DEP memo on Lower Manhattan cleanup transition, June 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Tuesday 19 of Feb 2002, Mayor Office ->718 595 4544 Page 2 of 4

Lower Manhattan Eni/ironmentaf Coordinator Proposal DPAFT2/J8/02 - Do not c/rcuiate

Draft Proposal for Lower Manhattan Environmental Coordinator

The City must act quickly to restore public confidence in the environmental safety - in particular in the indoor and outdoor air quality - of Lower Manhattan. Reassuring the thousands of people who live and work in the area that the air is safe and that other environmental issues are being addressed in a timely manner is essential to the rebuilding and revitalization process.

In particular, the City must;

♦ Reassure the public that their ongoing concerns regarding a range of environmental safety issues - including indoor end outdoor air quality - are heard, and that the City is seeking to mitigate these concerns through targeted research, information dissemination and, where appropriate, cleaning and abatement.

• Improve the overall marketing of available data regarding area environmental safety, so that the data to reassure and inform Lower Manhattan's residents; employees, and visitors is distributed in an effective and timely manner.

• i Inform the public of ongoing research efforts by4he Department of Health and the Department of I I Environmental Protectiorkand reassure the public that this research is designed to address the numerous k I health concerns surrounding this unprecedented environmental disaster in a timely and efficient manner. .

♦ Assert the scientific validity and relevance of City research results, and challenge contradictory research results where appropriate.

• Remind the public of the continual improvements to area environmental safety that have been made in the days and months since September 11th.

The first step in this process is the Mayor's appointment of a Lower Manhattan Environmental Coordinator, to be based at the Department of Health, who will serve as the public point person on all matters of environmental concern. The Coordinator will be supported by the resources and expertise of an inter-agency task force, spearheaded by the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and comprised of all City agencies with expertise in environmental, health. and safety matters.

The Lower Manhattan Environmental Coordinator

The Environmental Coordinator will focus on the numerous environmental and health issues affecting those who live and work in Lower Manhattan as a result of the World Trade Center disaster. In this capacity, he/she will:

• Serve as a public point person and full-time liaison between the public and the Inter-^-^y Task Force regarding ongoing environmental safety concerns. This role is essential to bridging the gap between the public and the many agencies that have been working to address Lower Manhattan’s environmental safety challenges since September 11”. Other issues that may emerge will be referred to the appropriate party; for example, concerns regarding area construction will be referred to Lower Manhattan Construction Coordinator Andrew Salkin.

• Manage the development and launch of a public relations campaign regarding environmental safety in Lcwer Manhattan that seeks to reassure and inform the public, other governmental entities, local businesses, and the City as a whole that peoples' concerns are being addressed and the area is environmentally sound; In

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