Thursday, April 16, 2009

"Bloomberg Says No to Gowanus Cleanup" = PR Nightmare....

The following comment appeared after a post at http://www.nypress.com/blog-3909-bloomberg-says-no-to-gowanus-cleanup.html
entitled, "Bloomberg Says No to Gowanus Cleanup" that begins with:

"Mayor Bloomberg is setting himself up for a PR nightmare as his office opposes the EPA's proposal to add the Gowanus Canal to the list of Superfund sites."

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/superfund-status-for-gowanus-canal-is-opposed/

This is one of the many new posts that have appeared since the recent announcement that the DEC requested that the Gowanus Canal be nominated to the National Priorities List and designated as a Superfund site.

Jane Doe Comment:
"The desire for and expectation of clean water instead of a carcinogenic, pathogen filled cesspool is not exactly a political agenda. As a resident of the Carroll Gardens/Gowanus area, I consider myself a winner once the water is clean. I don't see a developer-driven, half-baked attempt by the City and State of New York to clean Gowanus Canal as something that will acheive my desire and expectation. Only the big guns of the Federal Government have these types of resources and can get this job done."

Meanwhile the NY DAILY NEWS reports:

EPA weighs in on Gowanus Canal Superfund designation, saying Gowanus needs federal help

BY Erin Durkin
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Thursday, April 16th 2009, 4:00 AM

"As controversy builds over a plan to designate the Gowanus Canal a federal Superfund site, EPA officials insisted the waterway is dangerously dirty - and only the feds have the money to clean it up.

"There cannot really be any rational debate about the need to clean up," Walter Mugdan, director of the EPA's Emergency and Remedial Response Division, said at a public meeting Tuesday night. "The only way this canal is likely ever to get cleaned up is by becoming a ... Superfund site."

Mugdan said investigators found high levels of cancer-causing PCBs and metals such as mercury and arsenic in the canal. He also said that while contaminants at many hazardous waste sites are measured in parts per million, levels of coal tar over four parts per hundred were found in Gowanus Canal sediments......."

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/04/16/2009-04-16_epa_weighs_in_on_gowanus_canal_superfund_designation_saying_gowanus_needs_federa.html
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CORD HISTORY:

With the "Protect Our Homes" petition, CORD was formed in May, 2007. This petition arose as an overwhelmingly negative response to the coming of the over-sized 360 Smith Street Development at the corner of Smith Street and Second Place (Aka Oliver House; aka 131 Second Place). This petition, which had well over three thousand signatures, led to a new zoning text amendment in summer of 2008.

To: Our Elected Officials, Community Leaders, The MTA:
(MAY, 2007)

We the undersigned Carroll Gardens homeowners and residents, are appalled by the "as of right" ruling which allows owners and developers to erect buildings in our neighborhood with no regard to the impact they will present to our quality of life and the value of our homes........

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?crlgrdns