May 2, 2013 - MTS. In fact since last week 6,000 New Yorkers have already signed our pledge to support only elected offi
Testimony of Kelly Nimmo-Guenther, Pledge to Protect Coalition Special Contract Public Hearing on Proposed Contract for Transportation and Disposal Services for the North Shore and East 91st Street Marine Transfer Stations
May 2, 2013
My name is Kelly Nimmo-Guenther, President of Pledge 2 Protect. Since launching last week, we are a rapidly growing coalition of citizens, educators, parents, businesses and organizations working together to protect the tens of thousands New Yorkers who will be negatively impacted from the E. 91st Street MTS. In fact since last week 6,000 New Yorkers have already signed our pledge to support only elected official who oppose the dump. Our coalition partners include Asphalt Green, Residents for Sane Trash, Moms Clean Air Force, the Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center and a number of schools and block associations. As a coalition we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable: children, seniors and low-income families, who will be directly impacted by this dangerous garbage facility. Carcinogenic emissions from the hundreds of trucks will exceed EPA standards. We are committed to protecting the green space: playgrounds, playing fields and parks. Alsphalt Green provides critical recreation and playground space to over 31,000 children each year. The East River Esplanade is a vital green space for tens of thousands of New York City residents. And we are committed to protecting the environment and the right to breathe clean air. This plan places a garbage facility in a dense residential neighborhood. A recent study that compared this facility against the other six proposed MTS locations and found that more than three times both the total number of residents and children live within a ΒΌ mile of the East 91st St. location Industrial facilities like this DO NOT belong in ANY residential neighborhood. In fact, laws exist today which protect people from facilities like the East 91st Street MTS from being built. The city has exploited loopholes and has grandfathered in this MTS putting tens of thousands of New Yorkers at risk. With the price tag mushrooming (WITHOUT the additional cost required for any retrofitting due to Hurricane Sandy or any project overruns), this unnecessary expenditure comes at a time when the budgets for schools, after-school programs, municipal services and many others are being drastically cut. As the City is entering another budget deficit year, we are asking you all to re-consider awarding this contract which fiscally binds our taxpayers to more than is necessary in handling its waste. This entire project is a financial boondoggle. With this contract we will be paying hundreds of millions more in construction and operating costs to ultimately send our garbage to the same company. This makes as little financial sense as it does environmental sense. Thank you for the opportunity to speak.
