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Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Attorney General James Leads Tri-State Coalition in Calling For EPA to Tighten Controls on Air Pollution from Trucks
Smog Originating from Truck Emissions Poses a Particular Health
Threat to Low-Income Communities and Communities of Color
New York Attorney General Letitia James today partnered with Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew Bruck in pressing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to move swiftly to tighten controls on air pollution emitted by heavy-duty trucks. In a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan and National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, the attorneys general urged the EPA to act quickly to propose stronger standards for emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from new on-road heavy-duty trucks and engines for model year 2027 and beyond.
“The health of millions of New Yorkers — particularly our children, elderly, and most vulnerable — is routinely threatened by smog pollution,” said Attorney General James. “We know that heavy-duty trucks are one of the largest sources of pollution that cause New York’s serious smog problem, and that pollution has the greatest impact on low-income and communities of color. The EPA needs to protect the health of all New Yorkers by putting the brakes on smog-forming pollution from heavy-duty trucks.”
On the worst air quality days, nearly 12.5 million New Yorkers — almost two-thirds of the state’s population — breathe air with unhealthy levels of smog. Heavy-duty trucks are the nation’s largest mobile-source contributor of NOx, a potent precursor to ground-level ozone, or “smog,” emitting roughly 20-times more NOx than gasoline-fueled cars on a per-vehicle basis. Elevated levels of smog can disproportionately affect the health of the most vulnerable, including children and the elderly, and causes an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and COVID-19, and premature death. According to the American Lung Association’s 2021 State of the Air report, millions of New Yorkers with lung disease — including 380,000 children and over 1,600,000 adults suffering from asthma — are at special risk to the harmful effects of smog. People who live, work, or go to school near high-traffic roadways — which tend to be in low-income communities and communities of color — experience higher rates of these health impacts. The letter submitted today emphasizes that a “significant and rapid” cut in NOx emissions from heavy-duty trucks is urgently needed to protect the public health and well-being of all residents, but especially the most vulnerable communities.
The EPA has long recognized the serious public health and environmental harms caused by NOx emissions. NOx combines in the atmosphere with volatile organic compounds in the presence of heat and sunlight to form smog. As climate change causes warmer temperatures, smog formation will only worsen. Smog disproportionately affects the health of the most vulnerable, including children and the elderly, and causes an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and COVID-19, and premature death. People who live, work, or go to school near high-traffic roadways — which tend to be in low-income communities and communities of color — experience higher rates of these health impacts.
Even though New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey have implemented some of the most stringent control programs for NOx in the nation, the New York City metropolitan area failed to meet national air quality standards for smog by the July 2021 deadline. As a result, the EPA will soon reclassify the region from “serious” nonattainment with smog standards to “severe” nonattainment. The states’ on-going smog problem is, in a substantial way, driven by the pollution emissions of on-road heavy-duty trucks, as these vehicles emit 20 percent of the total NOx pollution in the tri-state region. In their letter, the attorneys general note that a sizeable proportion of this NOx is out of their control due to out-of-state trucks operating in their states or truck pollution that blows in from upwind states. Without strong action from the EPA to curb NOx emissions from out-of-state heavy-duty vehicles that New York and the other states lack the authority to regulate, the attorneys general argue that the states will continue to struggle to meet smog standards and protect the health of their residents.
This letter continues Attorney General James’ long-standing fight against smog pollution. In July 2021, she led a coalition of five states and the City of New York in reaching an agreement with the EPA that will commit the federal government to addressing pollution that blows into New York and creates smog. Under the agreement approved by the court last week, the EPA must take final action on “good neighbor” plans from six states to limit downwind spread of smog-forming emissions. The agreement would resolve a lawsuit that Attorney General James and the coalition brought against the Trump Administration’s EPA in January 2021 over its failure to fulfill its legal responsibility under the Clean Air Act to take action to ensure the control of upwind sources of smog-forming pollution.
Governor Hochul Announces State Police Traffic Safety Campaign During Thanksgiving Weekend
State Police and Local Law Enforcement to Increase Patrols to Prevent Impaired and Aggressive Driving During the Holiday Period
Construction-Related Lane Closures Limited to Ease Travel During Holiday
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies will participate in a special traffic safety initiative to prevent unsafe driving behaviors as the winter holiday season kicks off. The Thanksgiving weekend initiative runs from Wednesday, November 24, through Sunday November 28.
"As we look ahead to celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends, many of us will be spending time on the road and it's critical we do everything we can to ensure that holiday travel can be done safely," Governor Hochul said. "Getting behind the wheel while impaired by drugs or alcohol does nothing but put lives at risk. This year, make the responsible choice and help keep your fellow New Yorkers safe by having a plan to secure a safe and sober ride home."
In an effort to ease travel during the busy Thanksgiving weekend, temporary lane closures for road and bridge construction projects on New York State highways will be suspended beginning Wednesday, Nov. 24 at 6 a.m. through Monday, Nov. 29 at 6 a.m. Motorists are advised that some work may continue behind permanent concrete barriers for emergency repairs. The construction suspension aligns with New York State's Driver's First initiative, which prioritizes the convenience of motorists to minimize traffic congestion and travel delays due to road and bridge work.
New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen said, "Troopers will be highly visible throughout the Thanksgiving weekend and on the lookout for impaired and reckless drivers. Please follow posted speed limits, put down your mobile phone, and make sure to slow down move over for emergency and highway maintenance vehicles. Most importantly, don't get behind the wheel if you are impaired. Our goal is to ensure that everyone gets to their holiday celebrations safety."
Governor's Traffic Safety Council Chair and DMV Commissioner Mark J. F. Schroeder said, "We want all those traveling to see family and friends to make it to their destination safely and that is done by avoiding reckless and impaired driving. Driving impaired puts you, your passengers, and all those on the road in danger. Prevent a tragic event this Thanksgiving by driving sober."
State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, "The Department of Transportation will be suspending construction activities for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. State and local law enforcement agencies will be out enforcing vehicle and traffic laws that help keep motorists safe. I urge all motorists to do their part this holiday weekend by following the rules of the road and avoiding impaired and distracted driving. Put your phones down and pay attention. Let's all get to our destinations safely this Thanksgiving."
The State Police will supplement regular patrols statewide with dedicated impaired driving patrols including Drug Recognition Experts, fixed sobriety checkpoints, underage drinking enforcement, speed enforcement, and the use of Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) patrol vehicles to better locate drivers talking or texting on handheld devices. These unmarked vehicles blend in with everyday traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.
Elevated traffic volumes typically occur during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. It is also a time when alcohol consumption is widespread. During the 2020 Thanksgiving holiday period, troopers arrested 155 drivers for DWI, issued 4,871 speeding tickets and 228 tickets for distracted driving.Statewide, law enforcement arrested 901 people for DWI, issued 7,406 tickets for speeding and 627 tickets for distracted driving.
To discourage impaired driving, The Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) and its partners will be participating in a nationwide social media blitz using the hashtag #BoycottBlackoutWednesday.
The Thanksgiving impaired driving enforcement initiative is funded by the GTSC. The GTSC and the New York State STOP-DWI Foundation remind motorists that their "Have a Plan" mobile app, is available for Apple, Android and Windows smartphones. The app enables New Yorkers to locate and call a taxi or rideshare service and program a designated driver list. It also provides information on DWI laws and penalties, and provides a way to report a suspected impaired driver.
If you drive drunk or drugged, you not only put your life and the lives of others at risk, you could face arrest, jail time, and substantial fines and attorney fees. The average drinking and driving arrest costs up to $10,000.
Arrested drunk and drugged drivers face the loss of their driver's license, higher insurance rates, and dozens of unanticipated expenses from attorney fees, fines and court costs, car towing and repairs, and lost time at work.
The New York State Police, GTSC and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommend these simple tips to prevent impaired driving:
- Plan a safe way home before the fun begins.
- Before drinking, designate a sober driver.
- If you're impaired, use a taxi or ride sharing service, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.
- Use your community's sober ride program.
- If you suspect a driver is drunk or impaired on the road, don't hesitate to contact local law enforcement.
If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.
MAYOR DE BLASIO CELEBRATES COUNCIL PASSAGE OF GOWANUS NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN
De Blasio administration’s largest rezoning to freshen up decades-old codes in dynamic, transit-rich neighborhood
Plan delivers $250 million in new public investment for public parks, resilient infrastructure, and community amenities
The de Blasio Administration and Council Members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin today celebrated the City Council’s approval of the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan, the first change to Gowanus’ zoning codes in sixty years. After nearly a decade of engagement with community groups and elected officials, the final plan will make space for approximately 8,500 new homes, including 3,000 permanently affordable homes. The rezoning will also provide long-needed tools to bolster job growth, support industrial businesses, encourage new schools and transit improvements, and create a unique set of publicly accessible waterfront areas along a cleaned-up Gowanus Canal.
The Plan includes $250 million in supporting investments for new and improved public parks, upgraded drainage infrastructure, and community amenities. An additional $200 million will address priority capital improvements to adjacent NYCHA homes.
“Rezoning Gowanus – and unlocking a high-opportunity, transit-rich neighborhood in the heart of Brooklyn for new generations of New Yorkers – is a transformative step toward building a recovery for all of us,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Thanks to years of hard work from city agencies, elected officials, advocates, and Gowanus residents, we’re finally bringing this neighborhood the jobs, housing, and open space it deserves.”
“I am thrilled to see through the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan after so many years of dedicated, collaborative work between the City, Council Members Lander and Levin, and the Gowanus community. Opening up a centrally-located, well-resourced part of Brooklyn to more New Yorkers is a critical step towards a fairer city,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. “I look forward to seeing the growth and public investments advance to realize a more resilient and equitable Gowanus.”
“After years of focused planning work, today is a day for celebration! Thanks to a highly-collaborative process with the Gowanus community, Council Members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin, and our sister agencies, this transit rich, centrally-located and historic Brooklyn community will remain as creative and vibrant as ever, while also becoming much more affordable, greener and more resilient,” said Department of City Planning Director Anita Laremont. “I congratulate all of those who contributed to this important plan.”
The Gowanus Neighborhood Plan supports an equitable recovery by facilitating the creation of thousands of safe, affordable homes in a high-opportunity, transit-rich neighborhood. Of the estimated 8,500 new homes to result from the rezoning, approximately 2,000 will be permanently affordable under Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program (MIH). For example, many two-bedroom apartments will have rents as low as $900 per month in a neighborhood that currently has asking rents that are often greater than $2,500 per month.
Another nearly 1,000 permanently affordable homes will be constructed on city-owned land within the rezoning area. The 100% affordable residential development, Gowanus Green, will also include a new public school and a new park. At least half of the rental units in the project will serve families earning $51,200 or less, including at least 140 homes to be set aside for formerly homeless New Yorkers. The site will be fully remediated ahead of construction.
The Gowanus Neighborhood Plan is the de Blasio administration’s largest neighborhood rezoning to date. The Plan covers the area roughly bounded by Bond Street to the west, Baltic Street to the north, 4th Avenue to the east, and Huntington, 3rd, 7th and 15th Streets to the south.
Supporting investments include $250 million in infrastructure and amenities to the direct rezoning area. Those initiatives include:
- Nearly six acres of new public parks and open spaces, improvements to existing open spaces, and requirements for a publicly accessible waterfront esplanade:
- A new, city-owned waterfront park adjacent to Gowanus Green and new open spaces such as the Salt Lot CSO tank site and the Bond Street street end
- Renovations to Boerum Park
- New publicly accessible waterfront spaces forming a continuous esplanade along the Canal, required to be part of any future waterfront development per the new Gowanus Waterfront Access Plan (WAP)
- Approximately $22 million in pedestrian safety improvements
- $174 million to complete significant upgrades to drainage infrastructure to alleviate flooding conditions in the area, particularly in the vicinity of 4th Ave and Carroll Street. This investment will include the reconstruction of existing sewer lines and the rehabilitation of the 19th Street Pump Station.
- Requirements that new development must clean up long-polluted brownfield sites, elevate their buildings to protect against long-term daily tidal flooding, and meet new stormwater management requirements that will reduce annual combined sewer overflow (CSO) volumes.
- New innovative measures built into the zoning regulations that incentivize:
- New school seats that may be needed alongside future growth
- Transit accessibility improvements to local subway stations
- New space for job-generating businesses in the commercial, cultural, industrial and retail sectors
- Dedicated space for artists, light manufacturing, and community uses in new development via a dedicated zoning mechanism known as the “Gowanus Mix”
- Active uses on ground floors along major streets and corners.
- Expanded small business assistance and workforce development programming to expand access to new job opportunities in the area.
The commitments also include approximately $200 million to address priority capital improvements to two adjacent NYCHA developments, Gowanus Houses and Wyckoff Gardens, to ensure the Plan incorporates the broader Gowanus community’s needs. The investment will deliver comprehensive interior apartment renovations for all 1,662 units, including newly renovated bathrooms and kitchens, new flooring, and upgrades to lighting, electrical, and plumbing. The commitments also include the expansion of the MAP initiative, the completion of renovations to the Gowanus and Wyckoff Community Centers, and the expansion of free or low-cost broadband.
The Gowanus Neighborhood Plan is built on nearly a decade of community engagement between City Council, Community Board 6, community organizations, residents, and a large City agency team. The City and Council Members Lander and Levin have worked intensively together since 2016, when the City kicked off an engagement process with hundreds of meetings to shape the proposal. A two-year online engagement pilot run by the Department of City Planning, plangowanus.com, received over 17,000 visitors and over 250 comments to inform the plan. The City is committed to continued coordination and accountability on the implementation of the Plan alongside the Community Board and local stakeholders.
“The future of Gowanus accelerates forward today, anchored in affordability, equitable growth and resiliency,” said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll. “Bringing nearly 1,000 new affordable homes and a new public waterfront park, the transformative Gowanus Green project will be a cornerstone of the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan which is guiding the growth of this vibrant community on the values of fairness and inclusion. We are excited to join with community residents and local officials as a critical partner to ensure Gowanus’ development serves a diversity of families, including current and soon to be residents.”
“Built on parks and public space equity, the Gowanus plan offers a model of green urbanism not just for New York City but for the rest of the country. Not only does the rezoning provide an all-new 1.5-acre park, but it activates the waterfront to create a destination shoreline walkway that reflects the Canal’s industrial past,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Gabrielle Fialkoff. "As New York City grows, we must continue to make resilient, accessible, and beautiful public spaces central to our vision for the future. The Gowanus rezoning does just that.”
“DEP is committed to further improving drainage in the Gowanus neighborhood and restoring the health and ecology of the Canal, and the forthcoming Stormwater Rule and approximately $1 billion overflow retention tanks will go a long way towards those goals,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “From upgrading the Canal’s Flushing Tunnel to building rain gardens and green playgrounds, separating sewers on 3rd Avenue and upgrading the wastewater pumping station we have already invested hundreds of millions of dollars and are using every tool in the toolbox to improve the quality of life for residents and businesses in Gowanus.”
40 Days and Counting
I can't even trust the few reporters I put on my call on list. This morning Andrew Siff from NBC who I have my moderator call on at least twice a week, asked me if Governor Hochul invited me to go on the tour of the Second Avenue Subway line. I had to duck the question saying what a wonderful job she is doing.
Other reporters hit me with, what do I think of Mayor Elect Adams riding on a private jet owned by a cryptocurrency Billionaire, non citizen voting, ending city business with Homeless provider CORE Services Group, closed classrooms due to COVID, asking the governor for a vaccination mandate, me owing for six years now $435,000 to the lobbyist firm that is representing the Blood Center and why haven't I paid it yet, banning horse racing statewide, and some of the other questions I got. It's a good thing I have a four days without no reporter questions, they must have known that today.
Monday, November 22, 2021
Albanian American Open Hands Association Thanksgiving meal for It's Volunteers
Sunday afternoon after the Albanian American Open Hands Association joined with the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association, and Assemblywoman Fernandez to hand out almost one-hundred and fifty turkeys to the Pelham Parkway community.
A few hours later AAOHA volunteers gathered at the Destination Tomorrow building on Barnes Avenue one block from the AAOHA office on Holland Avenue to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast by AAOHA founder and President Aleksander Nilaj along with Ms. Dila Kocaj who did most of the cooking, and Ms. Violeta Craij who baked several delicious desserts. It was a meal for the forty volunteers who help out twice a week giving out food to the community from in front of the AAOHA office located at 2141 Holland Avenue.
The group of AAOHA volunteers, with the elected officials who support them on the wall behind them.
The line of delicious Thanksgiving food that was prepared for the volunteers.
The Baklava gets a healthy dose of honey from Ms. Violeta Craij, who also tore up the dance floor later.
Here Violeta and her husband John take to the dance floor for a traditional Albanian dance.
AAOHA Founder and President Aleksander Nilaj with Volunteer Miriam Quin, State Committeeman Joe McManus, and Community Board 11 members Christian Amato,\ and Andrea Siegal.
Governor Hochul Announces 90 Percent of Adult New Yorkers Ages 18 and Over Have Received At Least One Dose of the COVID-19 Vaccin
62,641 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours
33 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday
Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.
"As of today, 90 percent of adult New Yorkers have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine - while that is an incredible achievement, it's crucial we continue to take precautions to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe from this deadly virus as we head into the holiday season," Governor Hochul said. "We know the tools to stop the spread of COVID: Get vaccinated, get the booster if you are already vaccinated, and please stay home if you're feeling sick. The vaccine and booster is safe, free and widely available. Don't put it off any longer."
Today's data is summarized briefly below:
- Test Results Reported - 120,209
- Total Positive - 5,401
- Percent Positive - 4.49%
- 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 3.82%
- Patient Hospitalization - 2,361 (+69)
- Patients Newly Admitted - 281
- Patients in ICU - 470 (+17)
- Patients in ICU with Intubation - 236 (+9)
- Total Discharges - 213,374 (+212)
- New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 33
- Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 46,254
The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.
- Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 58,907
This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.
- Total vaccine doses administered - 29,149,973
- Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 62,641
- Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 702,976
- Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 85.4%
- Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 78.0%
- Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 90.0%
- Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 80.3%
- Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 73.5%
- Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 66.1%
- Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 77.1%
- Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 68.1%
NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S STATEMENT ON THE CUOMO IMPEACHMENT REPORT
"This report is damning, if delayed. It documents both specific instances of harm and a clear overarching pattern of abuse of power within the Cuomo administration – one which many of us saw and challenged long before the pandemic. The former Governor engaged in repeated incidents of sexual misconduct, mishandled the COVID crisis, and focused time and resources on a book deal rather than combatting that crisis. He was clearly only ever interested in his own interests.
"Again and again throughout the report, we see how Andrew Cuomo abused his power and position to both commit egregious actions and coerce the people under his control to support both the actions themselves and the coverup. With the former Governor exerting such influence, it was and has always been important for those outside of it to use the power they have to stand independently and speak out about these instances of abuse – or to preemptively stand against the culture that enabled them. This impeachment report documents a series of terrible, preventable actions, and in holding Andrew Cuomo accountable, we must also account for how he was enabled and empowered.
"The former Governor’s conduct was clearly impeachable, and the legislature should explore how it can move forward to help ensure the full legal accountability– as a condemnation of the conduct displayed, the Cuomo administration that perpetrated it, and the systems in Albany that perpetuate these abuses."