Congressional response to EPA cleanup responsibility, March 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

<;>debris from rooftops and facades around the World Trade Center >site. In addition, agencies will work to build on an indoor air ;l>>study conducted in November and December. These actions are a ' >result of the collaborative efforts of the EPA Administrator >Christie Whitman's Task Force on Indoor Air and New York City >Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Lower Manhattan Air Quality Task Force. >"Actions speak louder than words, and these actions will help >increase confidence about outdoor and indoor air quality," said >Jane Kenny, EPA Regional Administrator. "We have been working >hand-in-hand with the city to resolve the public's health >concerns." > "I am extremely pleased that EPA continues to work with the City >to address concerns regarding air quality in Lower Manhattan, " >said incoming DEP Commissioner Christopher Ward. >Tests conducted since September 11th have indicated that there is >no evidence of significant long-term health risks to residents and >office workers from the air quality in Lower Manhattan. Inspectors >from the City and EPA have surveyed area rooftops and facades >identifying buildings where residual debris remains. As removal of >debris from the World Trade Center site nears completion. City, >State and Federal agencies are committed to continuing to protect >and improve the downtown environment. >City, state and federal health and environmental agencies are >working collaboratively to continue to assess the cleaning that >was conducted and determine testing criteria. Building on earlier >tests, EPA will conduct field work to assess cleanup techniques >and provide information for ongoing cleaning. The Agency for >Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, with support from the New >York City Department of Health and EPA, is planning to expand the >indoor air study conducted in December 2001. >As these projects are developed, the Federal Emergency Management >Agency (FEMA) will fund components that are eligible under its >programs. As the agency responsible for coordinating federal >assistance in support of the city's long term recovery efforts, >FEMA is working closely with all concerned agencies. >Both the EPA and New York City Task Forces will work cooperatively >to continue to protect air quality. The Lower Manhattan Air >Quality Hotline (212-221-8635) will continue to be the principal >point of information dissemination to businesses, residents and >visitors regarding air quality and environmental issues in and >around the World Trade Center site. The City's Task Force will >also coordinate additional community outreach and local >initiatives as part of the broader effort to build public >confidence in the downtown environment. > >For more information, call the City's Lower Manhattan Air Quality >Hotline at 212-221-8635 between 11:00 am and 7:00 pm Monday >through Friday. In addition, information can be found on EPA's >web site at: www.epa.gov; OSHA's web site at: www.osha.gov; NYC >DOH's web site at: www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/home.htm; and >NYCDEP's web site at: www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/airmonit.html .

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