To: Iver M. Anderson, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
City Kids Don't Stand a Breathing Chance!
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Research linking traffic related air pollution to autism, asthma and other health problems is very clear. City kids just don't stand a breathing chance; clean air is hard to find and they are literally suffocating.
The Yorkville/East Harlem neighborhood is the most densely populated residential area in the city, with air pollution levels among the worst in the city and East Harlem’s asthma rates among the highest in the nation. There are very few green spaces in NYC for kids to get the exercise they need and clean air to breathe.
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) must review and revoke the Air Facility permits at the East 91st St., Marine Transfer Station (MTS) based on the facts that there are numerous changed conditions, since the permits were first granted, that increase the negative health and safety impacts of this MTS on New Yorkers of all ages – but especially on children’s developing lungs, brains and bodies.
The East 91st Street MTS will bring hundreds of diesel polluting garbage trucks every day through the Yorkville/East Harlem area, increasing the already high levels of traffic related air pollution. It is being built a block away from a public housing complex AND right on top of a sports field and recreation center that provides hundreds of inner city kids free classes, including life-saving swimming instructions. Our children are being punished by a system that favors real estate deals and politics over people. It's heartbreaking.
There are over 22,000 residents in the 1/4 mile radius of this site. On behalf of ALL New Yorkers and all families raising their children’s in NYC, I implore the DEC to NOT RENEW the Air Facility permit for the East 91st Street MTS.
The Yorkville/East Harlem neighborhood is the most densely populated residential area in the city, with air pollution levels among the worst in the city and East Harlem’s asthma rates among the highest in the nation. There are very few green spaces in NYC for kids to get the exercise they need and clean air to breathe.
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) must review and revoke the Air Facility permits at the East 91st St., Marine Transfer Station (MTS) based on the facts that there are numerous changed conditions, since the permits were first granted, that increase the negative health and safety impacts of this MTS on New Yorkers of all ages – but especially on children’s developing lungs, brains and bodies.
The East 91st Street MTS will bring hundreds of diesel polluting garbage trucks every day through the Yorkville/East Harlem area, increasing the already high levels of traffic related air pollution. It is being built a block away from a public housing complex AND right on top of a sports field and recreation center that provides hundreds of inner city kids free classes, including life-saving swimming instructions. Our children are being punished by a system that favors real estate deals and politics over people. It's heartbreaking.
There are over 22,000 residents in the 1/4 mile radius of this site. On behalf of ALL New Yorkers and all families raising their children’s in NYC, I implore the DEC to NOT RENEW the Air Facility permit for the East 91st Street MTS.
Why is this important?
I’m a mother of two children in Yorkville, Manhattan. One of my children is a 14-year-old with special needs who struggles significantly every single day with some of the most basic tasks. His ADHD, anxiety, and autism spectrum characteristics are quite severe and daily physical activity is paramount to his well-being. Exercise and fresh air are vital for him to be able to function and feel good.
Mayor de Blasio is building a garbage station in the Yorkville/East Harlem area that would otherwise be illegal if not for a "grandfather" clause. The specific laws about where a city garbage station should go have been "waived" for this location for political reasons. Just recently, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced a 30-day public comment period, regarding the permits for the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station (MTS), which continues through July 24th, 2015.
New Yorkers are begging for an unbiased review of the permits and the changed conditions; one based on facts not politics. All other NYC MTSs are all in primarily industrial areas, not where thousands of people live, work and play. Yorkville and East Harlem's kids deserve a breathable place to live, grow and learn.
Mayor de Blasio is building a garbage station in the Yorkville/East Harlem area that would otherwise be illegal if not for a "grandfather" clause. The specific laws about where a city garbage station should go have been "waived" for this location for political reasons. Just recently, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced a 30-day public comment period, regarding the permits for the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station (MTS), which continues through July 24th, 2015.
New Yorkers are begging for an unbiased review of the permits and the changed conditions; one based on facts not politics. All other NYC MTSs are all in primarily industrial areas, not where thousands of people live, work and play. Yorkville and East Harlem's kids deserve a breathable place to live, grow and learn.