tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60450088982636210012024-02-22T10:16:57.931-05:00CG CORD/ Carroll Gardens Coalition for Respectful DevelopmentA community coalition blog concerned with the Carroll Gardens and Greater Gowanus communities in Brooklyn, NY: our land-use and development; our safety; our historical context; and our protection from extreme
environmental hazards.
CORDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04145392702242909533noreply@blogger.comBlogger598125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-15992345832370732852023-10-02T15:25:00.001-04:002023-10-02T15:25:38.400-04:00Tomorrow! New York State DEC to hold hold a "Community Availability Session" in Carroll Gardens/Gowanus to discuss building on toxic land<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This is the latest in from Voice of Gowanus. This is a very important meeting with New York State DEC, a community availability session to discuss <b>how to reduce the risk of building on toxic land in Gowanus/Carroll Gardens.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">See you there!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><blockquote style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div lang="en" style="background-color: #eff3f9; min-height: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; min-width: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="height: auto; margin: 0px; min-height: 100%; padding-bottom: 32px; padding-top: 32px;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="min-width: 664px; width: 664px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="margin: 0px;"><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="min-width: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px; min-width: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%;"><tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td style="margin: 0px; min-width: 596px; padding: 0px 2em; width: 596px;" width="596"><img class="CToWUd" data-bit="iit" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiSt2BPLfmjLel_g-sTALQRvO6tPqFiS3FPdzc2NfifeNzDWqma2HbucYx-QehnvGhnZGJVT_AngQdZ4cmKSjnCCUli_db-1A67Y7AeekmqPmgGo8R0lZc_WwZMwEqsO42hmhMobpp89cntjcGWWQuq5liMuZBXlGfDod2Or5pjZC50gj4-Q4nZVrmKe5tz7FlGf4EH78FSlqNnO-O3JONHqiC9jVQ=s0-d-e1-ft" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="15%" /></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px; min-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: 100%;"><tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td style="height: 32px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 2em;"></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px; min-width: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%;"><tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td style="margin: 0px; min-width: 596px; padding: 0px 2em; width: 596px;" width="596"><img class="CToWUd a6T" data-bit="iit" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhkrymW_RVW2BiwKalO2pkXt374fboSFwShubvY0lNcaVj0tDJQbqjjnVc_MnzZnnJwCchI8Op_jZk1hoV4rPfRbnyp244fTgvNZtyeq3teFyz9raiaO708FmTSG2cQsds6_tcFS2LJcIrWd_IlEy-a6SlZC25Ib1UBQWNrN_pHkH-0vxONvjZ3jz9ueuRyzequcFBkR74414SFM72fICj4-HxXc8M8Y-GHL6KawDDBN5E7XgGF=s0-d-e1-ft" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" tabindex="0" width="100%" /></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px; min-width: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%;"><tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td style="margin: 0px; min-width: 560px; padding: 0.05px 2em; width: 560px;" width="560"><p>Gerry --</p><p>Tomorrow, Tuesday, 7-9 pm at PS 372, <strong>5</strong><strong>12 Carroll St, Brooklyn, NY 11215</strong></p><p>NYState DEC will be holding another in person “Community Availability” session to discuss their solutions for implementing Soil Vapor Intrusion systems which are meant to reduce the risks of building on toxic land.</p><p>Soil Vapor Intrusion systems rely on barriers, thick plastic sheets that are used to separate the toxic land below ground from the structures above them. Although this practice has been implemented in other parts of the state, we are extremely concerned that it is a poor solution to a much deeper problem here in Gowanus.</p><p>Soil Vapor Intrusion Barriers have NEVER BEEN DONE in a challenging environment like Gowanus, at sea level, in a flood plain, with antiquated failing sewage infrastructure. We should not be their guinea pigs. As we saw during the floods last week, water finds a way. So do toxic chemicals. We must protect health and human safety by remediating the land to pre-disposal conditions as required by law! Learn more on <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.voiceofgowanus.org/?e%3Dec44067ad36583025f4275c2afdab853%26utm_source%3Dvog%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dsoil_vapor_dec%26n%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1696359604933000&usg=AOvVaw3-aqGjhycOGeKBJTBVfFcF" href="https://www.voiceofgowanus.org/?e=ec44067ad36583025f4275c2afdab853&utm_source=vog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=soil_vapor_dec&n=1" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Voice of Gowanus</a></p><p>We hope you’ll join us and wear a Voice of Gowanus pin in solidarity. Or even better, wear a trash-bag poncho to show that vapor intrusion barriers are just a temporary solution at best!</p><p>New York State and Governor Hochul's response to this crisis are dangerous and inept. We demand people over profits. The sequence of events is wrong. The carcinogenic land must be cleaned up before it’s too late.</p><p>Gowanus is on the frontlines of climate change. With deep legacy pollution, how can we effectively prepare for the future if we aren’t properly cleaning up the past??</p><p><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.voiceofgowanus.org/donate/?e%3Dec44067ad36583025f4275c2afdab853%26utm_source%3Dvog%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dsoil_vapor_dec%26n%3D2&source=gmail&ust=1696359604933000&usg=AOvVaw3GIAE8WuDOfqmKj30jWw5S" href="https://www.voiceofgowanus.org/donate/?e=ec44067ad36583025f4275c2afdab853&utm_source=vog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=soil_vapor_dec&n=2" rel="noopener" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Please donate</a> and we hope to see you tomorrow.</p><p>Voice of Gowanus<br /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.voiceofgowanus.org/?e%3Dec44067ad36583025f4275c2afdab853%26utm_source%3Dvog%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dsoil_vapor_dec%26n%3D3&source=gmail&ust=1696359604933000&usg=AOvVaw2vqsnjQlh3Ohma7reraOMP" href="https://www.voiceofgowanus.org/?e=ec44067ad36583025f4275c2afdab853&utm_source=vog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=soil_vapor_dec&n=3" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"></a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.voiceofgowanus.org/?e%3Dec44067ad36583025f4275c2afdab853%26utm_source%3Dvog%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dsoil_vapor_dec%26n%3D4&source=gmail&ust=1696359604933000&usg=AOvVaw2bYKJ9m9xyWKNzW4tAn4UU" href="https://www.voiceofgowanus.org/?e=ec44067ad36583025f4275c2afdab853&utm_source=vog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=soil_vapor_dec&n=4" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.voiceofgowanus.<wbr></wbr>org/</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></blockquote>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-27812442327613313592023-04-04T19:42:00.005-04:002023-04-04T19:49:59.500-04:00DEC Community Availibility Session April 20 at the Children's School<p><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(231, 233, 234); display: inline; font-family: arial; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is an important public meeting </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(231, 233, 234); display: inline; font-family: arial; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">April 20th. Show up to ask hard questions of NYS Departmentt of Environmental Conservation about the comprehensive cleanup which should happen, of hazardous, contaminated land where residential development is planned + effects of flooding.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(231, 233, 234); font-family: arial; font-size: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Program Update for Gowanus Canal Area</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(231, 233, 234); font-family: arial; font-size: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brownfield Clean-Up Program and State Superfund </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(231, 233, 234); font-family: arial; font-size: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Program Sites</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(231, 233, 234); font-family: arial; font-size: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(231, 233, 234); font-family: arial; font-size: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Community Availability Session</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(231, 233, 234); font-family: arial; font-size: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thursday April 20, 2023, from 7 - 9 PM</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(231, 233, 234); font-family: arial; font-size: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">P.S. 372, The Children's School, 215 1st St., Brooklyn</span></p><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(231, 233, 234); display: inline; font-family: arial; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjivTaMoPSrLe3rKJ2YoNLx7UDxCEFc2npGocSjvfyqMrpU2W57rz4DIALqnED8_TEajZgpgLCMH0KlM1h4y8uw9AsS1RtvqQnb8VzrTOw9qf0C4JPvdYA1ZSnmH-3T79k-YWIdIqHL4w6du-HHsVkF81ZI3lT2LTsfW5PGXbhb12L_MG61nZAlO17Wg/s3278/IMG_9886.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3278" data-original-width="2504" height="527" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjivTaMoPSrLe3rKJ2YoNLx7UDxCEFc2npGocSjvfyqMrpU2W57rz4DIALqnED8_TEajZgpgLCMH0KlM1h4y8uw9AsS1RtvqQnb8VzrTOw9qf0C4JPvdYA1ZSnmH-3T79k-YWIdIqHL4w6du-HHsVkF81ZI3lT2LTsfW5PGXbhb12L_MG61nZAlO17Wg/w401-h527/IMG_9886.jpg" width="401" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaeZJe3GUwgCVbIq90mDIQmf5T7rmSyoehaObWLaw7AGqPWtFooXEZOrobsjBRwFH64HvFCkk-6r-XG0MWj0KTmgTVsy7eeenadDnZOWZN25RMk_qf3-CeH9IMnQaKqUf4hxl72KGiUBltF5bJh7j7E8v3IaICLOLaks2QnBLRwQYk6sFjzDGbdVb7Q/s3386/IMG_9887.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3386" data-original-width="2615" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaeZJe3GUwgCVbIq90mDIQmf5T7rmSyoehaObWLaw7AGqPWtFooXEZOrobsjBRwFH64HvFCkk-6r-XG0MWj0KTmgTVsy7eeenadDnZOWZN25RMk_qf3-CeH9IMnQaKqUf4hxl72KGiUBltF5bJh7j7E8v3IaICLOLaks2QnBLRwQYk6sFjzDGbdVb7Q/w399-h516/IMG_9887.jpg" width="399" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span><p></p>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-64716419496145250652023-03-20T22:39:00.001-04:002023-03-20T22:39:52.570-04:00Letter to Governor Hochul at Voice of Gowanus<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(189, 193, 198); font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Here is a link to sign a letter to Governor Hochul. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(189, 193, 198);">Please sign and share with your friends and neighbors!</span></span></span></p><h1 class="with-tabs" style="caret-color: rgb(73, 73, 73); color: #494949; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 26.623999px; margin: 0px 2em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-size: medium;">This Coalition Letter Which Requests That Governor Hochul Comprehensively Remediate All Toxic Sites in the Gowanus Canal Community to "Pre-Disposal Conditions".</span></h1><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://toxicstargeting.com/gowanus/letters/2022-11-14/coal-letter-to-gov-hochul">https://toxicstargeting.com/gowanus/letters/2022-11-14/coal-letter-to-gov-hochul</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.voiceofgowanus.org">Voice of Gowanus</a></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(189, 193, 198); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> is a grass roots, community led coalition, fighting complex issues. </span></b></p>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-13767326628245063082023-03-20T22:15:00.002-04:002023-03-20T22:41:52.751-04:00NY Post: DEC took 2 years to warn of toxic vapors at Gowanus shuffleboard club<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The environmental safety news from Gowanus is not good.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As reported in the NY Post on March 18, 2023:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><h1 class="headline headline--single" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--black); letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.05; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/18/gowanus-residents-fuming-over-toxic-air-at-shuffleboard-club/">DEC took 2 years to warn of toxic vapors at Gowanus shuffleboard club</a></span></h1></div><div><b style="background-color: #fcff01;">'<span color="var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g)" face="Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em;">State environmental officials waited nearly two years to alert the public that cancer-causing vapors over 20 times the amount considered safe escaped from polluted soil along the Gowanus Canal — and into a nearby shuffleboard club.</span></b></div><div><span color="var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g)" face="Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em;"><br /></span></div><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Department of Environmental Conservation learned of the alarming levels of toxic vapors in March 2021 while conducting air-quality tests inside <a href="https://nypost.com/2014/01/25/gowanus-latest-star-is-shuffleboard-by-way-of-florida/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--custom--color--link); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club</a> — but the hipster haven remained open throughout, since the agency deemed the century-old building was “safe.” </p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>The agency only documented the stunning finding late last year in <a href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/DecDocs/C224318/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--custom--color--link); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">public records</a> buried on its website. </b></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>On Friday, DEC spokeswoman Haley Viccaro admitted to The Post that it could have done a better job alerting locals to the looming health hazard, and “are evaluating potential improvements to enhance this process and ensure this information is clear and informative of these comprehensive, science-based efforts to protect public health.”</b></p><div>(edit)</div><div><br /></div><div><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“I can pretty much draw a line to where I’m living to why I have cancer,” said Margaret Maugenest, 71, a longtime resident who lives a block away from the club. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2019. </p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“There’s no history of cancer in my family; I eat well; I have a healthy lifestyle, and yet I get colon cancer and am reading about all these cancer-causing materials in the soil we are surrounded by,” she added.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(edit)</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The revelations only came to light thanks to the grassroots group <a href="https://www.voiceofgowanus.org">Voice of Gowanus</a>, which hired an Ithaca, N.Y.-based environmental database firm, <a href="https://www.toxicstargeting.com">Toxics Targeting</a>, that recently discovered the damning DEC documents. </p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The records showed March 2021 air levels of the cancer-causing chemical trichloroethylene, an industrial solvent, were nearly 22 times above acceptable levels at the shuffleboard club. </p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“The DEC in 2021 should’ve put up signs in the club, published public notices in local papers, and sent mail alerts to people in the neighborhood,” said <a href="https://toxicstargeting.com/ithaca-falls-ithaca-gun/video/2022-03-27/walter-hang-interview">Walter Hang</a>, who heads Toxics Targeting. “All they did was make obscure references in dense technical documents regular citizens wouldn’t know about or can’t decipher.”</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A state-approved <a href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/DecDocs/C224318/Work%20Plan.BCP.C224318.2022-07-28.514%20Union%20Street%20RIWP.pdf" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--custom--color--link); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">project</a> is currently underway to reduce the fumes by venting out underground contaminants. Several follow-up tests over the past two years – including one in November — have since shown the hipster hotspot’s air quality at “safe” levels despite slight traces of trichloroethylene still remaining.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">However, some longtime club patrons and workers fear their health might already be at risk because its unclear how long Royal Palms’ indoor air was toxic.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“I blame the state government 100%, but at this point I’m done going back there for my own personal safety – and it’s sad because I spent many nights there,” said a Park Slope resident who played in Royal Palms’ shuffleboard leagues since 2019.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(edit)</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Environmental laws in this country are so weak and hard to impose, and the fact that this went unnoticed for so long is an example of how weak they are,” the person added.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Royal Palms opened in 2014 at 514 Union Street, in a building <a href="https://nypost.com/2012/09/26/shufflin-in-bklyn/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--custom--color--link); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">previously used as a die-cutting factory. </a>It’s one of many former manufacturing sites in the neighborhood whose underground soil is saturated with toxic coal tar, a byproduct of former businesses making coal gas.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Over the past century, much of the coal tar – dubbed “black mayonnaise” by longtime residents — also seeped into the Gowanus Canal, which is one of the nation’s most polluted waterways and <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/01/28/feds-to-finally-start-long-due-cleanup-of-brooklyns-toxic-gowanus-canal/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--custom--color--link); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">undergoing a massive federal cleanup.</a></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(edit)</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The DEC learned Royal Palms had air-quality issues after the building’s owners, Avery Hall Investments, applied for financial aid in early 2021 through the state’ Brownfield Cleanup Program to move ahead with a <a href="https://www.averyhallinvestments.com/473-president-st-514-union-st/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--custom--color--link); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">larger mixed-use development</a> with housing on adjacent property it owns. </p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Local residents, however, said they didn’t become aware until the site’s remediation plan was updated in December and DEC sent out fact sheets in an email blast many of them didn’t get.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Royal Palms co-owner Jonathan Schnapp said the club has remained open because DEC assured him it’s safe.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(edit)</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“We’re not scientists, and we’re not experts, but we trusted the DEC; we continue to trust the DEC, and we would never do anything to put our staff or our community at risk,” said Schnapp, adding the club recently signed a lease extension to remain in business through at least 2033.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Viccaro said the DEC “did not have information of potential for contamination” until the site’s owner was accepted into the state cleanup program because there’s “currently no requirements” to test indoor air. She called the mitigation system at Royal Palms “effective.”</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>However, Hang and many Gowanus residents said the cleanup project doesn’t go far enough because it doesn’t entirely purify the toxic soil lurking underneath and around the building — only some of it.</b></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“The state needs to start proactively remediating sites like this around here immediately,” said Seth Hillinger, a 46-year-old software developer who lives nearby and occasionally frequents Royal Palms.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--wp--preset--color--gray-g); font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“This shouldn’t only be a warning flag for this business, but the plenty of others built along toxic sites along the canal.”</p></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="“The state needs to start proactively remediating sites like this around here immediately,” said Seth Hillinger, a 46-year-old software developer who lives nearby and occasionally frequents Royal Palms. “This shouldn’t only be a warning flag for this business, but the plenty of others built along toxic sites along the canal.”">https://nypost.com/2023/03/18/gowanus-residents-fuming-over-toxic-air-at-shuffleboard-club/</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This news was also featured at Gothamist:</span></div><div><h1 class="mt-4 mb-3 h2" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; letter-spacing: -0.02em; line-height: var(--font-size-17); margin-bottom: 1rem !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1.5rem !important; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Toxic fumes detected at popular Brooklyn shuffleboard club for past 2 years</span></h1></div><div><a href="https://gothamist.com/news/toxic-fumes-detected-at-popular-brooklyn-shuffleboard-club-for-past-2-years"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">https://gothamist.com/news/toxic-fumes-detected-at-popular-brooklyn-shuffleboard-club-for-past-2-years</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-52388749141974341642023-03-05T20:55:00.003-05:002023-03-20T21:58:03.842-04:00Monday March 6, 2023 / Virtual Town Hall with US Army Corps of Engineers<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9fTvOfQJhfpCfRFXPcoN9OwquhwxLrcTCP2u0Mkn5On87Ks9m7Gg1FbJBVL91cqMc_f_9SN2Ni5xzKoKUbiUKZrO8I43t2cA8qiOFKCQUekF0p1uufjO2Cl3RLUta2qk-ImJZGyryQeHxhtL0rH4QvuB5ZmCnuInYKIbsAXoRvhfDJrHBT34Q9Mpmg/s4032/IMG_9349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9fTvOfQJhfpCfRFXPcoN9OwquhwxLrcTCP2u0Mkn5On87Ks9m7Gg1FbJBVL91cqMc_f_9SN2Ni5xzKoKUbiUKZrO8I43t2cA8qiOFKCQUekF0p1uufjO2Cl3RLUta2qk-ImJZGyryQeHxhtL0rH4QvuB5ZmCnuInYKIbsAXoRvhfDJrHBT34Q9Mpmg/w450-h599/IMG_9349.JPG" width="450" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Dear Colleagues and Neighbors,</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Please join us this Monday evening for an important virtual town hall discussing resiliency proposals by US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for Gowanus and Red Hook in the September 2022 <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Projects-in-New-York/New-York-New-Jersey-Harbor-Tributaries-Focus-Area-Feasibility-Study/&source=gmail&ust=1678152045317000&usg=AOvVaw2vWaeAhh7dN1eW-5oNa4AO" href="https://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Projects-in-New-York/New-York-New-Jersey-Harbor-Tributaries-Focus-Area-Feasibility-Study/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">NYNJ Harbor and Tributaries Study (HATS).</a> As you may be aware, the current deadline for public comment on these proposals is March 7. This town hall is an important opportunity for community members to discuss their concerns with USACE directly as they formulate their comments. In order to permit community members more time to comment, Rep. Goldman and Rep. Velazquez have formally requested that USACE extend the deadline for public comment to the end of this month.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We hope you will be able to join us in learning more and offering feedback to USACE on their proposals impacting our communities. We would also be grateful for your help in letting community members know about the town hall. Information is below and flyer is attached. <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">WHAT: Rep. Dan Goldman and Brooklyn CB6 Virtual Town Hall with US Army Corps of Engineers<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">WHEN: Monday, March 6 – 7:00-9:00 PM<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">REGISTER: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_A4cnFAg8TTGzKfoEDfu5VQ&source=gmail&ust=1678152045317000&usg=AOvVaw1v-KRypuCdMLY_XGiEJFdu" href="https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_A4cnFAg8TTGzKfoEDfu5VQ" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://us06web.zoom.us/<wbr></wbr>webinar/register/WN_<wbr></wbr>A4cnFAg8TTGzKfoEDfu5VQ</a><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This meeting is open to the public. All are welcome. <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you, and we hope to see you virtually on Monday! <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Kristen Rouse (she/her)</span></b><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Deputy District Director</span></i><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Congressman Daniel S. Goldman </span><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">New York Congressional District 10<u></u><u></u></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cell: 917-699-3154<u></u><u></u></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://goldman.house.gov/&source=gmail&ust=1678152045317000&usg=AOvVaw2q7-E56wkS1t7qB6z96apH" href="https://goldman.house.gov/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://goldman.house.gov/</a></span><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-82510882921006965622023-02-11T18:22:00.009-05:002023-02-11T20:45:10.298-05:00January 24, 2023 Gowanus Canal CAG Meeting Gowanus Canal<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The January 24, 2023, <a href="https://gowanuscag.org">Gowanus Canal General CAG Meeting</a> was held on January 24, 2023, virtually.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A link to the meeting is here: </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/showcase/gowanuscag">https://vimeo.com/showcase/gowanuscag</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Of particular interest is the report by EPA Chief Engineer Christos Tsiamis who made several critical points about the lack of safety in the development of Public Place under the current remediation plan. Equally important is his statement that </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-family: arial; font-size: 18px;">the EPA’s Superfund activities are not, NOT, contained just </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-family: arial; font-size: 18px;">between the bulkheads. (See highlighted area below)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">CAG Member George Fiala has written his <a href="https://carrollgardenspetition.blogspot.com/2023/01/red-hook-star-review-superfund-advisory.html">second article</a> about the latest developments at the CAG at the Red Hook Star-Revue:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #0c0c0c; font-family: arial;"><b>Public Place battle tamped down by EPA scientist, by </b></span><b style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #0c0c0c; font-family: arial;">George Fiala 2/10/23</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.star-revue.com/public-place-battle-tamped-down-by-epa-scientist-by-george-fiala/">https://www.star-revue.com/public-place-battle-tamped-down-by-epa-scientist-by-george-fiala/</a></span></p><p><span class="elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-date" face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="align-items: center; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); display: inline; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">From the article:</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12);"><span style="font-size: medium;">"A</span></span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;">ft</span><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">er the revelation last month about a provocative letter sent by some Gowanus </span></span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px;">Superfund Community Advisory Group (CAG) to EPA heads, some thought that the </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px;">next monthly meeting would be filled with fireworks (see our last issue). However, </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px;">Chief Engineer Christos Tsiamis, who has been providing updates to the project almost</span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px;">every month for the past dozen years, diffused all thoughts of conflict between the </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px;">members who wished to develop housing on Public Place (city-owned land near Public </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px;">Place), and those who demanded a more rigorous cleanup of the long-standing </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px;">pollution there." (edit)</span></span></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-family: arial; font-size: 18px;">"Then the topic got to Public Place, where Tsiamis became animated." </span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-family: arial; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">“The other thing I would like to talk about is Public Place. That is a site which is of </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">concern to the EPA. I have to report that not much progress has happened. To recap, </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">EPA sent a letter to the State in February 2022 and that letter repeated the assessments </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">that I have made about the site, which were also confirmed by our consultant. To date, </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">National Grid, under NY State’s oversight has undertaken a groundwater study in that </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">site which to me is not clear about how it is connected to the recommendations that we </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">have made. To date, the State has not provided any answers to the recommendations </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">we made almost a year ago. So that’s where we are."</span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-family: arial; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">"The concerns that I expressed in December 2020 remain. In order to ensure the safety </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">of those that would populate the buildings on that site, including a school and buildings </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">with low-income people, the tar and the groundwater contamination would have to be </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">contained. We are not talking about going and pulling tar 100 feet deep. We are talking </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">about the shallow and intermediate zones. I will not stop repeating this because I think </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">it’s my scientific responsibility and my responsibility as a manager for the Superfund site. </span><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">One of the reasons I feel that this is important is that National Grid, under the State </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">DEC, is not being required to go deep enough to properly ensure the public’s safety."</span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-family: arial; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">"And because of that we wrote an order that require them to go deep. There are things </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">that have to be done at Public Place, political and other interests set aside, these things </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">have to be addressed. And so I am repeating that here personally, I have made the </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">assessment, our consultant Jacobs made an independent assessment, and these </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">assessments were sent by our Director to the State. I am disappointed that no progress </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">has occurred."</span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"> </span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-family: arial; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">"It’s a good time to make a clarification once and for all, because I have made this many </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">times in the past."</span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"> </span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-family: arial; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">"The clarification is that the EPA’s Superfund activities are not, NOT contained just </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">between the bulkheads. Those of you that are not hearing this – hear it again –</span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"> </span><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">not </strong><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">contained just between the bulkheads</strong><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">. </span></span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">Only the EPA decides the physical extent of </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">the site. And I believe that the Record of Decision, not what I believe, what is a fact – </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">the Record of Decision, which is a legal document, signed in 2013, gives us the </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">jurisdiction to act on heavily contaminated sites that affect the site that we are dealing </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">with."</span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-family: arial; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fff2cc; caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">"It is our responsibility as public servants to really be truthful to the mission of the </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">agency and to whatever the law requires us to do.</span> And the law requires us to attend </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">to sources of contamination that can affect the cleanup.</span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"> </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">And so, we have the jurisdiction—the jurisdiction to step in if no one else steps in. I </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">would say it’s just not right to put people on top of contamination. And I’m not asking </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">anyone to go down 100 feet. I’m not impractical but at the same time we have a </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">responsibility to… I don’t know those people who are going to live there—but we would </span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">be amiss if we did not take the measures that have to be taken."</span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); color: #0c0c0c; font-family: arial; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><span style="caret-color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-family: arial; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"><b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;">CG C</span></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ORD</span></b></span></div><section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-145a0962 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-element_type="section" data-id="145a0962" style="--align-content: initial; --align-items: initial; --align-self: initial; --flex-basis: initial; --flex-direction: initial; --flex-grow: initial; --flex-shrink: initial; --flex-wrap: initial; --gap: initial; --justify-content: initial; --order: initial; --widgets-spacing: 20px; align-self: var(--align-self); box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; flex-basis: var(--flex-basis); flex-grow: var(--flex-grow); flex-shrink: var(--flex-shrink); margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 50px; order: var(--order); position: relative;"><div class="elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; position: relative;"><div class="elementor-row" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; width: 1200px;"><div class="elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6386f2b2" data-element_type="column" data-id="6386f2b2" data-settings="{"background_background":"classic"}" style="--align-content: initial; --align-items: initial; --align-self: initial; --flex-basis: initial; --flex-direction: initial; --flex-grow: initial; --flex-shrink: initial; --flex-wrap: initial; --gap: initial; --justify-content: initial; --order: initial; --widgets-spacing: 20px; align-self: var(--align-self); box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: var(--flex-basis); flex-grow: var(--flex-grow); flex-shrink: var(--flex-shrink); min-height: 1px; order: var(--order); position: relative; width: 1200px;"><div class="elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: relative; transition: background 0.3s ease 0s, border 0.3s ease 0s, border-radius 0.3s ease 0s, box-shadow 0.3s ease 0s; width: 1200px;"><div class="elementor-widget-wrap" style="align-content: flex-start; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 1200px;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></section><section class="elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-145a0962 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default" data-element_type="section" data-id="145a0962" style="--align-content: initial; --align-items: initial; --align-self: initial; --flex-basis: initial; --flex-direction: initial; --flex-grow: initial; --flex-shrink: initial; --flex-wrap: initial; --gap: initial; --justify-content: initial; --order: initial; --widgets-spacing: 20px; align-self: var(--align-self); box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; flex-basis: var(--flex-basis); flex-grow: var(--flex-grow); flex-shrink: var(--flex-shrink); font-family: Mulish, serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 50px; order: var(--order); position: relative;"><div class="elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; position: relative;"><div class="elementor-row" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; width: 1200px;"><div class="elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6386f2b2" data-element_type="column" data-id="6386f2b2" data-settings="{"background_background":"classic"}" style="--align-content: initial; --align-items: initial; --align-self: initial; --flex-basis: initial; --flex-direction: initial; --flex-grow: initial; --flex-shrink: initial; --flex-wrap: initial; --gap: initial; --justify-content: initial; --order: initial; --widgets-spacing: 20px; align-self: var(--align-self); box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: var(--flex-basis); flex-grow: var(--flex-grow); flex-shrink: var(--flex-shrink); min-height: 1px; order: var(--order); position: relative; width: 1200px;"><div class="elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; position: relative; transition: background 0.3s ease 0s, border 0.3s ease 0s, border-radius 0.3s ease 0s, box-shadow 0.3s ease 0s; width: 1200px;"><div class="elementor-widget-wrap" style="align-content: flex-start; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 1200px;"><div class="elementor-element elementor-element-f289828 elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image" data-element_type="widget" data-id="f289828" data-widget_type="theme-post-featured-image.default" style="--align-content: initial; --align-items: initial; --align-self: initial; --flex-basis: initial; --flex-direction: initial; --flex-grow: initial; --flex-shrink: initial; --flex-wrap: initial; --gap: initial; --justify-content: initial; --order: initial; --widgets-spacing: 20px; align-content: var(--align-content); align-items: var(--align-items); align-self: var(--align-self); box-sizing: border-box; flex-basis: var(--flex-basis); flex-direction: var(--flex-direction); flex-grow: var(--flex-grow); flex-shrink: var(--flex-shrink); flex-wrap: var(--flex-wrap); gap: var(--gap); justify-content: var(--justify-content); order: var(--order); position: relative; text-align: center; width: 1200px;"><div class="elementor-widget-container" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition: background 0.3s,border 0.3s,border-radius 0.3s,box-shadow 0.3s,transform var(--e-transform-transition-duration,0.4s);"><div class="elementor-image" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></section><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-29488741746798741192023-01-23T13:19:00.004-05:002023-02-11T17:55:24.780-05:00General Cag Meeting Tuesday January 24, 2023<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b> CAG General Meeting Tuesday January 24, 2023</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://gowanuscag.org">CAG/Gowanus Advisory Group</a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Tomorrow evening (Tuesday January 24, 2023 there will be a virtual meeting of the General CAG.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The public is welcome!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Please use this ZOOM link:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMscemprzspHdcE2UxLUVTrX8Wh2Au-_Gds">https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMscemprzspHdcE2UxLUVTrX8Wh2Au-_Gds</a></span></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>FULL CAG MEETING</b></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Tuesday, January 24, 2023</p><p style="color: #0956b5; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.3px; text-decoration: underline;"></span></p><p style="color: #0956b5; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.3px; text-decoration: underline;"></span><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><b>DRAFT AGENDA </b>(all times are approximate)</p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;"><b>6:30 – 6:40 PM: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Welcome </b></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>CAG Member Introductions </p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;"><b>6:40 – 700 PM: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USEPA Updates </b></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>CAG Q&A</p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;"><b>7:00 – 8:00 PM: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Discussion of Potential CAG Reforms </b></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>CAG Working Committee Presentation </p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>CAG Discussion on How to Proceed</p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>CAG Decision on Path Forward</p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;"><b>8:00 – 8:30 PM: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>CAG Business and Committee Updates</b></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Admin Committee</p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;">Archeology and Historic Preservation Committee</p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;">Land Use Committee</p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;">Outreach Committee </p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;">Water Quality/Technical Committee</p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 135px; text-align: left;"><b>8:30 PM: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Adjourn</b></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><b></b><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-align: center;"><i>Guests are welcome to comment and ask questions using the chat function</i></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; text-align: center;"><i>The next CAG Meeting will be February 28, 2023 at 6:30 PM Via Zoom</i></p><div><div style="line-break: after-white-space;"><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">From the CAG Facilitator:</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">"As was noted previously this is a normal CAG meeting with EPA updates and Committee reports. The main topic is for the working group to present its ideas and thoughts about the potential reform process for the CAG based on the issues and recommendations from the November CAG meeting and for the CAG to discuss and decide how it wants to proceed."</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">thanks,</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Doug</div><span style="color: #888888;"><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div dir="auto" style="color: black; line-break: after-white-space; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div style="line-break: after-white-space; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div style="text-align: center;">Doug Sarno</div><div style="text-align: center;">Gowanus Canal CAG Facilitator</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">202-596-2660</span> office voicemail</div><div style="text-align: center;">703-927-6265 cell<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="mailto:doug@forumfg.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">doug@forumfg.com</a></div></div></div></div></span></div></div><p><br /></p>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-65908213103630300192023-01-13T23:32:00.001-05:002023-01-13T23:32:14.886-05:00RED Hook Star Review: SUPERFUND ADVISORY GROUP IN DISARRAY<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> The RED Hook Star Review is featuring tow important article this month related to <i>Environmental Justice</i> in the Carroll Gardens/Goawnus/Red Hook Area:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfve11aNW-Np33x7DU8-Y7A9u_HeL3zjoiENBPom1TBC3ryVgMqiUKbhc7zC-4L51VlR7tbrLGFDbQjxGhC_bDu1YY2OpxMVF6yxdYg7KPYKPUWsTXDjUi2INBxwSTwPbhVQ91KHBbarvqI1VVkMySLea-ONTyphIQOWKNYhXhuPZHchgvA1GddH_1w/s4032/IMG_8350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfve11aNW-Np33x7DU8-Y7A9u_HeL3zjoiENBPom1TBC3ryVgMqiUKbhc7zC-4L51VlR7tbrLGFDbQjxGhC_bDu1YY2OpxMVF6yxdYg7KPYKPUWsTXDjUi2INBxwSTwPbhVQ91KHBbarvqI1VVkMySLea-ONTyphIQOWKNYhXhuPZHchgvA1GddH_1w/s320/IMG_8350.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: right;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>"SUPERFUND ADVISORY GROUP IN DISARRAY"</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">by George Fiala, <a href="https://gowanuscag.org">CAG</a> Member</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPk02UdWQK_KhTvbsfJjKKofjLeZ7fhG74Ds0bLPDS2zOuo203YCbq5o0T5mdkOtjjZ1PatJRGhHJfmmRpfVPaO8g29_A7ap3cSvL1k-Z8HfNp6u23OYgORcRabXV5u5_1M0J44PJjHzhOR1n9e9GGamCrB76LSEvclo-2M5kdG8SXIUzWgZtgZJNhw/s4032/IMG_8352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2743" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPk02UdWQK_KhTvbsfJjKKofjLeZ7fhG74Ds0bLPDS2zOuo203YCbq5o0T5mdkOtjjZ1PatJRGhHJfmmRpfVPaO8g29_A7ap3cSvL1k-Z8HfNp6u23OYgORcRabXV5u5_1M0J44PJjHzhOR1n9e9GGamCrB76LSEvclo-2M5kdG8SXIUzWgZtgZJNhw/s320/IMG_8352.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.star-revue.com/schism-on-the-gowanus-canal-community-advisory-group-threatens-its-existence-by-george-fiala/"><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.star-revue.com/schism-on-the-gowanus-canal-community-advisory-group-threatens-its-existence-by-george-fiala/</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">AND</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>"Understanding Hunt's Point, Bronx's Asthma Alley" </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">by Brian Abate</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOZlyCZHq0zASr-7siTeC3MM_k2XSQLh6jV5mlp-UWT_EA5Jj0TNP6X0myWrX9_hSgTGNNWOcO1Xr0cFR_sTc_2wu7As5Bw8H5w7rI0Z4j6LlPhC7mSxIuzSvg-iFSXW8bq_x3LGGU9i2BAMRVWgGLPVd-tcwlk4pMD8wvdjZL-1mt17Jiq35csDYEA/s4032/IMG_8351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOZlyCZHq0zASr-7siTeC3MM_k2XSQLh6jV5mlp-UWT_EA5Jj0TNP6X0myWrX9_hSgTGNNWOcO1Xr0cFR_sTc_2wu7As5Bw8H5w7rI0Z4j6LlPhC7mSxIuzSvg-iFSXW8bq_x3LGGU9i2BAMRVWgGLPVd-tcwlk4pMD8wvdjZL-1mt17Jiq35csDYEA/s320/IMG_8351.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.star-revue.com/understanding-hunts-point-bronxs-asthma-alley-by-brian-abate/"><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.star-revue.com/understanding-hunts-point-bronxs-asthma-alley-by-brian-abate/</span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Both of these articles discuss the public the hazards of environmental toxins in our immediate area, and the hazards for human health here. As so many thousands of residents live in this area, it is vital for the public to be not only informed, but to participate on a civic level. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">All <a href="https://gowanuscag.org">CAG</a> Meetings are open to the public. This website has much more information. <a href="https://gowanuscag.org">The next CAG Meeting is Tuesday January 24, 2023.</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">THE CAG Calendar can be found <a href="https://gowanuscag.org/index.php/events/">HERE</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-17358935239617326912022-12-18T23:06:00.004-05:002022-12-18T23:06:43.382-05:00CAG Meeting December 27, 2022<p><b>It</b><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was decided to have a General CAG Meeting on Tuesday, December 27th at 6:30pm for the sole purpose of voting on a Resolution (attached) that was passed unanimously in a previous Land Use Committee meeting and was scheduled to be voted on by the entire CAG during our November General meeting but I gather was not brought up for a vote due to insufficient time.</b></p><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Please take a moment to review the attached Resolution and we hope that you are able to take the time to join us for our upcoming General meeting on December 27th.</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XXK1yeOvVR5rzYcJTo0eg7HpAswFSBXhNY8oadkIYI6j1TrILOdIUl9qiJeqHbsH66GImkTbsAUrnq0Ar_u9XtJzTYGgiz2mS-_9-GZm9GbojH8fyUBneAH9UtK3i2lklsp3qEjdj6HTC-oJBIJz4H3QuHrWDPhzd-rkpHKiZS337vl9KmdtWfXFhw/s2938/IMG_7837.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2938" data-original-width="2275" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XXK1yeOvVR5rzYcJTo0eg7HpAswFSBXhNY8oadkIYI6j1TrILOdIUl9qiJeqHbsH66GImkTbsAUrnq0Ar_u9XtJzTYGgiz2mS-_9-GZm9GbojH8fyUBneAH9UtK3i2lklsp3qEjdj6HTC-oJBIJz4H3QuHrWDPhzd-rkpHKiZS337vl9KmdtWfXFhw/w310-h400/IMG_7837.heic" width="310" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpq3HnnEsKhBkL_h-me3VuindUmc2JZbd7gP68fxtPJK-xO54xgXNYyA9E6o-hzLRFTZXh0TEJuEwz54Le_i1GEHWLFbU0k_3M3f4hzeiZs60CxQFijIw5nrWzR2TJWZ2sieC2AZaQB5Bs306Tnsm8hQREJjLYa5FtbE_2EYYnK-j6KVXAA0TZXJh78Q/s3024/IMG_7838.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2493" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpq3HnnEsKhBkL_h-me3VuindUmc2JZbd7gP68fxtPJK-xO54xgXNYyA9E6o-hzLRFTZXh0TEJuEwz54Le_i1GEHWLFbU0k_3M3f4hzeiZs60CxQFijIw5nrWzR2TJWZ2sieC2AZaQB5Bs306Tnsm8hQREJjLYa5FtbE_2EYYnK-j6KVXAA0TZXJh78Q/w329-h400/IMG_7838.heic" width="329" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></div>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-54443386797267818162022-11-27T21:41:00.001-05:002022-11-27T21:43:40.910-05:00Voice of Gowanus Coalition Letter to Governor Hocul Regarding Gowanus Canal Toxic Clean-Up!<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This just in from <a href="https://www.voiceofgowanus.org">Voice of Gowanus!</a></span></p><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Last week Voice of Gowanus, held a press conference with Walter Hang of <a href="https://www.toxicstargeting.com">Toxics Targeting</a>. He is an expert who has spent weeks studying all the toxic sites in and around the Gowanus Canal and has drafted an extensive report showing that the current plan to remediate these sites is totally inadequate and will create a massive health and safety issue for those who current live nearby and any new residents that might move here in the future.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We at CG CORD would encourage you to watch the video of the entire news conference since there are two neighbors who gave very compelling statements!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.voiceofgowanus.org">Voice of Gowanus</a> is currently collecting signatures on a coalition letter to NYS <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov">Governor Hochul</a>, asking her to clean up the uplands surrounding the Gowanus Canal to the full extent of the law, which states that <b>the State has to remove ALL of the pollution.</b></span></div><div><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://toxicstargeting.com/gowanus/letters/2022-11-14/coal-letter-to-gov-hochul&source=gmail&ust=1669687545972000&usg=AOvVaw1mxjxnbwmD_z17cgknUqcn" href="https://toxicstargeting.com/gowanus/letters/2022-11-14/coal-letter-to-gov-hochul" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://toxicstargeting.com/gowanus/letters/2022-11-14/coal-letter-to-gov-hochul&source=gmail&ust=1669687545972000&usg=AOvVaw1mxjxnbwmD_z17cgknUqcn" href="https://toxicstargeting.com/gowanus/letters/2022-11-14/coal-letter-to-gov-hochul" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Please sign the letter</a> and have everyone you know sign. They do not need to live in the neighborhood. Even out of state people can sign. So ask your partners, your kids and all your neighbors.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We need everyone to lend their voice to this action.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Thank you so much in advance,</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Katia</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DzUr-Jf8a_fE%26ab_channel%3DVoG&source=gmail&ust=1669687545972000&usg=AOvVaw0yOnWV9uSEUYMsv1qpUJX5" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUr-Jf8a_fE&ab_channel=VoG" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Voice of Gowanus / Toxics Targeting Press Conference - YouTube</span></a><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote type="cite"></blockquote></div></blockquote></div></div></div></blockquote><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-23107334277542024592022-07-01T19:07:00.008-04:002022-07-01T19:49:46.797-04:00Town Hall Meeting at PS 32 sponsored by Gowanus Canal Advisory Group (the CAG) <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last night, the </span><a href="https://gowanuscag.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (the CAG) </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sponsored a Town Hall Meeting at PS 32. </span><a href="https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-2" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our EPA Region 2</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Team, </span><a href="https://bklyner.com/tag/epa-project-manager-christos-tsiamis/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Project Manager Christos Tsiamis</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/ccontact.cfm?id=0200791" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Community Coordinator Natalie Loney</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and Virtually, </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-carr-b663ba137?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Attorney Brian Carr</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> were, as usual, there for us. But last night also included </span><a href="https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-administrator-epas-region-2-office-new-york" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Region 2 Administrator, Lisa Garcia </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><a href="https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/organization-epas-region-2-office-new-york-city" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deputy Administrator Walter Mugdan</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to update the community and take questions and address neighbors' concerns from the real and virtually attending audience members about the ongoing Gowanus Canal Superfund progress. In person CAG attendees reported approximately 70 persons in the auditorium while zoom figures listed the participant number at 56.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our </span><a href="https://velazquez.house.gov/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> addressed the group pointing out that in addition to the EPA employees on hand, </span><a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/site/dep/about/commissioner.page" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was there to speak and take a question or two- as well.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAgi1X6A6WjLhLtXiZU3tirqqpgUw0JSAlLVX-S8zUgMJ4OB0Jq0PU81sMAWP-3TMLiz7xdKqMuqzX6mCjZe95KSiBUMKdvscSC_Wy9nwj88UDjq7TTU4El_B6l2q5YKJzVYG7HXpOhUySRutwb0O00IP8E8BAGOV7iFz_rtgKh0BketLyzwq1x4vZQ/s1920/image005.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAgi1X6A6WjLhLtXiZU3tirqqpgUw0JSAlLVX-S8zUgMJ4OB0Jq0PU81sMAWP-3TMLiz7xdKqMuqzX6mCjZe95KSiBUMKdvscSC_Wy9nwj88UDjq7TTU4El_B6l2q5YKJzVYG7HXpOhUySRutwb0O00IP8E8BAGOV7iFz_rtgKh0BketLyzwq1x4vZQ/w471-h265/image005.png" width="471" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: arial;">Above: </i><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Congresswoman Velazquez</i></span><i style="font-family: arial;"> speaking</i></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rep Velazquez praised the community and the CAG for its dedication and reminded all of us of the now decade plus long Superfund process - how far we have come and how far we still have to go. Congresswoman Velazquez herself deserves much praise and gratitude for her commitment to not only bringing the much needed Superfund status to the Gowanus Canal but for her support in having the cleanup include and address the CSO's as part of the remediation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">She then announced that she wished to bestow special recognition to our loyal and wonderful Region 2 EPA Team. She officially acknowledged the tireless contribution to not only the Gowanus Canal Superfund project, but to our community of Natalie Loney, Brian Carr and especially, Engineer and Project Manager, Christos Tsiamis. (See Congressional Honor Award below)*</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">CORD has written about our Team many many times over the years. We love these three dearly. But we would be remiss if we did not express a special affection for Christos, whom we have often referred to in our posts as "Hercules Tsiamis". Christos has not only consistently and outstandingly fulfilled the requirements of his position. He took an interest in our community. He made it his business to get to know the people here. He took the time to listen to our concerns and he did his best to address the health and safety of our people in a thorough, effective, cost conscious and timely manner. He has been steadfast and outspoken about all matters concerning the Cleanup - always putting It and our community's best interests first. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this world of politics, business deals and money money money which we all must somehow survive, Christos has been a champion for the many when it would have been so much easier to lay down for the few. In our eyes, our Hercules has neither lost an inch in stature nor an ounce in strength - to the contrary, he is taller and greater than ever.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">We salute and thank you, Christos, Brian and Natalie for all that you have done and continue to do. Congratulations on your much deserved Congressional recognition!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deputy Region 2 Administrator Walter Mugdan took over most of the discussion. It was a different Walter Mugdan than the one we met twelve or so years ago. He seemed so eager to begin the Canal cleanup back then. He spoke of how it would take "longer than you think but shorter than you fear", with an enthusiasm and forcefulness of purpose to be admired. He had a wonderfully community focused attitude that shone through each statement and made us feel like we were finally working with the right people and this job would get done the right way.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PO28qsg1TJM9shx3r0zBvUTvLwKx-7015RtaVmCEXGLDy8RWhdKGctbc9wUCWWu7hRxm5WkY7upM6ihZngzpDk9XimgWt2jXul1p4KxCAmFfTsCC5pfjXnqem8JRRccM28hbyfbGf07AyGiKprInz7QRjr2L3Q-yLS5w6k3t3pyzZfwH6u8Mg8UIbQ/s1920/unnamed-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PO28qsg1TJM9shx3r0zBvUTvLwKx-7015RtaVmCEXGLDy8RWhdKGctbc9wUCWWu7hRxm5WkY7upM6ihZngzpDk9XimgWt2jXul1p4KxCAmFfTsCC5pfjXnqem8JRRccM28hbyfbGf07AyGiKprInz7QRjr2L3Q-yLS5w6k3t3pyzZfwH6u8Mg8UIbQ/w530-h298/unnamed-1.png" width="530" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: arial;">Above: Walter </i><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Mundan</i></span><i style="font-family: arial;"> speaking</i></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">That was not the Walter who spoke last night. Last night's Walter spoke of working hand in hand with the DEP and extending the tank construction into 2030 or so. He referred to National Grid and the DEP (the two biggest Canal polluters) as "partners." Granted, they must work together, but we thought the EPA was our partner and they were the Responsible Parties. It was Christos who reminded the group that recent negotiations with the City have yielded a slightly shorter timeline - one that Christos appears to expect the City to stick to...and it is Christos who consistently provides the answers we need to our questions about what is going on at the </span><a href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8430.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">MGP/DEC </span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">supervised sites. (Thomas Greene Park, the Lowe's site and Public Place).</span></p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Questions from the audience were thoughtful. Many regarding those CSO tanks and their proposed effectiveness in lieu of the now approved </span><a href="https://www.multihousingnews.com/reshaping-brooklyn-the-gowanus-rezoning/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gowanus rezoning</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The development of the newly rezoned area is now expected to bring 20-30,000 new residents. The concerns about greater CSO events and flooding in the area with all of these new residents is pressing. (When the rain falls, even just a little, our CSO's- the Combined Sewer system here in this part of Brooklyn, becomes overwhelmed and the result is the disgusting, bacteria laden raw sewage is pushed out into the Gowanus Canal - check out the now famous 'POONAMI" that happened to be caught on camera after less than 1/8" of rain) — </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzWOOqPAEgs" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">VIDEO LINK.</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This happens on a regular basis. Some of the sludge floats by and out but most of it accumulates on the bottom of the canal allowing the bacteria levels to dangerously rise. In addition to that, the toxins in the canal tend to regard the solid waste matter as a magnet--drawing itself to those solids presenting not only a bacterial danger but a deadly chemical one as well. The </span><a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-issues-administrative-order-requiring-city-construct-sewage-retention-tanks-gowanus" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CSO retention tanks</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that the city has been dragging its feet to build- even though they are mandated to do so, will help alleviate this problem by capturing the solids and holding them until the runoff volume subsides and the sewage can be perhaps treated before it is slowly released. But there will be no tanks until almost the end of the decade and the newly cleaned and capped Canal will accumulate all that waste on its newly cleaned bottom. What a colossal shame! Our tax dollars used to put the cart before the horse when it was completely unnecessary to do so!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">DEP Commissioner Aggarwala gave the attendees the now familiar version of DEP math and cockeyed reasoning. Some of the new developments (the important word there is "some") will have separated sewer systems so that the rainwater and other runoff will not go into the same sewer as the waste. By doing this, since the rainwater/runoff chiefly causes the CSO events (think poonami + 30,000 ), the "system" will actually have its volume REDUCED thereby reducing (I don't think even the DEP has the nerve to say "eliminating") CSO events and overall flooding.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">If this does NOT make sense to you....you are an intelligent thinking human being.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, the developments not directly on the banks of the Canal, but within the 80 block length and breadth of the rezoning, will probably NOT have separated sewer systems so they get added to the existing system which already has terrible problems and results in street and basement floods all over the neighborhood. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">We won't need a major storm to happen TO us to have flooding and sewage backups, we are creating one of our very own.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">When an audience member questioned if the size of the retention tanks would be enough with the population boom expected, Walter Mugdan was very quick to point out that the tanks were calculated to handle the growth expected.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank the Heavens that Christos, once again spoke truth to power. He told all of us that he himself had calculated the values for those tanks and that at the time it was done, only the Lightstone development was put into the equation. The size and scope of the rezoning was </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">NOT known nor WAS IT CALCULATED into the tanks' capacities. Christos pointed out that that disparity would need to be addressed in order to accommodate the change in population.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUulDHqSy1ZIbETb0PmnsxACryFx1HRFHvdBgoB-B6wtdvEeVyLxAD30DIbKqiUqQwAuUs1B1LAUkTLNVGZVcrd6VessWnJHQCIPY3ib_xgAYhH-D8Qx2dK7q-tRO6y29vS-Di7S0hDMUniCShpyo2jJIypRzYX2U2e0GxXyXXESpG-jsYSFcmz3kGKg/s1920/unnamed.png" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUulDHqSy1ZIbETb0PmnsxACryFx1HRFHvdBgoB-B6wtdvEeVyLxAD30DIbKqiUqQwAuUs1B1LAUkTLNVGZVcrd6VessWnJHQCIPY3ib_xgAYhH-D8Qx2dK7q-tRO6y29vS-Di7S0hDMUniCShpyo2jJIypRzYX2U2e0GxXyXXESpG-jsYSFcmz3kGKg/w561-h315/unnamed.png" width="561" /></a></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Above: Christos Tsiamis speaking</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rep Velazquez quickly looked toward the DEP Commissioner to express her view that the infrastructure must be able to accommodate the community. </span></p><p>T<span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">here were many other questions from both in person and virtual attendees that time did not allow to be asked and answered. Clearly, as more and more details on the expected timeline and the State and City's plans moving forward come to light, there will be a need for more of these community Q&A sessions.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>*Congressional Honor Award:</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgmjq6II5ABjLBxeaL2zjuP_wEHC-khS23_xHDDs3v99rzqVPf4--vkU7xCMyiYycyqjWFT6nMg1ruuqTIONIyYha49TB8_QdZYr6lLv8t7IquSx7ZKp2utG211p7p7vB7gHRwpU0Wi0XE4F5mRi26KVOYeqy5eDuA06gchQrt0HEsYPC8HHOWDtYmg/s3074/IMG_4093%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3074" data-original-width="2925" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgmjq6II5ABjLBxeaL2zjuP_wEHC-khS23_xHDDs3v99rzqVPf4--vkU7xCMyiYycyqjWFT6nMg1ruuqTIONIyYha49TB8_QdZYr6lLv8t7IquSx7ZKp2utG211p7p7vB7gHRwpU0Wi0XE4F5mRi26KVOYeqy5eDuA06gchQrt0HEsYPC8HHOWDtYmg/w441-h464/IMG_4093%202.jpg" width="441" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Other elected reps there:<u></u><u></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">+ Melissa del Valle Ortiz, Community and Housing Coordinator Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">+ Liznel Aybar-Ventura, Deputy Chief of Staff, Senator Jabari Brisport (while they still rep Gowanus)<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">+ Susannah Pasquantonio, Chief of Staff, Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">+ Arvind Sindhwani, Director of Land Use & Community Advocate, Council Member Lincoln Restler<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">+ Mia Perez, Education and Land Use Director, Council Member Shahana Hanif</p></div><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">As always, please feel free to email us at (cgcord@gmail.com) and we will bring them up at the upcoming CAG meeting.</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-75800772781397210262022-06-29T22:15:00.002-04:002022-06-29T22:16:36.965-04:00Gowanus Superfund Town Hall!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='580' height='482' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy39XZ2fp_0u4h1Mk957px4F3Z_JIYKtu9j2PjZ1bdFkqZle3XafszOTA6h-YJIoRtBTRKjxOI5BWhWApjZJg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DW7mWWkH8vPFrUfcZxRjImeaIWuEkpkgbNE4mFeAF1Z3VTH8sNRrwTUI5DUtpkCPat3x2ls4enIwqkG37U4-wNN3zUIFgvGGqI-m5Km8VzRkbDdQFwg8BGyx1keOmjO2mwHkHHyTmtCFISrqGqEd2kaf4wBPNbaok3kk20EJRn_sKXG7Nw80aWGN8A/s2000/20220623_townhall_color.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1545" height="755" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DW7mWWkH8vPFrUfcZxRjImeaIWuEkpkgbNE4mFeAF1Z3VTH8sNRrwTUI5DUtpkCPat3x2ls4enIwqkG37U4-wNN3zUIFgvGGqI-m5Km8VzRkbDdQFwg8BGyx1keOmjO2mwHkHHyTmtCFISrqGqEd2kaf4wBPNbaok3kk20EJRn_sKXG7Nw80aWGN8A/w582-h755/20220623_townhall_color.jpg" width="582" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-56669038450900541382022-06-28T20:59:00.002-04:002022-06-28T20:59:30.355-04:00Town Hall re: Gowanus Canal Clean-Up! Open and Free to the Public!<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Learn about the ongoing cleanup of the Gowanus Canal from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency representatives and elected officials.</strong></span></p><section aria-labelledby="date-time-heading" class="event-detail" style="caret-color: rgb(57, 54, 79); color: #39364f; display: flex; font-family: "Neue Plak", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin-bottom: 48px;"><div class="event-detail__content" style="-webkit-box-flex: 1; flex: 1 1 0%; line-height: 1.25rem; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="event-detail__heading" style="color: #1e0a3c; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"><h3 id="date-time-heading" style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Date and time</span></h3></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><time style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><p data-testid="event-date" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Thu, June 30, 2022</p><p data-testid="event-time" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT</p><p data-testid="event-time" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p data-testid="event-time" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #1e0a3c;"><b>Location</b></span></p><p data-testid="event-time" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">P.S. 032 Samuel Mills Sprole Schoool</p><p data-testid="event-time" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">317 Hoyt Street</p><p data-testid="event-time" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Brooklyn, NY 11231 <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-gowanus-canal-cleanup-a-community-town-hall-tickets-358461426777?utm_source=eventbrite&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=reminder_attendees_48hour_email&utm_term=eventname&ref=eemaileventremind#listings-root__event-location-map" style="color: var(--eds-control,#3659e3); cursor: pointer; margin-bottom: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">View map</span></a></p></span></time></div></div></section><div class="eds-l-mar-bot-8 structured-content" style="margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px;"><h2 class="eds-text-bl eds-l-mar-bot-4" style="caret-color: rgb(57, 54, 79); color: #39364f; font-family: "Neue Plak", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.125rem; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px -0.25px 16px 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;">About this event</h2><div class="has-user-generated-content" style="caret-color: rgb(57, 54, 79); color: #39364f; font-family: "Neue Plak", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.933333396911621px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="eds-l-mar-vert-6 eds-l-sm-mar-vert-4 eds-text-bm structured-content-rich-text" style="font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 1.25rem; margin: 24px 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;"><div class="eds-text--left" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Gowanus Canal is famously one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States — but <strong style="padding-top: 0px;">did you know that there is work being done to clean it up</strong>? </p><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">In 2013, the U.S. Environmental Agency approved a plan to remove polluted material from the Canal and address other sources of pollution along its banks, including three former industrial sites and changes to the city's sewerage system. The cleanup work, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-begins-historic-full-scale-dredging-gowanus-canal-superfund-site" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: var(--eds-control,#3659e3); cursor: pointer; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">which began in November 2020</a>, is expected to cost more than $1.5 billion dollars.</p><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">On June 30, the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) invites members of the greater Gowanus community to attend a Town Hall meeting and <strong style="padding-top: 0px;">learn more about the cleanup of the Canal</strong> under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Program. </p><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">Representatives from the EPA's cleanup team and the CAG will be there to talk about:</p><ul style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px 2em;"><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Why the canal got so polluted in the first place </li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">What the cleanup will change about the Canal </li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">What's happening today, as the clean up activities are currently underway</li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">What the canal might look like when the cleanup is complete</li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">How the community can get involved in the cleanup</li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">And more!</li></ul><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">The biggest part of the Town Hall will be about answering your questions, though! RSVP for this event and share your questions in advance at gowanuscag@gmail.com</p></div></div><div class="eds-l-mar-vert-6 eds-l-sm-mar-vert-4 eds-text-bm structured-content-rich-text" style="font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 1.25rem; margin: 24px 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;"><div class="eds-text--left" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><em style="padding-top: 0px;">The Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) was formed in 2010 soon after the Gowanus Canal was designated a Superfund site and is the largest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Community Advisory Group in the nation. We are made up of over 50 representatives from civic, environmental, business and community organizations, as well as individual members, from around the Gowanus Canal such as Red Hook, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill and Park Slope. The Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club is a member of the CAG and is helping organize this event. </em></p></div></div><div class="eds-l-mar-vert-6 eds-l-sm-mar-vert-4 eds-text-bm structured-content-rich-text" style="font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 1.25rem; margin: 24px 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;"><div class="eds-text--left" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">El canal Gowanus Canal lamentablemente es conocido por ser una de las masas de agua má contaminadas de Estados Unidos, pero, ¿sabía que se está llevando a cabo el trabajo para limpiarlo?</p><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">En 2013, la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE. UU. aprobó un plan para extraer el material contaminado del canal y abordar otras fuentes de contaminación en sus bancos, incluidos tres antiguos sitios industriales y cambios en el sistema de cloacas de la ciudad. Se espera que el trabajo de limpieza, que comenzará en noviembre de 2020, cueste más de USD 1,5 mil millones.</p><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">El 30 de junio, el Grupo Asesor de la Comunidad (CAG) del canal Gowanus invita a los miembros de la comunidad mayor de Gowanus a asistir a una reunión en la municipalidad y obtener más información sobre la limpieza del canal bajo el programa Superfund de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE. UU.</p><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">Los representantes del equipo de limpieza de la EPA y el CAG estarán allí para analizar los siguientes temas:</p><ul style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px 2em;"><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Por qué el canal se contaminó tanto</li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">Qué cambiará en el canal con la limpieza</li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">Qué sucede hoy a medida que las actividades de limpieza están en curso</li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">Cómo se verá el canal cuando se complete la limpieza</li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">Cómo puede participar la comunidad en la limpieza</li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">¡Y mucho más!</li></ul><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">La parte más importante de la municipalidad también responderá sus preguntas.</p><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">Confirme su asistencia a este evento y envíe sus preguntas por anticipado a gowanuscag@gmail.com.</p><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;"></p><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">- - -</p><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;"><em style="padding-top: 0px;">El Grupo Asesor de la Comunidad (CAG) del Canal Gowanus se formó en 2010 poco después de que el canal Gowanus se designara como sitio Superfund y es el Grupo Asesor de la Comunidad de Superfund de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental (EPA) de EE. UU. más grande de todo el país. Estamos conformados por más de 50 representantes de organizaciones civiles, ambientales, comerciales y comunitarias, y por miembros individuales del canal Gowanus como Red Hook, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill y Park Slope</em></p><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;"><em style="padding-top: 0px;"><br /></em></p><p style="color: #6f7287; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;"><em style="padding-top: 0px;">For more please see: </em></p><section aria-labelledby="date-time-heading" class="event-detail" style="display: flex; font-size: 14.933333396911621px; margin-bottom: 48px;"><div class="event-detail__content" style="-webkit-box-flex: 1; flex: 1 1 0%; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 1.25rem; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="event-detail__heading" style="color: #1e0a3c; font-size: 1rem; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.5rem; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"><h3 id="date-time-heading" style="font-size: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-gowanus-canal-cleanup-a-community-town-hall-tickets-358461426777?utm_source=eventbrite&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=reminder_attendees_48hour_email&utm_term=eventname&ref=eemaileventremind">LINK</a></h3></div></div></section><section aria-labelledby="location-heading" class="event-detail" style="display: flex; font-size: 14.933333396911621px; margin-bottom: 48px;"><div class="event-detail__content" style="-webkit-box-flex: 1; flex: 1 1 0%; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 1.25rem; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></p></div></section></div></div><div class="eds-l-mar-vert-6 eds-l-sm-mar-vert-4 eds-text-bm structured-content-rich-text" style="font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 1.25rem; margin: 24px 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;"><div class="eds-text--left" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div></div></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-38254768997526503632022-06-27T20:05:00.003-04:002022-06-27T20:05:12.659-04:00Gowanus Canal Superfund Town Hall! A Free Community Information Event!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6LvX7DtQ8E10rbfoLEw1zhFGNgM9edqOMjcLPLv6A-khxGLMGrQ5-0SdpCosMEdTAIYhZnxEjwGSAShfkB4ov5_zOI2em90_GLw6A3HFcWsqJ7CNryU9ecqLAk34oxJ1P8E771ZsB6aZAF33poZyai_-tmE-6_sZZy0k_LxuTVk2OSgBQ84_Gtw-yQ/s791/20220623_townhall_colorflyer%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="612" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6LvX7DtQ8E10rbfoLEw1zhFGNgM9edqOMjcLPLv6A-khxGLMGrQ5-0SdpCosMEdTAIYhZnxEjwGSAShfkB4ov5_zOI2em90_GLw6A3HFcWsqJ7CNryU9ecqLAk34oxJ1P8E771ZsB6aZAF33poZyai_-tmE-6_sZZy0k_LxuTVk2OSgBQ84_Gtw-yQ/w449-h580/20220623_townhall_colorflyer%20copy.jpg" width="449" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-62979283006615008932022-06-27T18:55:00.000-04:002022-06-27T18:55:01.292-04:00Gowanus Canal Clean-Up: A Town Hall Meeting!<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Dear neighbor,</b></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bf9c1da0-7fff-0dc4-c5a3-4233bcb757f0"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Gowanus Canal is infamously one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States — but did you know that there is work being done to clean it up?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2013, the U.S. Environmental Agency approved a plan to remove polluted material from the Canal and address other sources of pollution along its banks, including three former industrial sites and changes to the city's sewerage system. The cleanup work, which began in November 2020, is expected to cost more than $1.5 billion dollars.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On June 30, the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) invites members of the greater Gowanus community to </span><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-gowanus-canal-cleanup-a-community-town-hall-tickets-358461426777" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">attend a Town Hall meeting and </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">learn more about the cleanup of the Canal</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Program.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Gowanus Canal Cleanup:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Community Town Hall</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">June 30 </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6-8pm</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">P.S. 32</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/AVpmQVNF1qGwiHzNA" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">317 Hoyt St.</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brooklyn, NY 11231</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Representatives from the EPA's cleanup team and the CAG will be there to talk about:</span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why the canal got so polluted in the first place</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What the cleanup will change about the Canal</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What's happening today, as the clean up activities are currently underway</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What the canal might look like when the cleanup is complete</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How the community can get involved in the cleanup</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And more!</span></p></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The biggest part of the Town Hall will be about answering your questions, though! </span><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-gowanus-canal-cleanup-a-community-town-hall-tickets-358461426777" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">RSVP for this event</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and share your questions in advance at </span><a href="mailto:gowanuscag@gmail.com" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gowanuscag@gmail.com</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">---</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) was formed in 2010 soon after the Gowanus Canal was designated a Superfund site and is the largest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Community Advisory Group in the nation. We are made up of over 50 representatives from civic, environmental, business and community organizations, as well as individual members, from around the Gowanus Canal such as Red Hook, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill and Park Slope. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-82398464804603421942021-12-01T18:34:00.000-05:002021-12-01T18:34:02.338-05:00Gather for Gowanus: A reception supporting the Gowanus Legal Defense Fund<p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7E6pnm6p9rbQrU6cDWgwP4QtO5xcOyUN9xZuRtgcNKjBF6izGraXXxQFV39N4v91Qt0aRzJS4CUfWKOffaNaiM6DrI5-C-1sQu8uwiOFILELIl1qc6xlwbsIt59npxDRnIJu0TrLY4T94/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="864" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7E6pnm6p9rbQrU6cDWgwP4QtO5xcOyUN9xZuRtgcNKjBF6izGraXXxQFV39N4v91Qt0aRzJS4CUfWKOffaNaiM6DrI5-C-1sQu8uwiOFILELIl1qc6xlwbsIt59npxDRnIJu0TrLY4T94/w538-h360/074f6e29a018fc3aa611cff3631d4f1b.jpeg" width="538" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Above: My photo taken during Hurricane sandy in Flooded Gowanus.</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Please help support the legal case for Environmental Justice in Gowanus! This ecological justice issue concerns thousands of us here and now! You can simply purchase a ticket or make a (tax deductible) holiday contribution even if you do not attend the live event.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">TY. Happy Holidays. Triada</span></span><br style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><b>Gather for Gowanus: A reception supporting the Gowanus Legal Defense Fund</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">You are invited to join us Wednesday, December 1st at Red Hook Winery with invited speaker Victoria Cambranes to support the Gowanus Legal Defense Fund and our fight</div><div style="text-align: center;"> for a just and sustainable Gowanus neighborhood.</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Tickets include refreshments and appetizers.</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">HOST COMMITTEE</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">(in formation)</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Katia & Glenn Kelly</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Lucy Koteen</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Barbara Woods & Steve Marcus</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Joachim & Eunice Auer</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Joseph Alexiou</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Linda LaViolette</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Tickets/Donations are as follows:</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">$500 = Listing and recognition at the event as part of the Host Committee</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">$250 = Listing and recognition at the event as a Supporter </div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">$60 = standard ticket </div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Can't make it? Please consider donating. </div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Tickets/sponsorships are tax-deductible in full as donations to Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus (FROGGs), with the exception of $20 non-deductible food & beverage costs. </div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">WHEN</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">December 01, 2021 at 5:00pm - 7pm</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">WHERE</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Red Hook Winery</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">175 Van Dyke St</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Brooklyn, NY 11231</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">United States</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Google map and directions</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">CONTACT</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">Voice of Gowanus · info@voiceofgowanus.org</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-74363516878414041352021-10-13T00:41:00.003-04:002021-10-13T00:49:56.874-04:00Gowanus Community Groups to Take Legal Action Against NYC for the City's Illegal Actions Regarding Rezoning<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This video below is a full <a href="https://www.voiceofgowanus.org">VOG </a>/ Voice of Gowanus and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Frogg-Friends-Residents-Of-Greater-Gowanus-309507385762435/">FROGG</a> / Friends of Greater Gowanus Statement:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='575' height='477' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwHrTG068e6FHvvWvw_KGZ0dXYwnoBNfFGc-rZNSJX4DDAcCcGdX8C4J3U2ETiQc_2CLlhGItqqOPiYLy8lCQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p></p>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-67684146800877405912021-10-09T00:40:00.003-04:002021-10-09T16:28:02.244-04:00Gowanus Canal CAG/Community Advisory Group General Meeting Tues Sept 28 2021 <p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://gowanuscag.org">The Gowanus Canal CAG/Community Advisory Group</a> general (ZOOM) meeting was held Tuesday evening, September 28, 2021. It was well attended by members and included many guests including EPA's, Christos Tsiamis, Brian Carr and Doug Garabini.</span></p><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The EPA gave us an update on the ongoing cleanup which included information about some changes to the approach of the dredging around the Carroll Street Bridge in order to insure the integrity of the structure as well as successfully remediate and protect that remediation in the area around the Bridge. They showed us the completed ISS (in situ stabilization) and capping design plan for RTA2 which requires some special care around the old gas supply line at the edge of the Public Place site and they informed us that discussions with NYS DEC regarding the Public Place site's remediation are ongoing and to look forward to some more concrete conclusions of some of the discussed matters at our next general meeting.</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In regard to Public Place and the dissatisfaction of what has been described as the downgraded remediation plan presented by NYSDEC, the CAG voted and approved a resolution <a href="https://carrollgardenspetition.blogspot.com/2021/10/gowanus-canal-cag-resolution-for.html">LINK</a> that came out of the Land Use Committee, requesting that EPA Region 2, assess, score and rank the former Citizens Manufactured Gas Plant (which includes Public Place) site for placement on the National Priorities List (NPL) and made a Superfund site under the jurisdiction of EPA. This would take the remediation of this most toxic, dangerous property out of the hands of New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), an action which CORD most enthusiastically endorses!</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">CAG member, George Fiala, from the Red Hook Star Revue, called the resolution, "a no brainer" and 17 out of the 21 attending CAG members agreed!<br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The vote to approve this resolution was 17 FOR 3 AGAINST with 1 (appropriately by Gowanus Green), ABSTENTION </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It is interesting to note that two (2) of the three NAYS surprisingly came from Not For Profit organizations that are known for their fierce, public championship of the Canal and NY waterways. </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So it was rather bewildering when the Gowanus Canal Conservancy and the Riverkeeper CAG representatives voted against this resolution. </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The diluted NYSDEC plan for the site presents, among other concerning remedial downgrades, several dangers to the Gowanus Canal's eventual remediation. Those dangers were brought to the attention of the community by the EPA some time back and are the subject of lengthy, ongoing discussions between EPA and NYSDEC. Designating the site as a Superfund site would not only insure a much more thorough cleanup of the land itself, but would most definitely provide a more protected, remediated Canal.</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">CORD can only wonder what those environmental organizations and their donors are thinking.....</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As always, please remember that ALL of the CAG meetings are open to the public, they are posted on the CAG website <a href="http://gowanuscag.org">LINK</a> with all of the necessary zoom details. Everyone is welcome!</span></div><div class="yj6qo"></div><div class="adL" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-42987841950597283252021-10-09T00:36:00.008-04:002021-10-09T16:35:22.096-04:00Gowanus Canal CAG Resolution for Manufactured Gas Plant ("Public Place")<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><a href="https://gowanuscag.org" style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">The Gowanus Canal CAG/Community Advisory Group</a><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"> general (ZOOM) meeting was held Tuesday evening, September 28, 2021.</span></span></h1><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At this meeting, the </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Citizen's Bklyn MGP Site Resolution 8-14-2021 was passed. <a href="https://carrollgardenspetition.blogspot.com/2021/10/gowanus-canal-cagcommunity-advisory.html">(See LINK.)</a></span></span></h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLTThX9PCTU8dxeQCWycruxGKcvCRrH5jZuXROApUOg6tceNOvZMDiFTxhav03CdYoCD3SHVd99fJuxWbQ7g9mHIF8_H3i3RT__DqLYRWEUzngwptDzmZ-iedKF3ZRRjnsWbuEtmi306l/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-10-09+at+12.27.57+AM.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1582" height="752" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLTThX9PCTU8dxeQCWycruxGKcvCRrH5jZuXROApUOg6tceNOvZMDiFTxhav03CdYoCD3SHVd99fJuxWbQ7g9mHIF8_H3i3RT__DqLYRWEUzngwptDzmZ-iedKF3ZRRjnsWbuEtmi306l/w582-h752/Screen+Shot+2021-10-09+at+12.27.57+AM.jpeg" width="582" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-83377962672416882392021-09-08T20:31:00.005-04:002021-09-08T20:46:17.333-04:00Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and State Assemblywoman Joanne Simon held a joint press conference today on Ida Flooding calling out Mayor Bill DeBlasio on flawed data and planning<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJsPl8Ey9nqd7Uejhwfm3ODWD6a7ApN843zOc8QkhTFSDL00ZwtOmrigd7ZILqGIzmGUvX3vapCJ9yN9G98NlbWzwFSFuV28kWX-x5Dag1HEPj29enOHTbcE1ZVsXB2qpD2e3_AGpttlO/s2048/IMG_0128.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1282" data-original-width="2048" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJsPl8Ey9nqd7Uejhwfm3ODWD6a7ApN843zOc8QkhTFSDL00ZwtOmrigd7ZILqGIzmGUvX3vapCJ9yN9G98NlbWzwFSFuV28kWX-x5Dag1HEPj29enOHTbcE1ZVsXB2qpD2e3_AGpttlO/w561-h380/IMG_0128.jpg" width="561" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKDnO7f_Dp0jXP_7koBb5BY0stLYoLZK43mm8B3weFglZh_WadQmlhofg5fCHzFS09GQlGhRUGOTKQlJ_MtmNn7sAD20bkz3oUG8UnX5uiE3YLb6RKFCCKVSlalFV4TFoQi45vEwI9skp/s2048/IMG_0126.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1342" data-original-width="2048" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKDnO7f_Dp0jXP_7koBb5BY0stLYoLZK43mm8B3weFglZh_WadQmlhofg5fCHzFS09GQlGhRUGOTKQlJ_MtmNn7sAD20bkz3oUG8UnX5uiE3YLb6RKFCCKVSlalFV4TFoQi45vEwI9skp/w400-h263/IMG_0126.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This morning at 11 am, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/member/nydia-velazquez/V000081">Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez </a>and <a href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Jo-Anne-Simon">State Assemblywoman Joanne Simon</a> held a joint press conference on the banks of the Gowanus Canal at the Whole Foods esplanade.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">They both spoke of the urgent need for the Gowanus Rezoning Environmental Impact Statement to reflect accurate information, use current, rather than the out dated data it now spews and to correct the inaccuracies and inconsistencies pointed out by EPA Region 2. </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Simply put, the Draft EIS is neither good enough or accurate and must be revisited and redone. </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Most importantly they stressed the absolute necessity that the Canal’s ongoing remediation and eventual clean up and therefore, the health and safety of our community not be compromised.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Compliance with EPA decisions and Administrative orders must be adhered to. </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">We cannot ignore climate change, our totally outdated infrastructure as evidenced by the disastrous and tragic Events brought on by Hurricane Ida and welcome thousands and thousands more residents to Gowanus at the same time. </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">We cannot ignore that Gowanus, for the most part, is a flood zone. It simply cannot be “business as usual” in Gowanus.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">A letter to Mayor DeBlasio written jointly by Rep Velazquez and Assemblywoman Simon Is below. Please read and send your support of this letter to Mayor DeBlasio. </span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Contact the Mayor: <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/contact-the-mayor.page">https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/contact-the-mayor.page</a><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Contact the Mayor on Twitter. <a href="https://twitter.com/nycmayorsoffice?lang=en">https://twitter.com/nycmayorsoffice?lang=en</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Write to the Mayor Online. <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/mayor-contact.page">https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/mayor-contact.page</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">For more info: <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/applicants/env-review/gowanus.page">https://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/applicants/env-review/gowanus.page</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pJEZe4bqUqhiSuKnL-w6PlIuQ6Kc1E2kkMcvRkWhfuVuSiWVSSLMrBgahxLGoAw9MG9oOX4OaXa18ioeCRJVlgLeorz03y0g7CPwYZtIJobdVQl0MMviQxAAitmSuNjy_YEIJA7nHk2S/s2048/IMG_3734.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="694" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pJEZe4bqUqhiSuKnL-w6PlIuQ6Kc1E2kkMcvRkWhfuVuSiWVSSLMrBgahxLGoAw9MG9oOX4OaXa18ioeCRJVlgLeorz03y0g7CPwYZtIJobdVQl0MMviQxAAitmSuNjy_YEIJA7nHk2S/w521-h694/IMG_3734.jpeg" width="521" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJx3RPo7bqvLCzq2NAQgmzbYcyTmL1OFQR63uvqePQiSyrM4gnXMdvSMVmVFoFGJojh3WX8ManPob-EzIcBuafw9zsV2uL9ZJ5jk46kwArCOkDUpx4nPAxzxKp3gapXExwdnvmoJI5JvE/s2048/IMG_3735.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="717" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJx3RPo7bqvLCzq2NAQgmzbYcyTmL1OFQR63uvqePQiSyrM4gnXMdvSMVmVFoFGJojh3WX8ManPob-EzIcBuafw9zsV2uL9ZJ5jk46kwArCOkDUpx4nPAxzxKp3gapXExwdnvmoJI5JvE/w537-h717/IMG_3735.jpeg" width="537" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Below: Image of Brownstone Residence Basement Flooding on 2nd St near Smith Street in Carroll Gardens during Hurricane Ida last week</span></div><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw9j_rGGXIUQk9urFom927r8P16E1ENvaO1P11jkXWDdRq90A3B3S-t9a8aSSjAhnDJUuJfvk4xg_HCRdyJzA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><i><span style="color: red;">CG C</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ORD </span></i></b></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-43333044283405671242021-09-06T16:23:00.001-04:002021-09-06T16:23:19.896-04:00Ida’s damage highlights NYC’s aging infrastructure<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Here at CG CORD we have been forewarning of the climate crisis and its potential impact on our aging infrastructure in Carroll Gardens/ Gowanus for a long time. there is no joy in being right on this but we urge our Elected Officials to take meaningful actions ASAP!</span></p><p><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">CG C</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">ORD</span></i></b></p><h2 style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"Ida’s damage highlights climate crisis, NYC’s aging infrastructure</span></h2><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As New York City grapples with the damage and death toll caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, there is significant attention on global warming and its role in such storms.</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px; padding-top: 1rem;"></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">NY1 political anchor Errol Louis on Thursday spoke with several experts about the issue on “Inside City Hall.”<br /> </span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Climate journalist Emily Atkin, the founder of the HEATED newsletter, discussed <a href="https://sherlock.scribblelive.com/r?u=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/inside-city-hall/2021/09/03/what-s-the-key-to-solving-climate-change-&p=5775c3c0-e03b-11eb-8b33-d50ce32f566f&c=20370&e=2970169" style="color: #0093bf;" target="_blank">whether anything can be done to combat the climate crisis</a> and what everyday New Yorkers should do on a daily basis to help the environment.</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px; padding-top: 1rem;"></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Shana Udvardy, a climate resilience analyst with the climate and energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, explained what kind of measures might help cities <a href="https://sherlock.scribblelive.com/r?u=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/inside-city-hall/2021/09/03/cities-prepare-for-increasingly-unpredictable-weather-in-era-of-climate-change&p=5775c3c0-e03b-11eb-8b33-d50ce32f566f&c=20370&e=2970169" style="color: #0093bf;" target="_blank">become more resilient to climate change</a>.</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px; padding-top: 1rem;"></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, the storm shined a light on the city’s infrastructure being ill-equipped to handle more intense storms.</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px; padding-top: 1rem;"></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Queens Councilman James Gennaro, who chairs the City Council’s committee on environmental protection, <a href="https://sherlock.scribblelive.com/r?u=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/inside-city-hall/2021/09/03/deadly-flooding-highlights-need-to-invest-in-city-s-aging-infrastructure&p=5775c3c0-e03b-11eb-8b33-d50ce32f566f&c=20370&e=2970169" style="color: #0093bf;" target="_blank">discussed the city’s aging infrastructure</a>, like the sewers and drainage system, and explained what legislation the Council is considering to make the city more resilient and reduce building emissions.</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px; padding-top: 1rem;"></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And Sarah Kaufman, the associate director for the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation, talked about what the MTA needs to do <a href="https://sherlock.scribblelive.com/r?u=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/inside-city-hall/2021/09/03/subway-system-struggles-to-recover-after-major-flooding-stops-service&p=5775c3c0-e03b-11eb-8b33-d50ce32f566f&c=20370&e=2970169" style="color: #0093bf;" target="_blank">to make sure the subway system is climate resilient</a>.</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px; padding-top: 1rem;"></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; line-height: 20px;"><em><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-- Information from Mariya Abedi and Monica Espitia"</span></em></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><em><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></em></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/weather/2021/09/01/live-blog-ida-new-york-city-remnants"><span style="font-family: arial;">https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/weather/2021/09/01/live-blog-ida-new-york-city-remnants</span></a></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; font-family: rutledge, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; font-family: rutledge, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; font-family: rutledge, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(4, 45, 77); color: #042d4d; font-family: rutledge, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></div>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-91083231825815712012021-09-06T16:17:00.003-04:002021-09-06T16:17:43.987-04:00CG CORD requests a revised assessment of the of chemical contaminants present at and potentially being released from "Public Place"<blockquote style="caret-color: rgb(80, 0, 80); color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote style="color: #26282a; margin: 0px; padding: 8px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">Michael Regan, USEPA Administrator</div><div dir="ltr">Walter Mugdan, USEPA Region 2 Acting Administrator</div><div dir="ltr">Pat Evangelista, USEPA Region 2 Director, Superfund and Emergency Management Division</div><div dir="ltr">Sent on August 25, 2021</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Dear Sirs,</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">RE: Federal Superfund Site Assessment Request for the Public Place site, AKA, Citizens Manufactured Gas Site and AKA, (Planned Development) Gowanus Green</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Back in the day when our neighborhood volunteer group, CORD, first heard about the possibility of the Gowanus Canal being listed upon the National Priorities List, we became very vocal advocates for Superfund designation. We met with then Region 2 Administrator, Judith Enck as well as inviting at one point and accompanying then USEPA Deputy Commissioner Bob Perciasepe on a neighborhood walking tour.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Once Superfund designation was achieved, CORD was one of the original members of the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group-a seat we still maintain today. We have always been and still remain firm believers that EPA Region 2 and in particular, our Project Manager, Christos Tsiamis and his team are whole heartedly committed to the absolute best cleanup for our community. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Unfortunately, we do not feel the same way about the City or the State of New York. It has become painfully clear to us over the years that the only thing we can rely upon the City of New York and the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) for, is to do everything in their power to thwart, delay and dilute the cleanup. This is especially evident in the uplands site known as, Public Place, currently under the jurisdiction of NYSDEC.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">As you know, Public Place is an incredibly polluted, contaminated, toxic site. Barely beneath its surface, lie the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, toluene. ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX), naphthaline and volatile organics -- dangerous, carcinogenic monsters swimming in this sea of coal tar. You know it, because it is one of the chief reasons the Gowanus Canal was made a Superfund site in the first place.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">In the early meetings with the community, both agencies as well as the representatives from PRP National Grid, spoke of a Public Place cleanup that included, among other things, at least eight feet of soil removal over the entire site with much deeper removal in the more contaminated areas around the former tank locations, an elaborate underground water pumping system to prevent seepage of contaminants into the canal, barrier "wings" which would extend from the canal edge going vertically up toward Smith Street for several feet at either end of the site to prevent contamination from seeping outside the perimeters of the site and back into the canal, a several inch thick plastic barrier under the eight feet of new soil and a very special grout mixture that was to be used to seal the bulkheads to one another that would not allow seepage of toxins from the site into the Canal.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">We should have suspected early on that all was not what it seemed when we learned that the "magic grout"'s efficacy was going to be tested not in the water, but somewhere upland closer to Smith Street, and no one had an explanation as to how the plastic was going to be a barrier of any kind once the building pilings (necessary for the planned Gowanus Green development) were driven through it. Nor were the concerns of the nearby homeowners ever really addressed as to how they were preparing to prevent the "post clean up" remaining coal tar from spreading to and under the existing surrounding homes. Those wings were good for the Canal, but not really enough protection for the community. There were only there-theres and assurances that <i>most</i> of the coal tar would obediently flow into the collection wells......but what about the rest?</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Since then, the cleanup has been diluted and the newest version we are aware of calls for two feet of soil removal, (although there is still some deeper removal a few feet surrounding the former tanks), no underground water pumping or thick plastic barrier to prevent re contamination (or toxic vapor containment-since it was at the time, touted as dual purpose), no "wings" at all and we don't remember if we ever heard if the grout was a success or not. The there-theres about <i>most </i>of the coal tar obediently flowing into the wells remains the same. We have received no insight on the defiant portion of the wicking, oily goo.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Some have described the Public Place situation now as more of a containment, rather than a clean up. We think that is way too generous a description. It is barely a poor dusting with a dirty rag and most certainly not a containment of the deadly mix of toxins which will forever remain alternately lurking and moving beneath that Site.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Below are excerpts from a CORD post reporting on a Community meeting with the EPA on May 31, 2011 - long before the Public Place "cleanup" was further diluted to its present plan:</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><blockquote style="margin: 0px; padding: 8px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><i>"...Community members expressed concern about the Public Place, Whole Foods and Lowe's sites---especially when it was pointed out that both the Lowe's site as well as what was to be the Toll Brothers site were both more contaminated than originally thought---and that the cleanup measures used at Lowe's and the proposed cleanup measure for the now defunct Toll Brothers site, were just not adequate in the opinion of the EPA.</i></div></div></blockquote></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div></div><div><i> Neighborhood residents expressed their concerns about the measures to be taken at the Public Place site to not only insure the safety of the residents who will eventually live on that site, but if the proposed measures to be taken to prevent the recontamination of the canal by the toxins in the Public Place uplands will actually cause those toxins to be diverted towards the current residents homes. The "uplands" fall under the jurisdiction of New York State, not the EPA. Christos expressed his opinion, that so far, the proposed Public Place site measures seem inadequate.</i></div><div><i> </i></div><div><i>This of course, led to a discussion and the expression of the concerns of the residents who now rightfully have diminished faith in the city and state agencies that apparently either approved or were ready to green light projects that were just not up to par---- How can we as residents now feel comfortable knowing that these same agencies are in charge of projects as significant to our health as the Public Place site?"</i></div><div><br /></div><div dir="ltr">from that same post....</div><div><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><div><blockquote style="margin: 0px; padding: 8px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><i>"......CORD has always expressed our belief that a comprehensive cleanup is the only way to go. A clean up that costs half a billion dollars and only solves one portion of the problem does not make sense. This is an historic opportunity to do something extraordinary--Our community must stand together and demand that this cleanup be the best there is--not one that is just good enough.</i></div><div><i> </i></div><div><i>Listening to the EPA Project Manager, we hear a voice that cares very deeply about giving us the best. But, we also hear that the EPA cannot do it alone---that we need to remain engaged and active. We must not ever settle.</i></div><div><i> </i></div><div><i>We must insist that our health and the health of our environment remain the number one priority. How fast this can be done may be a concern to some--how expensive and difficult a reality.......but how thorough and how effective a healthy, permanent result is achieved is important to everyone in our community--with no exception---and in this case, cost is no reason to settle for less.</i></div><div><i> </i></div><div><i>We are only learning now of the hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars this city has spent on consultants for projects that either don't work or go nowhere---it seems to us that the EPA is perfectly capable and willing to lend its expertise to the city and state of New York in a manner that will benefit not only the residents of our community today but well into the future---They are here right now and it is just plain foolish to squander this opportunity."</i></div><div><br /></div><div dir="ltr">More than a decade after this was written and there are still monies, our monies, being spent to degrade and downgrade this Site's clean up, indeed the Superfund itself, rather than using those funds to do the job properly. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Just last Fall the City of New York put out multi million dollar <b>RFP EE GEO 20 Sustainability Superfund Support Contract for Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek</b>, which included a section which was basically seeking a way to reverse the Gowanus Canal Record of Decision!</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">In June of this year, the New York State Legislature passed,<b> A-518-A/S.4095-B</b>, a bill that would prohibit the sale of pavement products containing coal tar and high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) "providing crucial protection to human health and aquatic ecosystems". It awaits a New York State Governor's approval.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">If the State Legislature recognizes the danger of coal tar use as an ingredient in our street pavements, what does that say about the dangers of a quasi removal of coal tar contaminated soil in preparation for hundreds if not thousands of people living directly upon and in the immediate vicinity of the ever undulating ocean of coal tar that will remain beneath and possibly further spread beyond Public Place?</div><div><br /></div><div dir="ltr">How can we possibly trust these people to do the right thing for our neighborhood? We firmly believe that the currently proposed NYSDEC Site plan is more than just inadequate. We believe that it poses a very clear threat to our health.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">So, CORD respectfully requests that in accordance with Section 105(d) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, the undersigned petition for USEPA Region 2 to undertake a revised assessment of chemical contaminants present at and potentially being released from the former Citizens Manufacturing Gas Plant (MGP) site (the Site) for a Hazard Ranking Score and potential inclusion on the National Priorities List (NPL) as a Federal Superfund site. The Site is located in Brooklyn, New York, bounded by Fourth, Hoyt, Fifth, Smith and Huntington Streets and the Gowanus Canal.<br /></div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"> We hope you will seriously consider our request. Thank you.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Sincerely,</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Lucy DeCarlo</div><div dir="ltr">Rita Miller</div><div dir="ltr">Triada Samaras</div><div dir="ltr">CORD Co-Founders</div></div></div></blockquote></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></blockquote></div></div></div></blockquote><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-22579806472078558492021-09-06T15:35:00.010-04:002021-09-06T16:08:12.667-04:00Special Press Conference on Gowanus This Wednesday Sept 8 at 11 AM with Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez + Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon<p style="text-align: center;"> <span face=""arial black", sans-serif" style="background-color: magenta; font-size: xx-large;">SPECIAL PRESS CONFERENCE ON GOWANUS:</span></p><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: monospace;">CONGRESSWOMAN NYDIA VELAZQUEZ<br /></span></span></i></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: monospace;">+ ASSEMBLYMEMBER JO ANNE SIMON</span></span></i></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>When:</b> WEDNESDAY, SEPT 8 @ 11AM</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Where:</b> 3RD ST + GOWANUS CANAL (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://goo.gl/maps/LpQ2nNqVn8JuEJYc6&source=gmail&ust=1631039647942000&usg=AFQjCNHAUxe4byeYa9HNfOgui6NY4nSJyA" href="https://goo.gl/maps/LpQ2nNqVn8JuEJYc6" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">MAP</a>) <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Why:</b> COME OUT & SUPPORT OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AS THEY DEMAND THAT THE GOWANUS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY BE REDONE WITH ACCURATE DATA, MODELING AND ANALYSIS! WE CANNOT ALLOW MAYOR DE BLASIO TO WILLFULLY IGNORE CLIMATE CHANGE AND IMPERIL OUR COMMUNITY. <u><b>THE CITY LIED BUT IDA TOLD THE TRUTH.</b></u> </span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcX8XYeED1ShGRQOpys0rFizAAUvxdYPZEtUIwtKTiZKp3v_YrrKprF13RJ5v2D5Gk6rzwPZ0zSJDN9QCYpUNujeF9J2MidE5M39NWQhyphenhyphen4AyJOpjEba_Bsl9BYEyCcUXew-lPdDI-HB2y/s2048/IMG_0008.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcX8XYeED1ShGRQOpys0rFizAAUvxdYPZEtUIwtKTiZKp3v_YrrKprF13RJ5v2D5Gk6rzwPZ0zSJDN9QCYpUNujeF9J2MidE5M39NWQhyphenhyphen4AyJOpjEba_Bsl9BYEyCcUXew-lPdDI-HB2y/w323-h430/IMG_0008.JPG" width="323" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijs4nv78u6YoxQn-lI1E92Rs0QUN0tOx8iFZ-8z8n5HE-VF6QA3j6ychfLRgqvtg-1xb0S9zqDlOy019NnUIEffwrBqlCT_GA3kjNJ8D2Yn6RbinZe7WhTl92jeIxSr3kci60-mfZS43jy/s2048/IMG_0009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1869" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijs4nv78u6YoxQn-lI1E92Rs0QUN0tOx8iFZ-8z8n5HE-VF6QA3j6ychfLRgqvtg-1xb0S9zqDlOy019NnUIEffwrBqlCT_GA3kjNJ8D2Yn6RbinZe7WhTl92jeIxSr3kci60-mfZS43jy/w427-h468/IMG_0009.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Above: Brownstone Building Basement Flooding and Sewage Backing Up on 2nd st near Smith St. (Many odd numbered buildings on 2nd ST. between Smith St and Hoyt St on 2nd St, flooded during Hurricane Ida,)</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Do you have IDA flooding photos you would like to share? Please send them to us at cgcord@gmail.com</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;">CG C</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ORD</span></span></i></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-86627653498098576222021-09-02T01:51:00.008-04:002021-09-02T19:02:05.559-04:00Federal Superfund Site Re-Assessment Petition for Harmful Chemical/Toxic Contaminats of the Citizens Manufactured Gas Site in Gowanus Brooklyn<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The letter below has been submitted </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;">to the EPA by several members of the Carroll Gardens/Gowanus community who are requesting </span><b style="font-size: large;">an independent analysis of Public Place by the agency as a potential superfund site.</b><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>Public Place</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"> may otherwise become fully developed for residential use in the near future. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>CG CORD</i></b> supports this petition wholeheartedly.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><blockquote style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><span id="m_-5569448866099272829gmail-m_148332207467654425m_8516533892620377029m_-5127877330423701358m_6090464621237197965m_-4415187004727470317docs-internal-guid-003893d9-7fff-34f7-e5b2-1a70f3b25259"><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="m_-5569448866099272829gmail-m_148332207467654425m_8516533892620377029m_-5127877330423701358m_6090464621237197965m_-4415187004727470317docs-internal-guid-003893d9-7fff-34f7-e5b2-1a70f3b25259"><span style="font-family: ArialMT;"><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mr. Michael Regan, USEPA Administrator </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mr. Walter Mugdan, USEPA Region 2 Acting Administrator </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mr. Pat Evangelista, USEPA Region 2 Director, Superfund and Emergency Management Division</span></div></span></span></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><span id="m_-5569448866099272829gmail-m_148332207467654425m_8516533892620377029m_-5127877330423701358m_6090464621237197965m_-4415187004727470317docs-internal-guid-003893d9-7fff-34f7-e5b2-1a70f3b25259"><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="m_-5569448866099272829gmail-m_148332207467654425m_8516533892620377029m_-5127877330423701358m_6090464621237197965m_-4415187004727470317docs-internal-guid-003893d9-7fff-34f7-e5b2-1a70f3b25259"><span style="font-family: ArialMT;"><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">August 20, 2021 </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Re: </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Federal </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Superfund Site Assessment Petition for the Citizens Manufactured Gas Site</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> (also known as Public Place and Gowanus Green)</span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In accordance with Section 105(d) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the below Petitioners respectfully request USEPA Region 2 undertake a revised assessment of chemical contaminants present at, and potentially being released from, the former Citizens Manufacturing Gas Plant (MGP) site (the Site) for a Hazard Ranking Score and potential inclusion on the National Priorities List (NPL) as a Federal Superfund site. The Site is located in Brooklyn, New York, bounded by Fourth, Hoyt, Fifth, Smith, and Huntington Streets, and the Gowanus Canal. </span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One hundred years of burning coal to manufacture gas at the Site dates back to the 1860s. The gas was produced for household and other consumption, while byproduct coal tars and ammonia were used in nearby facilities to produce dyes. Both production processes left significant levels of dangerous chemicals in the area including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX), polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAH), naphthaline, and volatile organics, and contributed to listing of the Gowanus Canal as a Superfund Site in 2010. </span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Four limited-scale investigations were undertaken between 1984 and 1990, until finally in 2005 (25 years after the passage of the Superfund law) a full</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/DecDocs/C224012/Report.BCP.C224012.2005-10-10.Final_RI_Report.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1630550874578000&usg=AFQjCNFJBNaT8TMrJsa5PxCsEjwTz6MTBg" href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/DecDocs/C224012/Report.BCP.C224012.2005-10-10.Final_RI_Report.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (RI/FS) was completed by Keyspan Energy, the successor in interest to the original plant owner and operator. </span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The 2005 RI/FS reported out to the public on August 8, 2005 documented “the presence of coal tar and dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL)” in all four Site parcels, several off-site locations, and beneath the surface at depths up to 150 feet. In addition, the RI/FS determined subsurface groundwater is transporting the BTEX, PAH, and other chemical constituents, which are entering into and transiting under the Gowanus Canal to soil on the opposite embankments. </span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A required Supplemental RI Scope of Work was submitted on October 31, 2005, to clarify the understanding of the vertical and lateral extent and continuity of contamination, as well as soil, groundwater, and soil vapor/indoor air sampling and analysis. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This RI Investigation Scope appears also to have provided the Work Plan for a Supplemental RI performed by National Grid (another successor-in-interest), according to correspondence dated December 23, 2009. One more Supplemental Investigation design was outlined in correspondence from National Grid on November 2, 2012. </span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The full extent of potential exposure, exposure pathways, and risk to human health and the environment from contamination present on, in, and around the Citizens MGP Site has not been comprehensively evaluated with results fully disclosed to the public. It was not until five years after the first RI/FS was performed in 2005 that the significant and dangerous contamination in the Gowanus Canal was even partially characterized by USEPA, leading to a Hazard Ranking Score of 50 based solely on surface water exposure. The soil, groundwater, and air vapor exposures that were not assessed in the Gowanus Hazard Ranking Score (because the NPL listing standard of 28.5 was reached) are still a potential risk for the Citizens MGP Site. </span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the Gowanus Superfund listing, investigation, and now cleanup have been ongoing, the</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/der/factsheet/c224012esd.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1630550874578000&usg=AFQjCNEx-kljMnJ7zPP7K-ZtglWhbjbgeg" href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/der/factsheet/c224012esd.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Citizens Site remedial response has been downgraded</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/der/factsheet/c224012besd.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1630550874578000&usg=AFQjCNHZBu7cEHk2CUMaoLcNkf3BEJ95aw" href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/der/factsheet/c224012besd.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">less and less cleanup is planned</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> while uses with higher and higher exposure potential are delineated. The petitioners are long-time residents of the area, and are among the potential receptors through soil, ground and surface water, and air exposure pathways, including those from anticipated use of the Gowanus Canal once the waterbody is restored to fishable/swimmable status. The Brownfield remediation underway may not be sufficient for planned uses, and only a neutral hazard ranking score can fully evaluate the Site conditions to assure any plan to introduce more direct human exposure pathways does not risk health effects, especially to low-income residents. </span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The current Brownfield designation is also problematic, as New York City (which is seeking the rezoning to use the property for housing and a school) is the property owner, and also a Responsible Party in the Gowanus Superfund Cleanup. The same need for neutral federal oversight to assure remedy compliance at the Canal applies equally to the Citizens Site. </span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although the preliminary assessment of the Citizens Site has been conducted, the Petitioners believe a full evaluation under the Federal Hazard Ranking System is warranted based on the nature, intensity, and extensiveness of known contamination to which they are exposed, coupled with the fact that the City of New York intends to rezone the site for the use of low-income residential housing and for a school. This documented use by the City of New York can pose a risk to human health and to the environment in the absence of a full USEPA hazard ranking evaluation and scoring for possible Federal Superfund Listing. </span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you for your consideration of this petition, and we look forward to your response. </span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Katia Kelly</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Linda LaViolette </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Steve Marcus</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Margaret Maugenest</span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CC:</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Charles Schumer</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Nydia Velázquez</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Jerrold Nadler</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Jo Anne Simon</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Letitia James</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Jabari Brisport</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Todd Kaminsky</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Daniel G. Stec</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Pete Harckham</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Michelle Hinchey</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Anna M. Kaplan</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Brian Kavanagh</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable John W. Mannion</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Rachel May</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Anthony H. Palumbo</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Patty Ritchie</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Jose M. Serrano</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Marcela Mitaynes</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Jumaane Williams</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable James F. Gennaro</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Eric A. Ulrich </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Darma V. Diaz</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Honorable Carlos Menchaca</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jaime Pinkham, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, USACE</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deanne Criswell, Administrator, FEMA</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sean W. O’Donnell, Inspector General, USEPA </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lawrence Starfield, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, USEPA</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brenda Mallory, Chair, Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cecilia R. Martinez, Senior Director for Environmental Justice, CEQ, EOP</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Matthew Tejada, Director, Office of Environmental Justice, USEPA</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Charles Lee, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Environmental Justice, USEPA</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Barry Breen, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Land and Emergency Management, USEPA </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Radhika Fox, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Water, USEPA </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stephen E. Murphy, Deputy Regional Administrator HUD</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Letizia Tagliafierro, NYS Inspector General</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Margot Brown, AVP, Environmental Justice & Equity, Environmental Defense Fund</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mark Izeman, Senior Director, Natural Resources Defense Council</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Suzanne Novak, Senior Attorney, Earthjustice</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Michael Dulong, Senior Attorney, Riverkeeper </span></div></span></span></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: red;">CG C</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">ORD </span></i></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></i></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>For More Info Please See:</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><b>The Guardian:</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzWOOqPAEgs"><b>Could New York’s ‘black mayonnaise’ problem sink a new 82-block development?</b></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The New York Times:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a data-ved="2ahUKEwic5-D4puHyAhXhMVkFHTGaD-cQFnoECAQQAQ" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/nyregion/gowanus-canal-dredging-redevelopment.html" style="color: #660099; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;"></a></b></span></p><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md" style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/nyregion/gowanus-canal-dredging-redevelopment.html">'Black Mayonnaise' Out of One of America's Dirtiest Waterways</a></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Video:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzWOOqPAEgs"><br /></a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzWOOqPAEgs">Storm Floods Gowanus Canal with Live Sewage</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Brownstoner:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.brownstoner.com/development/gowanus-canal-black-mayonnaise-superfund-epa-cleanup-brooklyn/"><b>What is Black Mayonnaise?</b></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></b></span><div><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md" style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;"><br /></h3></div></div>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045008898263621001.post-3705836564426540552021-06-30T17:42:00.002-04:002021-06-30T18:07:59.406-04:00Testimony of CORD Co-Founder Triada Samaras at the Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adam's Meeting on the Gowanus Re-Zone<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>My name is Triada Samaras. </i></span></p><div><i><span style="font-family: arial;">I am opposed to the current Gowanus Rezoning plan and urge a pause in the overall process.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: arial;">I am a member of the <a href="https://gowanuscag.org">Gowanus Canal CAG</a><a href="https://gowanuscag.org"> </a>/ Citizen's Advisory Group and I co-founded Carroll Gardens CORD / Carroll Gardens Coalition for Respectful Development with my neighbors in 2007. </span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: arial;">I bought my home in Carroll Gardens in the mid 1990's. I'm a single mother and working artist. I worked many years to be able to own my home in Carroll Gardens.</span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>In my arts education career I have worked exclusively in public settings with the neediest communities in NYC and urban NJ for over 30 years. I have been a committed community and arts activist and vocal activist for respectful development for all that time.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The truth here about the health and safety issues of this rezoning are not visible to many of those who are here admirably raging for housing justice for the neediest New Yorkers and who believe this rezoning is a good thing.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>I urge everyone to carefully read the <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/applicants/env-review/gowanus/noc-deis.pdf">DEIS</a> which has mistakes and major flaws throughout it. It is irresponsible for NYC to railroad this community during this time when we are trying to emerge from a pandemic. Gowanus deserves better.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez has publicly called for the <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/applicants/env-review/gowanus/noc-deis.pdf">Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)</a> for the Gowanus rezoning to be re-done with the federal agencies, as required by </i></span><i style="font-family: arial;">state and federal law.</i></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Neither social nor economic nor environmental justice is being served by this misguided and rushed re-zoning. I am opposed to this current re-zoning plan and urge a pause in the overall process until a comprehensive study is done at *<a href="https://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/2020/08/nys-dec-just-degraded-environmental.html"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"</span>Public Place" </a>and other coal tar remediation areas that fully documents the the human health impacts of living over a coal tar contaminated site.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>As a CAG member I can tell you that the City of New York is currently in total non-compliance with the EPA. In addition, this ULURP process has been entirely illegal and undemocratic until a few days ago.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Affordable housing is indeed an issue in New York City but the proposed rezoning puts the neediest New Yorkers directly in harms' way due to: **chemical contamination, ***inadequate CSO planning, and perhaps worst of all: the location of the land in a flood zone that was ****well-documented during Hurricane Sandy as having toxic flood waters flooding the surrounding streets.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Triada Samaras</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>CG CORD Co-Founder</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Gowanus Canal CAG Member</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>More Info:</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="caret-color: rgb(43, 0, 254);">* </span>NYS Just Degraded the </i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Environmental Clean-Up at Public Place / Former Citizen's Manufactured Gas Plant Site</i></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/2020/08/nys-dec-just-degraded-environmental.html">https://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/2020/08/nys-dec-just-degraded-environmental.html</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>** Contamination at MGP Sites</i></span></b></div><div><a href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/24922.html"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/24922.html</span></i></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>*** Poonami: Storm Floods Gowanus Canal with Raw Sewage</i></span></b></div><div><a href="https://vimeo.com/288874841"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>https://vimeo.com/288874841</i></span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><b>**** Gowanus Canal Flooding Brings Contamination Concerns</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/06/nyregion/gowanus-canal-flooding-brings-contamination-concerns.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/06/nyregion/gowanus-canal-flooding-brings-contamination-concerns.html</a></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>**** Photos: One of America's Most Extensively Contaminated Water Bodies is Flooding</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><a href="https://observer.com/2012/10/gowanus-canal-flooding/">https://observer.com/2012/10/gowanus-canal-flooding/</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><blockquote style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><br /></div></blockquote></div><div><blockquote style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote><p></p></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><br /></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><blockquote style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><br /></div></blockquote></div><div><blockquote style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"></div></blockquote></div><div><blockquote style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><br /></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><blockquote style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table> </div></blockquote></div><div><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i>I have been a committed community and arts activist and vocal advocate for </i></span><i>respectful development in Brooklyn for all that time. The truth here about the health and </i></div><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><i>safety issues of this proposed rezoning are not visible to many of those here who are admirably arguing for housing justice for the neediest Nyers and </i></div><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><i>who believe this rezoning is a good thing. </i></div><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><i><br /></i></div><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><i>I urge everyone to carefully read the EIS which has mistakes and flaws throughout it.</i></div><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><i><br /></i></div><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i>It is completely irresponsible to railroad this community during this time when we are trying to emerge from a pandemic. </i></span></div><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i>Gowanus deserves .</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote><p>Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez has publicly called for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Gowanus rezoning to be re-done with the full participation of federal agencies, as required by state and federal law.</p><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><i>Neither social nor economic nor environmental justice is being served by this misguided and rushed rezoning.</i></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><i><br /></i></div><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><br /><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><br /></div></blockquote></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><div><i>I am opposed to the current rezoning plan and urge a pause in the overall process <span face=""trebuchet ms", sans-serif">until a comprehensive study is done at "Public Place" and other coal tar remediation areas that fully documents the human health impacts of living over a coal tar contaminated site. </span></i></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"></table><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote><p>Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez has publicly called for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Gowanus rezoning to be re-done with the full participation of federal agencies, as required by state and federal law.</p><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><i>Neither social nor economic nor environmental justice is being served by this misguided and rushed rezoning.</i></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote><p></p></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i>As a CGA member I can tell you that The City of New York is currently in total noncompliance with the EPA. In addition this ULURP process has been entirely illegal and undemocratic until a few days ago.</i></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i>Affordable housing is indeed an issue in New York City but the proposed rezoning that we are talking </i></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i>about puts the neediest New Yorkers directly in harm's way due to: chemical contamination. inadequate CSO planning, and perhaps worst of all: the location of the land in a flood zone that was well-documented during Hurricane Sandy as having toxic waters flooding the surrounding streets.</i></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i>Triada Samaras</i></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i>CG CORD Co-Founder</i></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i>Gowanus Canal CAG Member</i></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><div id="post-body-5709177329386399394" itemprop="description articleBody"><span face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#fff"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><table bgcolor="#fff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></span></div>Triada Samarashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001185908791742250noreply@blogger.com