The following is a list of local industries found near Akwesasne that have impacted the community.
DOMTAR, CORNWALL, ONTARIO
The odor that you smell as you cross the international bridge is hydrogen sulfide coming from this local paper company, which is also suspected of contributing mercury and dioxins to the area watershed.
GENERAL MOTORS, MASSENA, NEW YORK
In 1959, General Motors Corporation (GM) moved to the area to take advantage of the cheap hydroelectric power that the Moses-Saunders Power dam provided, building an aluminum casting facility directly on the upstream, western border of Akwesasne. In its industrial process, GM used polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other toxic waste on the plant's grounds. These toxicants have contaminated the three waterways surrounding the plant - the St. Lawrence River, Raquette River and Turtle Creek - where the Moahwk people have hunted and fished from time immemorial. Because of PCB contamination, fish from these rivers are no longer safe to eat and this has had a profound impact on the culture and lifestyle of Mohawk people. In 1983, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed the GM site on the National Priority List of Superfund sites that need urgent cleanup action.
REYNOLDS ALUMINUM, MASSENA, NEW YORK
Reynolds Metals Company, Inc. operates an aluminum production facility on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River just one mile upstream of Akwesasne. The plant, in existence since 1959, has been listed as a New York State Superfund site for its improper disposal of hazardous waste on plant property. The US EPA also issued Reynolds a unilateral clean up order for contaminated St. Lawrence River and Raquette River sediments and biota adjacent to the plant property. Visible air pollution from Reynolds can be seen fouling the air around Akwesasne and polluting our winds with toxic fluoride and PAHs.
ALCOA, MASSENA, NEW YORK
The Aluminum Company of America or ALCOA also operates an aluminum smelter in Massena, NY. Energy intensive operations like ALCOA and Reynolds are located near cheap sources of power, such as the Moses-Saunders power dam. The plant is located on the Grasse River approximately 6 miles upstream from Akwesasne. ALCOA, similar to Reynolds Metals, is under a US EPA unilateral administrative order to investigate and clean up the contaminated Grasse River. The company is under a New York State Department of Environemntal Conservation consent order to investigate and clean up its on-site contamination which includes PCBs, cyanide, PAHs, fluoride and arsenic.
THE ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
The people of Akwesasne have seen many changes in the St. Lawrence River in the last 100 years. None has been more devastating than the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Moses- Saunders Power Dam. Begun in 1954, the Seaway was constructed to open markest and ports in the Great Lakes Basin and encourage industrial development in northern New York State. Constructed on Native land, without consultation or consideration to the Mohawk people, their culture or their subsistence lifestyle, the Seaway has changed the St. Lawrence ecysosytem forever. Over the past 40 years, the Seaway has contributed to a decline in the number of fish by affecting spawing beds. Lands in Akwesasne have been eroded. Passing ships dump their bilge into Akwesasne waters and are suspected of introducing exotic species into the area.
THE NEW YORK POWER AUTHORITY (NYPA)
The construction and ongoing operation of the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project, run by the New York Power Authority, has caused more harm to Akwesasne than any other event in its history. This power project was part of a larger plan for economic development of the area. In the words of historian Larry Hauptman, "Moses' ideas for economic and energy development were the keys to his master plan and were to have the most impact on Mohawk life along the St. Lawrence River... By developing public hydroelectric power along the St. Lawrence... he would stimulate heavy industry and at the same time, seaway transport. By constructing a series of parks and parkways for tourism and recreational purposes, while providing special low rates for St. Lawrence residents, he would counter any local opposition to the project. By improving the state's total economic pciture, he would satisfy the utility companies' quest for increased profit margins. By sacrificing Indian land or those that were claimed by Indians, who were small, powerless racial minority largely outside of the American electoral process, he would not alienate white voters and their political representatives." (Hauptman, L. 1996. The Iroquois Struggle for Survival. Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, NY. pp. 123-150. As a result of this "development" plan, Mohawk people have suffered countless damages including the desctruction of their self sustaining economies and the loss of the use and enjoyment of their land, water, cultural and natural resources.
Return to Top of Page
Return to ATFE Home Page