It is particularly frustrating to read J. D. Crane’s recent Another Voice, since it suggests a profound lack of understanding of what this community is asking for, and a refusal to take responsibility for his company’s actions.

Crane presents two points, one, that his refusals to respond to journalists are because he does not want to “try our case in the media.” Secondly, he claims science shows the impact of benzene emissions from his Tonawanda Coke plant is overstated.

While Crane does not respond to requests from journalists, he publishes an editorial and gives a detailed interview to the Tonawanda News. So the media is the only place he will speak, and only on his terms. Crane’s intransigence is simply part of a cynical strategy to distract the community.

Community members are asking for a public discussion, in which he or Tonawanda Coke’s environmental staff and consultants develop plans for reducing emissions. This is not onerous or unusual. I’ve worked in Seneca Babcock with Buffalo Color and Honeywell; both positively engaged the public to reduce toxic emissions. In Tonawanda, 3M and Noco engage through town environmental committees and other public venues.

Crane’s record is consistent. In Erie, Pa., Crane’s Erie Coke has been fined $6 million, and he abandoned his Detroit plant to the poorest city in the United States. It’s an operating philosophy from the 19th century, when residents were poisoned by such operations.

Crane’s claim that science supports his position is false, refuted by three sets of public data. The Department of Environmental Conservation’s detailed yearlong study documents that Tonawanda Coke is the source of excessively high benzene emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency reports the minute-by- minute benzene emissions from the plant.

Crane admits that Tonawanda Coke’s own government reports document 10,000 pounds of benzene emissions annually, much more than any other source in the area. His claim that traffic sources of air pollution are more important is a linguistic shell game. The data are focused on the known toxin and human carcinogen, benzene, not total air pollution. The painstaking, yearlong DEC study accounted for traffic sources of benzene and other air pollutants. The science is clear, and does not support any of Crane’s contentions.

Crane’s seemingly authoritative statements are a common bullying tactic against the public, which is frustrated by high incidence of disease.

Thankfully, both the DEC and EPA have released information about how to reduce the benzene, but they cannot fulfill Tonawanda Coke’s responsibilities. To reduce and eliminate this unnecessary emission, Tonawanda Coke must join in an honest public discussion.

Joseph A. Gardella Jr., Ph. D., is professor and Larkin chairman of chemistry at the University at Buffalo. He has worked with community groups, industry and government on environmental issues for more than 30 years.