CG CORD Newsletter 9/29/2013
Gowanus Canal to Mayoral Hopefuls DeBlasio and Lhota: STAND BY ME!!
Hello from CORD!
Tomorrow the EPA is expected to announce the ROD/Record of Decision for the Gowanus Canal. All of Brooklyn is anxiously awaiting the decision, especially those of us most directly impacted by the fetid waters.
In light of this imminent news, we at CORD thought it to be the
perfect moment to re-ask our questions regarding thGowanus Canal clean-up to the
mayoral candidates that we recently posted to the Brian Lehrer Show
(see below) for the then, Democratic mayoral candidates, which by the
way, not one of them ever answered....
Fast forward to today...
The Mayoral race will be between Democrat Bill
deBlasio and Republican Joe Lhota.
Which
Mayoral Candidate will be the greatest friend of the highly
contaminated Gowanus Canal and the immediate surrounding areas and which
one will stand by the most comprehensive Gowanus Canal clean-up?
DeBlasio, a Park Slope resident, currently serving as NYC Public
Advocate, was our very own District 39 Councilman during the time that the
Gowanus Canal was proposed as a possible Superfund Site by the EPA (Link to EPA site).
Many in our District have been very engaged and have closely followed
the EPA process. Many others have served on the Community Advisory Group (CAG)
which has worked closely with the EPA from the actual designation right up to
now.
Joe Lhota, formerly a high ranking member of the Giuliani
administration and then an MTA head, is probably less familiar with our
situation.
We know where Public Advocate deBlasio stood when the canal was
proposed. We believe the quote was, "it is not that dirty..."
Perhaps the science provided by the EPA studies since
then have changed his mind? Perhaps Mr Lhota has gotten up to speed with
the facts surrounding the Gowanus Canal?
It IS, after all, the VERY FIRST SUPERFUND SITE IN NEW YORK
CITY!!
Pretty historical...and certainly worthy of some attention from the
men who would be Mayor.......Let's find out.
Gentlemen:
Here are the questions. We eagerly await your response.
"Carroll Gardens CORD/Coalition for Respectful Development has three
questions for Mayoral Candidates De Blasio and Lhota:
Q. Will you, as the next NYC mayor, comply completely without opposition to whatever the final EPA record of decision demands regarding the Gowanus Canal clean-up in Brooklyn? Specifically, will you agree to finance the retention tanks in the locations currently proposed by the EPA?
Q. Who among you will be brave enough to scrap the idea of high density housing on the spectacularly compromised/ environmentally hazardous Public Place site and return it to the NYC Parks Department for our green space use as was originally intended and is certainly more environmentally appropriate and safer health-wise for all??
Q. Who among you disagrees with the plan to place housing in the flood zone A along the Gowanus Canal, a zone that suffered immense flooding all the way to Bond Street during Hurricane Sandy 2012, more flooding during the Hurricane of 2011, AND what is now referred to as the "Poo Poo Tsunami" or massive untreated sewage wave surge after the tornado of 2010? In other words who among you is in disagreement with placing brand new housing and unsuspecting new residents in the path of the next toxic storm surge?
We look forward to your responses at
Q. Will you, as the next NYC mayor, comply completely without opposition to whatever the final EPA record of decision demands regarding the Gowanus Canal clean-up in Brooklyn? Specifically, will you agree to finance the retention tanks in the locations currently proposed by the EPA?
Q. Who among you will be brave enough to scrap the idea of high density housing on the spectacularly compromised/ environmentally hazardous Public Place site and return it to the NYC Parks Department for our green space use as was originally intended and is certainly more environmentally appropriate and safer health-wise for all??
Q. Who among you disagrees with the plan to place housing in the flood zone A along the Gowanus Canal, a zone that suffered immense flooding all the way to Bond Street during Hurricane Sandy 2012, more flooding during the Hurricane of 2011, AND what is now referred to as the "Poo Poo Tsunami" or massive untreated sewage wave surge after the tornado of 2010? In other words who among you is in disagreement with placing brand new housing and unsuspecting new residents in the path of the next toxic storm surge?
We look forward to your responses at
CORD!
