort to keep our county free of radioactive waste. We are all indebted to
them. We honor their perseverance, their commitment to protecting environmental
and human health, and for keeping our county pristine for future
generations.
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Photographs: Before and After of the sign at
Caneadea.
