WTC document preservation notice, NYC Law Department

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document FEB-10-2003 15:34 EPA 290 BROADWAY, OJf r-.i>x «wwt »nj I /*wu

JUDiClARV COMMr JERROLD JADLER »TH OlSTBICT. New VW K AANIUNQ MCMBER <y>N<’r»T«IT‘rtN •FWVTft: ANft Aa>MtM>dntAt}yL }.AW ti ^siiwisTONorna- J33<T KAVbfJHN HOtJS OFRCR RH» DlNR transportation and WASHlNaTOHOCTaiS INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE tiwcOMMinKs. lIieiWAVlIAHBTBMl'iH Congress of tfjc ®nifri3 States u asTTOCTOFncc-. w, VAftic* srnrrr ' SWT! WB llAllRnAOB of ixcijrcsicntfldbc^ NFWVnUK. NV 10614 12 U) 367-7460 WHir U DISTflJCT wncc; Waj^jinston, 20515 445 NFHiIinF AVbMUt COMMUNITV nOOM 2 BRnOKI.VN. NY 11224 17181 572^80 I- mill. j»i illcr^ ijiad.huuse.guu RKPRE.SENTATIVE JERROLD NADI .KU (D-NY) '**•"" S IXI'EMENT on EPA NEGLECT OP WORKSPACES POST 9/11 KICURUARY 10, 2003

The last time we held a press conference on the EPA's response to 9/11, we were at the apartment of Uona Klouple. Ilona's apartment was contaminated with hazardous WTC debris, b it the KPA refused Lo clean up her apartment propedy If you can imagine anything worse, it is what EPA is doing for commercial .spaces. ..absolutely notlung. In May 2002. eight months aHe r die Sepiember 11th attack, EPA had finally agreed to take responsibility for indoor .spaces, but much to my dismay announced plans to clean up only renideniial spaces. To this day, the EPA has completely ignored commercial spaces, despite the fact the agency is responsible for cleaning up ALI- indoor spaces. Today, I will present dramatic new evidence that show.s there i: still a presence of hazardous substances inside downtown buildings, that New York City DEP did virtually nothing about it, and irrefutable evidence that EPA is, and has always been. ultimately responsible for cleaning up interiors.

Over the last year and a half, the EPA has given a number of reasons for why they have done nothing to clean up workspaces. When we first called on HPA to clean up buildings after 9/11, the agency said that the City was in chai’ge and even issued a written statement that said ". .the city of New York has taken the lead regarding the re-occupancy of buildings " Indeed, th; City issued notices to building owners that they jshjwld the common spaces of their buildings cleaned, and submit a summary of clean up activities to NYC DKP. I am here to announce today that we have new horrifying Information, obtained through a Freedom of Information J..aw (KOH.) request submitted by Joel Kupferman of the New York PLnvironmcntal Law & Justice Project. It shows dial as of last month, DEP only possesses data from 218 downtown buildings (out of a total of 1900 buildings ~ lillde more .thgaJLlS^ -- all below Canal,’ Pike and Allen Streets, the same arbitrary boundary used by EPA for its residential cleanup plan). Many of these responses are incomplete, inadequate or .simply ridiculous. Let me read you an example from 146 Chamber Street;

“All of the windows in the building were closed. ConsequenUy there was a minimum of penetration and iafiliraiion of dust into the buildings which was quickly removed from the common areas." Or how about this one opnoMN.row**”"*®’ FAX thanswttavJ^ To ------------ - /VTdkjuJ PhonsJ

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