WTC DC TO RC LETTERS CALLEHAN WHITMAN ETC. WARD DOCTOROFF KENNY

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

RUG-27-2003 11=43 EPR g 1212 637 3105 P.02/03

JAMES F. GENNARO CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBER, 2+’"DISnUCT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION QUEENS

D district OFFICE IS5-IC UNION TURNPIKE The COUNCIL COMMITIEES OF HIGHER EDUCATION FRESH MEADOWS. NY IDU (X18)21M%9 SANITATION & SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FAX(FM)217-49« THE City of New York YOUTH SERVICES □ CITY HALL OrnCE MENTAL HEALTH MENTAL RETARDATION. 250 BROADWAY,ROOM 177} ALCOHOLISM. DRUG ABUSE & DISABILITY NEW YORK, NY 10007

August 19,2003 gcnnarD®CDuncil.nyc.ny.ui

Jane M. Kenny, Regional Administrator United States Environmental Protection Agency - Region 2. 290 Broadway, 26* Floor New York, NY 10007-1866

Dear Administrator Kenny:

As you will remember, on December 17, 2002 the New York City Council Committee on Environmental Protection, jointly with the Select Committee on Lower Manhattan Redevplopment, held a hearing on the environmental impacts of the World Trade Center attack and the EPA’s Residential Cleanup and Testing Program. The hearing proved to be informative in that Assistant Administrator Kathy Callahan provided information on the indoor clean up program implemented by the EPA to clean up lower Manhattan homes in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Specifically, Assistant Administrator Callahan informed us that the program was only available to residential buildings and that, as of December 16* the EPA had received 1,212 requests to test apartments for asbestos in the air and 5,257 requests for apartment cleaning and testing.

Although the information provided by Assistant Administrator Callahan was valuable in helping us gain a sense of die scope of the indoor cleanup program, we still seek additional information that will help the City Council assess the testing and clean up of indoor spaces that were affected by the toxic plume from the World Trade Center attack, and infonn the City Council of any environmental and public health impacts, both long-term and short-term, attributed to the attack. Moreover, the City Council seeks to ensure that the most thorough, expansive and effective measures have been taken to protect the health and well-being of all City residents, workers and visitors. To this end, I am respectfully requesting that the EPA provide us with the following information:

1. Data that the EPA has obtained from building owners who conducted contamination testing of their respective buildings during the period immediately after 9/11 and conclusions drawn from that data. Please

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