Northeast, 1970-2009, Undated

This subseries documents ASLF's projects in the Northeast states, including: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The majority of the northeast projects are from ASLF’s home state of New York. The first ever Right-to-Know Act citizen suit was settled in 1990 by ASLF in a landmark settlement involving ARO Corporation, located in Buffalo. In Syracuse, Onondaga Lake, which was considered one of the most polluted lakes in the United States during the late 1980s, was a focus of ASLF efforts. ASLF settled several cases, including one against Bristol Meyers Squib, to reduce pollutions discharged in to the lake and remediate damages.

In the case against Reynolds Metals Co. the court’s decision clarified that the discharge of pollutants not specifically regulated by permit was illegal in New York. Eastman Kodak Co. was another important project for ASLF, in which pollutants were discharged without permit. However, the citizen suit was dismissed as moot after the company and the DEC entered a consent decree, which effectively contradicted the decision in the Reynolds Metals Co. case.