EPA response on environmental conditions and federal role, February 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document FEB-19-2002 16:26 USEPA R2 DEPP SPMMPB 1 212 63? 3771 P.06/07

Of course, the environmental issues of concern to (hose who live, work, and visit Lower Manhattan are not limited to outdoor air quality issues. People are also justly concerned about indoor environmental quality. The enormous amount ofparticulates released by the collapse of the World Trade Center towers permeated many of the'surrounding buildings, including apartments, offices, and other indoor spaces throughout the area surrounding Ground Zero.

As you may recall, in the days imaedlarely following September 11**, rhe City ofNew York assumed responsibiiity for indoor eivironmeni^ quality. Clearly, the magnitude ofthe challenge faced by the City in addressing indoor environmental concerns is staggering. Nevertheless, the City Dep-irtmeni of Health, its Department of Environmental Protection, and its Office of Emergency Management have taken numerous steps to address potential indoor esvironroental problems. I understand those efforts were described to you in detail at your hearing yesterday by Commissionas Frieden and Miele.

S' f De^ite the City’s best efforts to address indoor environmental issues, it is ^parent that many concerns and challenges remain. I am committed to providing u^ditional assistance to die \ City and its residents and stand ready to do so. In additirn, as you suggested yesterday, I will be \ working with our local, state, and federal partners to erablish a Task Force on Indoor Air in Lower Manhattan, so that we can move as quickly as possible to address the remaining concerns we all share I should point out, however, that work has already begun to evaluate indoor air quality in l/ower Manhattan. Last November and December, at the request of the Ciiy, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) conducted sampling of air and particulates in 30 buildings in Lower Manhattan. The EPA has assisted ATSDR in this effort by providing resources to analyze those samples. This provides a good base for further study.

ha addition, the 52.7 billion in Community Development Block Grant funds appropriated • by the Congress at Senator Clinton's request to assist New York City is available for, among other things, addressing the remaining indoor environmental concerns in Lower Manhattan. Those funds could be used to address die unmet indoor environmental needs of residents and building owners in Lower Manhattan.

AU of this being said, however, 1 believe Congress and the Administration need to revisit the issue of authority and responability for indoor environmental conditions in die wake of a tenozist attack It may be that the current practice, vesting in local or state govetnxneztts primary responsibility for indoor environinental confitions is not ^propriate in die wake of an event like September 11* I would welcome the chance to work with you and ^ur colleagu es to explore (his issue further. But until snch detezminations are made for future eventualities, we will continue to offer our full support to the City ofNew York and stand reaxiy to'respond to any further requests diey may make for our assistance in dealing 'ndoor environmental issues.

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