Love Canal Collections at the University Archives

Ecumenical Task Force of the Niagara Frontier Records, 1971-1995
MS 65

Historical Note for the ETF | Biographical Note for Pat Brown | Scope and Content Note | Outline of Collection | View full finding aid | Scanned documents from the ETF collection

Historical Note for the ETF:
The Ecumenical Task Force of the Niagara Frontier, Inc. (ETF) was founded in 1979 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of human and natural resources from chemical and radiological contamination in the Western New York area and within the Great Lakes eco-system. Its mission and purpose addressed the physical, psychological, social, economic, moral, and ethical issues inherent in the environmental concerns that impact persons and communities.

Organizationally, the ETF was made up of approximately 75 voting members and a 25-person Scientific and Technical Advisory Board, selected annually. The Executive Board was elected from ten Western New York denominational institutions. From 1979-1988 Sister Margeen Hoffmann served as Executive Director of ETF and later Pat Brown took over the position from 1989-1991.

To promote its mission of educating the public on the hazards of chemicals and toxic waste dump sites, the ETF expended resources in its public education programs. They participated in many local and national environmental conferences and presented informational talks to several religious, governmental, and educational organizations.

Often it was necessary for ETF to pursue legal action. The ETF became involved in civil court cases against chemical polluters. When able, the ETF represented Western New York residents affected by toxic waste in litigation as an amicus curiae. For this, the Scientific and Technical Advisory Board was called to present testimony and scientific analysis for alternative remediation and technology.

A large part of the ETF's work was dedicated to providing direct relief for victims of hazardous waste exposure in the Love Canal area. Prior to the relocation of remaining Love Canal residents in 1980, they provided counseling, temporary shelter, and other services to affected residents. Later they also served as intermediaries with state and local officials to facilitate the relocation process. Retained by the Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency, the ETF coordinated the review of all technical data on Love Canal issues and made impartial recommendations with respect to the habitability of the Love Canal area.

Although the Love Canal disaster was the ETF's main focus, it was not the only one. They also worked for the betterment of the community after various chemical corporations including CECOS International, Inc. and Hooker Chemical and Plastics Corporation were responsible for the contamination of other local area sites such as the Hyde Park Landfill, the S-Area Landfill, and Forrest Glenn. See Series VIII, Hazardous waste management facilities, chemical companies and other toxic waste sites for more information on ETF's work for these other contaminated areas.

The ETF dissolved in the early 1990's.

Biographical Note for Pat Brown:
Patricia A. Brown was a resident of the Love Canal area in Niagara Falls, New York. After toxic chemicals from the nearby chemical dumpsite were discovered seeping into residents homes, Brown took action and volunteered with the newly formed Ecumenical Task Force. Soon she was employed as the executive secretary for the organization and later became the ETF Resource Center manager, developing and operating the organization's library.

In 1989 Brown took over as Executive Director and continued to expand the ETF's programs in research, activism and education. She gave speeches, and participated in government hearings and committees. Personally she continued to develop her activism beyond the ETF by becoming involved in the Niagara Falls Hazardous Materials Advisory Committee, the Environmental Liaison Committee, the Niagara Falls Chamber of Commerce, the Toxics in Your Community Coalition (based in Albany, NY), and the Niagara County Legislature Citizens Advisory Committee.

Pat Brown died in February 1999.

Scope and Content Note:
Contains the records and papers of the ETF including: minutes, organizational files, Executive Director Pat Brown's files, correspondence, clippings, records on ETF functions, subject and resource files, records regarding other Love Canal organizations, reports on habitability and remediation, subject files of other environmental organizations, records of other WNY hazardous waste sites, subject files of companies dealing with hazardous waste, and litigation file resulting from hazardous waste disposal.

In order to be consistent with names throughout the MS 65 finding aid, some organizations will be referred to as:

• Hooker Chemical and Plastics is referred to as "Hooker Chemical" throughout the finding aid even after it was purchased by Occidental Chemical in 1968
• The Unites States Environmental Protection Agency is referred to as "United States EPA"
• The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is referred to as the "New York State DEC"
• The New York State Department of Health is referred to as "New York State DOH"

Arrangement:

Series I. Administration

Subseries A. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Subseries B. Organizational Files

    -- Section 1: Annual Reports and Meetings

Subseries C. Financial Records

    -- Section 1: Financial Contributions

    -- Section 2: Grants

Subseries D. Card Files

Subseries E. Correspondence

Subseries F. Members

Series II. Pat Brown as Executive Director

Subseries A. Personal

Subseries B. Environmental Work

Subseries C. Work as Executive Director of ETF

Series III. ETF Activities

Subseries A. Scientific Advisory Board

Subseries B. Waste Watch

Subseries C. ETF Sponsored Activities and Programs

    -- Section1 1. Blueprint for Action Conference

Subseries D. Conferences, Workshops, and Seminars

Subseries E. Publications

    -- Section 1. Reports

Subseries F. Speeches, Statements, and Testimonies

Subseries G. Related Committees

Series IV. Resources

Subseries A. Reports

    -- Section 1. General Reports

    -- Section 2. United States EPA

    -- Section 3. United States Congress

    -- Section 4. New York State DEC

    -- Section 5. New York State Legislature

Subseries B. Subject Files

    -- Section 1. General Subject Files

    -- Section 2. Residents

    -- Section 3. Legislative

    -- Section 4. Medical

    -- Section 5. New York State DEC

    -- Section 6. Relocation of Love Canal Residents

    -- Section 7. Resettlement of Love Canal Area

Subseries C. Articles, Clippings, Papers, Press and News Releases, and Newsletters

Subseries D. Statements, Testimonies, Affidavits, and Speeches

Subseries E. Correspondence

Subseries F. Card Files

Subseries G. Audio/Visual Materials

    -- Section 1. Audio Cassettes

Subseries H. Reverend Fred Wood's Subject Files

Subseries I. Pat Brown's Resource Files

    -- Section 1. United States EPA

    -- Section 2. United States Congress

    -- Section 3. New York State DOH

    -- Section 4. New York State DEC

    -- Section 5. Love Canal Technical Review Committee

    -- Section 6. General Reports and Other Resources

    -- Section 7. Video Cassettes

    -- Section 8. Photographs and Slides

Subseries J. ETF Resource Library

Series V. Related Love Canal Organizations

Series VI. Love Canal: Environmental, Health (Habitability), and Cleanup Studies

Subseries A. United States Environmental Protection Agency

Subseries B. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Subseries C. New York State Department of Health

Subseries D. Love Canal Technical Review Committee

Subseries E. Other Reports

Subseries F. Peer Reviews

Series VII. Environmental Organizations and Issues

Subseries A. Organizations

Subseries B. Recycling

Series VIII. Hazardous Waste Management Facilities, Chemical Companies and Other Toxic Waste Sites

Subseries A. CECOS: Niagara Site

    -- Section 1. Initial Response to CECOS Expansion

    -- Section 2. Early Response to CECOS Expansion

    -- Section 3. Coalition Response to CECOS expansion

Subseries B. Hooker Chemical: Hyde Park Site

    -- Section 1. US v. Hooker regarding Hyde Park Landfill

    -- Section 2. Cleanup and Environmental Studies

Subseries C. Hooker Chemical: S-Area Site

    -- Section 1. US v. Hooker regarding S-Area Landfill

    -- Section 2. Cleanup and Environmental Studies

Subseries D. Durez Corporation: North Tonawanda Plant

Subseries E. Chemical Waste Management Services: Model City

    -- Section 1. Secure Landfill Number 12

    -- Section 2. United Stated Department of Energy: Niagara Falls Storage Site

Subseries F. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company: Forest Glen

Subseries G. DuPont/Olin: Niachlor Project

Subseries H. The Great Lakes and Niagara River

Subseries I. Other Toxic Waste Sites and Companies

    -- Section 1. Other Toxic Waste Sites

    -- Section 2. Other Chemical Companies

Series IX. Litigation

Subseries A. United States v. Hooker Chemical

Subseries B. United States v. Occidental Chemical Corporation

A note on the finding aid for MS 65
This collection is in its final stages of processing. All boxes have been assigned a number, but the folders have not been individually numbered yet. During the next month -- the folders will be numbered and the finding aid will be put into Encoded Archival Description. Until then the finding aid will be available in a PDF format only.