New York Times article on EPA cleanup concerns, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

ZZliOSlQJlE Questioning Air Quality Downtown EPA’s clean-up is being conducted on an apartment-to-apart- the World Trade Center E!?r T HE TERRORIST ATTACKS ON ment basis as opposed to on a building-to-building basis; there­ caused an unprecedented fore, the risk of recontamination is increased. Further concerns environmental assault on Lower I were voiced about the inadequate or nonexistent cleaning of air Manhattan. More than 1.5 mil­ ducts and ventilation systems. Parents of children at Stuyvesant s: lion tons of building materials High School have expressed concern over the failure to install a collapsed to the ground that day, 11 new state-of-the-art ventilation system in the school. There are containing dust, glass, powdered eight public schools in the area and although all have reopened, cement and toxic gases released parents feel that the EPA should conduct a comprehensive from burning computers and health evaluation of all students. electrical equipment. As a result, Is New York City prepared for future environmental emer­ an acrid smoke engulfed the city. gencies? One lesson learned is that the EPA should coordinate lingering for months and irritat- Questions remain over the dean-up of its efforts and communicate with both state and local govern­ ing the lungs, throats and eyes of 90 WkI Street (shown] and more ments to establish a distinct leadership role in responding to workers and residents alike. than 200 other buildings. future emergencies that involve federal involvement. This A year later, questions linger would avoid the situation of “passing the buck” between the about the adequacy of the clean-up efforts. On May 8, the Envi­ different agencies and ensure a comprehensive application of ronmental Protection Agency announced a program of pollution environmental response. testing and clean-up for residences south of Canal Street. This was a reversal of the EPA’s earlier policy and a long-awaited assump­ tion of responsibility for air-quality issues in lower Manhattan. Hacer a la Gente Votar Although eagerly anticipated, the program raises concerns The upcoming election wll bring an unprecedented voter that indoor contamination in some of Lower Manhattan’s com­ outreach by NYLCV to Latino communities bi New York Gty. ’ AQUi mercial buildings will remain, since the EPA’s program only ap­ The New York League of Conservation Voters hlucotion Fund plies to residential property. In cooperation with the EPA, the (NYLCVEF) will partner with community organizotions to contact city’s Department of Environmental Protection has been clean­ Latino voters and encourage them to consider environmental issues such os high ing the exteriors of some 236 buildings in Lower Manhattan. asthma rates, noise pollution and lack of open spoce at the ballot box. In addition, residents and civic leaders are concerned that the

Talking Trash N JULY 31, MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOM- berg announced his plan for deal- ing with New York City’s solid waste. Since the closing of the Fresh Kills Landfill, the city has trucked its waste out of state, at a cost of more than $313 Containerization of waste and its shipment on barges is a key element of Mayor Bloomberg's plan. million a year. The city produces 11,000 tons of residential trash each day. transport containerized rubbish. This will tinue to be precessed at privately owned To address economic and environmen­ drastically reduce road degradation and land-based transfer stations. Many envi­ tal concerns about trucking, Bloomberg’s pollution, and expand transportation al­ ronmentalists believe that an intelligent, plan will upgrade New York City’s existing ternatives to include barge, train and ship. long-term solution will integrate the com­ marine transfer station system to include The question of the containers’ final des­ mercial and residential transfer systems in containerization and waste compaction at tination, however, remains unanswered. a marine and rail based system. The Mayor each site. Containerization will vastly im­ A successful implementation of the expressed the hope that commercial waste prove the environmental impact of the Mayor’s scheme will solve half the prob­ operators will eventually pay to use the city’s waste removal process, by enabling lem. Only 50% of New York City’s waste city’s marine transfer stations. the city to use its waterways to safely is residential; commercial waste will con- This announcement comes shortly after the Mayor and City Council voted to tem­ porarily suspend the collection of plastic and glass for recycling. The Bloomberg On Ssptember 18, Attorney General Elliot Spitzer comWimitY gardens and establishes a comprehensive administration has created a task force to ondMoyorMichael Bloomberg announced that they review|»«BS for those which are being proposed re-evaluate its recycling program. NYLCV hod reached n settlement of the ottorney generol's , for development. The settlement addresses many of will be working to ensure the task force lawsuit to protect New York Gfy's community gar- the issues and concerns contained in Gty Couttdl leg-' devises a comprehensive long-term recy­ dens. The settlement preserves the vast majority of islation, Intro. 206, promoted by NYLCV. . .t cling strategy that is fully integrated into the solid-waste management plan. 10 FALL 2002 ECOpolitigs NYC-WTC_000151918