Developer John M. Williams is the new owner of the former Tonawanda Coke site.

A public auction of the 140-acre waterfront site was canceled Monday due to lack of interest, and a Federal bankruptcy judge followed suit by approving Williams ‘ acre polluted plant.

Williams, who had a purchase agreement to buy the property before the auction, wants to rebuild the site as a computer data center and, with the support of city, County and state lawmakers, is seeking brownfields ‘ fortune as part of his recovery plans.

We are willing to take responsibility for maintaining the site, Gregory said. Photiadis, Williams ‘ attorney, in court Monday.

The clean air coalition, a community group with a long history of monitoring Tonawanda Coke, opposes brownfield cleanup and advocates for a Federal Superfund recovery.

The group, which has the backing of Rep. Brian M. Higgins, says cleaning up brownfields will allow Honeywell, which is responsible for some of the pollutants in place and has an $ 8 million mortgage on the property, to receive substantial financial assistance through the use of state tax breaks.

“What we saw today was the posturing of three corporations seeking to avoid liability,” says Rebecca Newberry, Executive Director of the coalition.

“We want polluters to clean up their mess,” she said.

Williams said the notion that rebuilding brownfields would allow Honeywell to walk away without fulfilling its obligations from the base.

“Honeywell’s commitments do not change depending on the type of program used on the site,” he said Monday.

Asked about opposition to the clean air Coalition, Williams said he understood the group’s position but thought it was inappropriate. He also suggested that cleaning up the Superfund may not complement the recovery order of the entire site.

“Everyone wants the same result,” he said. “Frankly speaking, the state program is more complex than the Federal one.”

James C. Toman, an attorney for Tonawanda Coke, says the sales agreement requires Williams and his company, Riverview innovation and technology Campus, to pay overdue property taxes on the site and take responsibility for the cleanup.

Apart from the property tax, no other cash was exchanged, he said.

In court, tomane detailed a national marketing strategy for the property, including social media and an ad in the Wall Street Journal, and yet there were no competing bids for the site.

The canceled auction, scheduled for Monday in U.S. bankruptcy court in Buffalo, was part of the company’s plan to cease operations and liquidate its assets. 

Convicted of criminal offenses in Federal court and fined $ 25 million, the company shut down last year. The site is currently in the hands of state and Federal environmental officials.

Failure: Invalid e-mail address.

Disclaimer: Invalid Audienceguid.

We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and be sure to read the stories every weekday.