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<channel>
	<title>The Wonkster &#187; sustainability</title>
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	<description>Gotham Gazette&#039;s blog about New York policy and politics</description>
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		<title>City Releases First Wetlands Strategy for Comment</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/02/13/city-releases-first-wetlands-strategy-for-comment/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/02/13/city-releases-first-wetlands-strategy-for-comment/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:09:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Waterfront]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10508</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Parks Writer Anne Schwartz filed this story: 
In its first effort to create a comprehensive policy for protecting New York City’s last wetlands, the Bloomberg administration released a draft Wetlands Strategy in mid-January. The City Council held a hearing on the draft on January 31, and public comments are being accepted until February 18 at [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Parks Writer Anne Schwartz filed this story: </em></p>
<p>In its first effort to create a comprehensive policy for protecting New York City’s <a href="../../../article/parks/20070422/14/2156"></a><a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/parks/20070422/14/2156 ">last wetlands</a>, the Bloomberg administration released <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/downloads/pdf/wetlands_strategy.pdf ">a draft Wetlands Strategy</a> in mid-January. The City Council held a hearing on the draft on January 31, and public comments are being accepted until February 18 at <a href="mailto:planyc@cityhall.nyc.gov">planyc@cityhall.nyc.gov</a>.</p>
<p>Of the estimated 100 square miles of coastal marshes that once lined the city’s shores, just 14 remain. More than 90 percent of its freshwater wetlands have been lost. The wetlands that remain are key to the survival of waterbirds nesting in the harbor, migratory birds that funnel through the city in the spring and fall, and harbor fisheries. They also help prevent coastal flooding and soak up stormwater, an increasingly important role as climate change brings an expected rise in the number and severity of storm surges.<span id="more-10508"></span></p>
<p>In 2007, the Wetlands Transfer Task Force inventoried wetlands on city property and recommended the transfer of several hundred acres to the parks department. But the fate of numerous wetlands in the five boroughs, including many in private ownership, remains undecided. To fill this gap, Local Law 31, introduced by City Councilmember James Gennaro and signed by Mayor Bloomberg in 2009, required the city to create a strategy to “conserve, protect, enhance, stabilize, restore, and expand wetlands and associated buffer areas in the city,” with a particular focus on small vulnerable wetland parcels.</p>
<p>“There are a lot of wetlands in the city we know about that still need protection,” said Glenn Phillips, Executive Director of New York City Audubon and a member of the task force. “This plan is a critical first step in the process.”</p>
<p>Although in 2007, Mayor Bloomberg approved the transfer to the parks department of the city’s largest unprotected wetland&#8211;the <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/parks/20071030/14/2333 ">70-acre Arlington Marsh</a> on the northwest shore of Staten Island&#8211;the strategy draft says that the transfer is pending the planned expansion of the adjacent New York Container Terminal. Advocates say, however, that the terminal can expand while still preserving the most ecologically significant sections of the marsh and there is no need to hold up the transfer.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Blizzard Answers At Council Hearing</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/01/10/blizzard-answers-at-council-hearing/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/01/10/blizzard-answers-at-council-hearing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:02:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Courtney Gross</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[City Hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crime & Safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Electoral Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye Opener]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Measuring UP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Transportation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work and Labor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nextNY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2010]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blizzard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boxing day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brooklyn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[john doherty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new york city]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new york city council]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plowing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sanitation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snowhearing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stephen goldsmith]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=8979</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Photo (c) William Alatriste 
On Christmas Eve, days before snow began to fall on New York City, Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty were on the phone. 
The winter weather watch had not yet been issued by the National Weather Service. Doherty and Sadik-Khan talked about their options for the looming storm, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Deputy-Mayor-Goldsmith-Answers-Questions-from-the-City-Council-c-William-Alatriste-New-York-City-Council1.jpg"><img src="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Deputy-Mayor-Goldsmith-Answers-Questions-from-the-City-Council-c-William-Alatriste-New-York-City-Council1-300x199.jpg" alt="Deputy Mayor Goldsmith Answers Questions from the City Council--(c) William Alatriste New York City Council" title="Deputy Mayor Goldsmith Answers Questions from the City Council--(c) William Alatriste New York City Council" width="375" height="270" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-8990" /></a>
<div class="photocredit">Photo <a href="">(c) William Alatriste </a></div>
<p>On Christmas Eve, days before snow began to fall on New York City, Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty were on the phone. </p>
<p>The winter weather watch had not yet been issued by the <a href="http://www.erh.noaa.gov/okx/SOO/case_studies/12262010.html">National Weather Service</a>. Doherty and Sadik-Khan talked about their options for the looming storm, which at that time was supposed to bring several inches to the Big Apple. </p>
<p>Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith, who oversees both agencies, was in <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/12/the_blizzard_cleanup_what_went.html?f=most-commented-24h-5">Washington, D.C.</a> To this day, it is unclear where <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/01/06/2011-01-06_no_snow_job_mike.html">Mayor Michael Bloomberg was. </a></p>
<p>A day later, on Christmas, the National Weather Service upgraded the city&#8217;s storm warning to a <a href="http://www.erh.noaa.gov/okx/SOO/case_studies/12262010/355pm12252010Warn.txt">blizzard at 3:55 p.m</a>. It defiantly told New Yorkers: &#8220;Do not travel.&#8221; It warned the city could see high winds and up to 16 inches of snow. </p>
<p>On Dec. 26th, two days after their first conversation about the storm, the two commissioners decided not to call a <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/snowstorm.shtml">city snow emergency</a> &#8212; a rare designation that would force certain residents to move their cars off narrow streets and prohibit driving any vehicle not equipped with chains or snow tires. </p>
<p>They did not tell Goldsmith or the mayor about their decision. </p>
<p>This one decision, officials said today, created a serious snowball effect that ultimately left the city <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/01/10/8969/">unprepared</a> to deal with the <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/searchlight/20110110/203/3448">now-infamous Boxing Day blizzard.<br />
</a><br />
&#8220;We didn&#8217;t want residents to take those cars out, start looking for a parking space &#8212; we all know in New York City it&#8217;s very difficult to find &#8212; and then [create] more problems that we were trying to avoid,&#8221; Doherty told the City Council this afternoon at <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/searchlight/20110110/203/3448">the first of seven hearings on the blizzard response</a>. Every agency head involved and 42 council members attended today&#8217;s hearing, including Council Speaker Christine Quinn who normally sits out of the hearing process.   </p>
<p>In retrospect, Goldsmith said this afternoon, the decision to call a snow emergency would have acted like a &#8220;catalyst,&#8221; triggering other agencies to respond with speed and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/31/nyregion/31outrage.html">seriousness to the storm</a>. Instead, between Dec. 26 and New Year&#8217;s Day, Bloomberg administration officials scrambled to keep up with the 20-inch snowfall, which left ambulances, buses and abandoned vehicles stuck in unplowed streets. </p>
<p>Officials acted without a concrete chain of command and City Hall failed to get a complete picture of how bad the situation really was, Goldsmith said. </p>
<p>&#8220;The mayor did not have the information he deserved,&#8221; Goldsmith said, contending there was a communication breakdown between city agencies. &#8220;I accept responsibility in doing that more rigorously in the future,&#8221; he added. </p>
<p>Goldsmith, a former mayor of Indianapolis who joined the administration last spring, promised to never let it happen again. As part of that pledge, the administration unveiled a <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2011/review_of_2010_blizzard_response_01-10-11.pdf">15-point plan to prevent</a> similar slow responses. (More on that <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/01/10/goldsmiths-15-point-plan/">plan here.</a>) They will have an opportunity to test it tomorrow. Snow is expected to start <a href="http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/01/10/snowstorm-to-drop-6-to-12-inches-across-tri-state/">accumulating tomorrow evening</a>, and by Wednesday night we could have another foot on the ground.<br />
<span id="more-8979"></span></p>
<p>On Boxing Day, Goldsmith said he put his trust in the city&#8217;s top commissioners, who had tackled 70-plus similar snowfalls. </p>
<p>&#8220;I wasn&#8217;t going to interfere with a working model,&#8221; the deputy mayor said. </p>
<p>Beyond the <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/01/10/8969/">failure to call an emergency,</a> the city did not get the proper equipment and day laborers for a storm of this size, and was out of touch with which streets were being plowed when. About 50 percent of sanitation trucks are without radios, Doherty said, so sanitation supervisors did not of unplowed streets or stuck vehicles unless they saw their workers in the flesh. </p>
<p>The administration&#8217;s new plan will not only restructure how it calls snow emergencies, but it will also require GPS systems on all sanitation trucks. A mayoral spokesperson could not provide an estimate for how much this plan will cost. </p>
<p>Bloomberg adminsitration officials deflected accusations that the slow snow response was because of budget cuts. The sanitation department&#8217;s manpower was at its lowest in February 2010 &#8212; the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/nyregion/11snow.html">last large snowstorm in the city</a>, which went smoothly, officials said. </p>
<p>Others disagree.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not nickle and dimes when it comes to peoples&#8217; lives. My workforce is hurting,&#8221; said Harry Nespoli, the president of the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/SWA-Local-831-DSNY/99666931557?v=info">Uniformed Sanitationmen&#8217;s Association</a>, at today&#8217;s hearing. &#8220;We need more trucks, more manpower. We&#8217;re cut so tight.&#8221; </p>
<p>Today&#8217;s hearing was not without theatrics. When asking administration officials about chains on sanitation equipment, Sanitation Chair Letitia James thrust a heavy steel example in the air. She said those were the chains the city used to use. She then grabbed another set made of nickel magnesium alloy, saying it was what was used during the blizzard. They were much smaller. </p>
<p>At no point did the council dive in depth into the issue of a <a href="http://gothamist.com/2010/12/30/paterson_calls_for_investigation_in.php">sanitation slowdown.</a> Quinn said the council was advised to stay away from the topic since it is the subject of a <a href="http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Feds-Probe-Alleged-Sanitation-Blizzard-Slowdown-112894829.html">criminal investigation.</a> </p>
<p>Council members, however, did not hesitate to slam the administration for a so-called unequal response. Councilmember <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/NYCGreenfield">David Greenfield of Brooklyn </a>accused the administration of favoring Manhattan and sidelining the outer boroughs during plowing. </p>
<p>&#8220;Are outer borough residents second class citizens?&#8221; asked Greenfield, whose district had some of the worst responses from the city. </p>
<p>Councilmember Charles Barron went further. Standing up in front of the standing room only crowd at the Emigrant Savings Bank, Barron urged residents to not blame Department of Sanitation employees but to point at the administration. </p>
<p>&#8220;I think you and the mayor should be investigated,&#8221; Barron said. </p>
<p>Goldsmith, who was appearing before the council for the first time, took that icy response in stride: &#8220;I appreciate the depths of your opinion,&#8221; Goldsmith said. &#8220;I categorically disagree.&#8221;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Budget Hearings Breakdown</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2010/05/13/budget-hearings-breakdown/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2010/05/13/budget-hearings-breakdown/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2010 22:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Courtney Gross</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[City Hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crime & Safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Electoral Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye Opener]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Housing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Land Use]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Transportation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nextNY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[budget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[City Council]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mayor Michael Bloomberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new york city]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=7453</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The City Council kicked off its executive budget hearings this morning, and over the next month there will be dozens more. 
This schedule is subject to change, but here is how it&#8217;s laid out now.

Friday, May 14
Human Rights Commission, 10 a.m.
City University of New York, 10:30 a.m.
Education and School Construction Authority (Capital), 12 p.m.
Monday, May [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The City Council kicked off its <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/searchlight/20100507/203/3260">executive budget hearings</a> this morning, and over the next month there will be dozens more. </p>
<p>This schedule is <a href="http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/Calendar.aspx">subject to change</a>, but here is how it&#8217;s laid out now.<br />
<strong><br />
Friday, May 14</strong><br />
Human Rights Commission, 10 a.m.<br />
City University of New York, 10:30 a.m.<br />
Education and School Construction Authority (Capital), 12 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Monday, May 17</strong><br />
Citywide Administrative Services, 10 a.m.<br />
Board of Elections, 10:45 a.m.<br />
Campaign Finance Board, 11:45 a.m.<br />
Aging, 12:30 p.m.<br />
Juvenile Justice, 2 p.m.<br />
<span id="more-7453"></span><br />
<strong>Tuesday, May 18</strong><br />
Human Resources Administration/Social Services, 9:30 a.m.<br />
Administration for Children&#8217;s Services, 11 a.m.<br />
Homeless Services, 1 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Friday, May 21</strong><br />
Transportation, 10 a.m.<br />
Transportation (Capital), 10: 30 a.m.<br />
MTA New York City Transit. 11:15 a.m.<br />
MTA NYC Transit (Expense), 11:45 a.m.<br />
Taxi and Limousine Commission, 12:15 a.m.<br />
NYCHA, 1 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Monday, May 24 </strong><br />
Consumer Affairs, 10 a.m.<br />
Business Integrity Commission, 10:30 a.m.<br />
Education (Expense), 11 a.m.</p>
<p><strong>Tuesday, May 25</strong><br />
City Planning, 11 a.m.<br />
Information Technology and Telecommunications, noon<br />
Youth and Community Development, 9:30 a.m.<br />
Small Business Services, 11 a.m.<br />
Economic Development Corp., noon</p>
<p><strong>Tuesday, June 1</strong><br />
Fire/EMS, 10 a.m.<br />
Correction, noon<br />
Criminal Justice Coordinator, 12:30 p.m.<br />
Legal Aid, 1:30 p.m.<br />
Parks and Recreation, 2:30</p>
<p><strong>Wednesday, June 2</strong><br />
Medical Examiner, 11:30 a.m.<br />
Health and Hospitals Corp., noon<br />
Health and Mental Hygiene, 1:30 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Thursday, June 3</strong><br />
Police, 10 a.m.<br />
District Attorney, noon<br />
Office of Emergency Management, 1:15 p.m.<br />
Civilian Complaint Review Board, 1:45 p.m.<br />
Sanitation, 2:45 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Friday, June 4</strong><br />
Libraries, 10 a.m.<br />
Cultural Affairs, 11:30 a.m.<br />
Housing Preservation and Development, 12:45 p.m.<br />
Buildings, 2 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Monday, June 7</strong><br />
Office of Management and Budget, 10 a.m.<br />
Comptroller, 1 p.m.<br />
Independent Budget Office, 1:30 p.m.<br />
Public, 2 p.m. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>City Planning Responds</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2010/05/04/city-planning-responds/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2010/05/04/city-planning-responds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2010 20:30:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Land Use]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Transportation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=7371</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sandy Hornick, director of strategic planning for the Department of City Planning, defends the city&#8217;s record on encouraging mass transit use in a comment posted today. 
Reacting to Brian Paul&#8217;s article accusing the administration of building parking lots while at the same time not doing enough to boost transit use, Hornick writes, &#8220;No American location [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sandy Hornick, director of strategic planning for the Department of City Planning, defends the city&#8217;s record on encouraging mass transit use in a comment posted today. </p>
<p>Reacting to Brian Paul&#8217;s <a href=" http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/transportation/20100421/16/3247/">article</a> accusing the administration of building parking lots while at the same time not doing enough to boost transit use, Hornick writes, &#8220;No American location has more transit-oriented development than New York City.  That’s why New Yorkers who own cars drive significantly fewer miles than the average American and those who live in our denser, inner city neighborhoods drive even fewer miles. &#8221;</p>
<p>Hornick says that, in his article, Paul embraced &#8221; a fundamental misconception that transit-oriented development means an absolute absence of cars.&#8221; Instead, Hornick continues, &#8221; The essence of transit-oriented development is that people have practical choices for travel other than by private automobile. &#8221;</p>
<p>Hornick also cites an array of actions by the Bloomberg administration that, he says, encourage the use of transit, as well as biking and walking. These include rezonings, limits on curb cuts and efforts to make streets more attractive.</p>
<p>Hornick&#8217;s comments are the latest entry in a debate sparked by Paul&#8217;s article. To read Hornick&#8217;s post and the others on parking and auto use, go <a href=" http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/transportation/20100421/16/3247/">here</a>.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Rough Road Ahead</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2010/04/13/rough-road-ahead/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2010/04/13/rough-road-ahead/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:37:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Courtney Gross</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[City Hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crime & Safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Land Use]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Measuring UP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work and Labor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nextNY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mayor Michael Bloomberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new york city]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[potholes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[roadways]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rough road]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[staten island]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=7214</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Watch out, there may be some rough roads ahead. 
After snowstorms and other winter wear, some New York City streets have come to resemble war-torn terrain and not the byways of a well-kept metropolis.

Photo (cc) 2008 shoehorn99

Now Gotham Gazette and The Huffington Post want to know what kind of craters mark your streets. Is your [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Watch out, there may be some rough roads ahead. </p>
<p>After snowstorms and other winter wear, some New York City streets have come to <a href="http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/pothole-peeved_oddo_wants_dot.html" target="new">resemble war-torn terrain</a> and not the byways of a <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/filled_potholes_are_empty_boast_VcW28yOnLO0IXsJiO7tVIP" target="new">well-kept metropolis</a>.<br />
<span class="photo_right"><a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/2277222830_207d43d051_m.jpg"><img src="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/2277222830_207d43d051_m.jpg" alt="2277222830_207d43d051_m" title="2277222830_207d43d051_m" width="240" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-7215" /></a>
<div class="photocredit">Photo (cc) 2008 <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27664925@N00/2277222830/">shoehorn99</a></div>
<p></span><br />
Now <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/" target="new">Gotham Gazette</a> and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/" target="new">The Huffington Post</a> want to know what kind of craters mark your streets. Is your block a virtual obstacle course? Has your car or bike tire exploded thanks to an avenue&#8217;s neglect? </p>
<p><a href="mailto:cgross@gothamgazette.com" target="new">Send us</a> photos and addresses of <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/12/new-york-citys-worst-road_n_533947.html">neglected roadways</a> in your neighborhood, along with any other lurid details you care to provide, and we&#8217;ll report back next week. </p>
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		<title>Air Pollution Borough by Borough</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/12/15/air-pollution-borough-by-borough/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/12/15/air-pollution-borough-by-borough/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:14:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Courtney Gross</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[City Hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Electoral Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Land Use]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nextNY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copenhagen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mayor Michael Bloomberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[planyc2030]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=6059</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
The Bloomberg administration released its first ever street-level air survey chronicling the air quality in every borough. The survey showed that Manhattan&#8217;s high traffic areas have the worst air quality. 
The survey compiles data, including measurements of particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and elemental carbon, gathered from 150 sites throughout the city last winter. The survey [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span class="photo_left"><div id="attachment_6060" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 286px"><a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/emissions.gif"><img src="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/emissions.gif" alt="Image provided by the mayor&#039;s office" title="emissions" width="276" height="275" class="size-full wp-image-6060" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Image provided by the mayor's office</p></div></span><br />
The Bloomberg administration released its first ever street-level air <a href="http://nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2009/pr_538_nyccas_report.pdf">survey</a> chronicling the air quality in every borough. The survey showed that Manhattan&#8217;s high traffic areas have the worst air quality. </p>
<p>The survey compiles data, including measurements of particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and elemental carbon, gathered from 150 sites throughout the city last winter. The survey was conducted as part the <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml">mayor&#8217;s PlaNYC 2030</a> &#8212; his vision for <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/sustainability/">sustainability</a> in the five boroughs. </p>
<p>In a prepared statement, the mayor, who is at the <a href="http://en.cop15.dk/">United Nations climate change summit </a>in Copenhagen, said, “We are collecting air samples around the city at ground level so we can measure the air New Yorkers breathe while walking on the streets. This study clearly demonstrates the impacts that pollution from vehicles and certain oil-burning boilers has on our neighborhoods – and it shows us that the most densely populated areas are also the most polluted.&#8221;</p>
<p>The level of pollutants correlated with the level of traffic and building fuel use, according to the survey. All of these contaminants are associated with health problems, like asthma and emphysema. </p>
<p>Just last week, the City Council <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/searchlight/20091210/203/3120">approved legislation</a> to force large buildings in the city to conduct energy audits every decade. When first introduced, the bill would have also required those buildings to implement the audits&#8217; recommendations, but it was <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/15/nyregion/15bloomberg.html?_r=1&#038;ref=nyregion">retooled following criticism</a> by property owners. It does require those buildings to conduct maintenance to reduce their energy consumption. </p>
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		<title>The Manhattan Project&#039;s Legacy on Staten Island</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/06/04/the-manhattan-projects-legacy-on-staten-island/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/06/04/the-manhattan-projects-legacy-on-staten-island/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:28:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Waterfront]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[contamination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kill Van Kull]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[North Shore]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/06/04/the-manhattan-projects-legacy-on-staten-island/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[(This post was reported and written  by Melissa Checker.)
Last week, I  reported on the &#8220;toxic stew&#8221; surrounding Staten Island’s North Shore. (For that article, go here.) That story was scary enough, but information obtained over the past week reveals that the scenario is actually much worse than initially reported. U.S.  Environmental Protection [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><i>(This post was reported and written  by Melissa Checker.)</i></p>
<p>Last week, I  reported on the &#8220;toxic stew&#8221; surrounding Staten Island’s North Shore. (For that article, go <a href="http://gothamgazette.com/article//20090526/255/2923">here</a>.) That story was scary enough, but information obtained over the past week reveals that the scenario is actually much worse than initially reported. U.S. <a href="http://www.epa.gov/"> Environmental Protection Agency</a> document reveal that a former warehouse on the North Shore played a significant part in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project"> Manhattan Project</a> &#8212; a role that went terribly awry, leaving levels of radium and uranium contamination nearly 10 times higher than allowable standards in some places.</p>
<p>Click here for the full story.<br />
<span id="more-4013"></span></p>
<p>The 4 to 4.5 acre site sits on shore of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kill_van_Kull>Kill Van Kull</a>, just east of the Bayonne Bridge. Its proximity to the water places the site well within a 100-year floodplain. Although the warehouse no longer stands, according to draft letters obtained by reporters, the Environmental Protection Agency believes that debris from its demolition, which may also be highly contaminated, might have been used as fill material along the northern and western boundaries of the site. A short distance away is Richmond Terrace, the main road that traverses the North Shore and divides its residential communities from waterfront industries.</p>
<p>All that remains on the contaminated area, currently owned by <a href="http://www.dolantrans.com/"> Dolan Transportation Services</a>, is a deteriorating paved parking lot and storage area for trucks and other large vehicles. The site is surrounded by an eight-foot high chain link fence on the three sides that do not border the Kill Van Kull. Yet, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, &#8220;ardent&#8221; trespassers, boaters on the shipping channel and site workers could potentially access the site. Today, the only warning signs around it are “No trespassing” signs posted on the fence. “I call [the site] ‘You too can glow in the dark,&#8217;&#8221; said Dee Vanderberg of the <a href="http://www.americantowns.com/ny/statenisland/organization/si_taxpayers__association_inc">Staten Island Taxpayers Association</a>.  </p>
<p><b>Staten Island’s Manhattan Project</b><br />
From 1939 to 1942, <a href="http://www.adm.com/en-US/Pages/default.aspx"> Archer Daniels Midlands Co.</a> agreed to use a portion of their linseed oil manufacturing property on Staten Island to store 1,200 tons of high-grade uranium ore mined in what was then the Belgian Congo. The uranium, purchased from <a href="http://www.africanmetals.com/st/index.html"> African Metals Corp.</a>, was to be used in building the atomic bomb. However, at some point (either during initial delivery or eventual shipment), uranium spilled on the waterfront property.</p>
<p>In 1980, the U.S. <a href="http://www.energy.gov/"> Department of Energy</a> conducted a limited, surface-level survey of the area and identified a 20-by-40 meter area that was radiologically contaminated. However, in 1986 they determined the site was ineligible for their <a href="http://www.ead.anl.gov/project/dsp_fsdetail.cfm?id=61"> Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program</a>. Because the energy department never owned the uranium, the agency determined that is has no authority for the contamination.</p>
<p><b>Assessing the Dangers</b><br />
Twelve years later, in 1992, the New York State <a href="http://www.dec.ny.gov/"> Department of Environmental Conservation</a> conducted another assessment, this time of subsurface soil. It found the soil below the surface was far more radioactive than the surface samples studied by the energy department. Yet for reasons as yet unknown, no action was taken.</p>
<p>In February 2008 at the request of local citizens, the state asked the Environmental Protection Agency to re-evaluate contamination at the Richmond Terrace site. On Feb. 20, 2008, the federal and state environmental agencies and the New York City health department conducted a joint assessment of the site, which revealed levels of contamination approximately two orders of magnitude greater than the levels initially reported in 1980.</p>
<p>Because the site is also located within a 100-year flood plain, the Environmental Protection Agency believes that, in the event of a flood, there would be &#8220;a high tendency&#8221; for the material to migrate into the adjacent Kill Van Kull and Newark Bay. Moreover, the agency&#8217;s report states that although the area is currently fenced, trespassers coming either by land or water and site workers could &#8220;receive an unacceptable cancer risk under a conservative hypothetical risk assessment scenario.&#8221; </p>
<p>The analysis is frightening enough, but the severe weather and increased flooding brought on by climate change makes it that much more terrifying.</p>
<p>Early this year, the Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to the energy department requesting that it reconsider the property for inclusion under its remedial action program. It also recommended that the energy department do another search for a responsible party – at this point, that would be either African Metals Corp. or Archer Daniels Midland. Finally, the agency stated that if the first two recommendations did not come to fruition, it would consider taking at least a limited action to further protect public health concerns at the site.</p>
<p>As of today &#8212; June 4, 2009 &#8212; North Shore residents are still waiting for answers.</p>
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		<title>More Parks, Less Parking</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/04/15/more-parks-less-parking/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/04/15/more-parks-less-parking/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:34:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Transportation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yankee stadium]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/04/15/more-parks-less-parking/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As the Yankees set to play their first official regular season game in their new stadium, Gotham Gazette parks writer Anne Schwartz offers the following modest proposal to help the state budget. (For more on the delays in plans to replace parks in the Bronx, see her article, Yankee Stadium Is Opening, But Not the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><i>As the Yankees set to play their first official regular season game in their new stadium, Gotham Gazette parks writer Anne Schwartz offers the following modest proposal to help the state budget. (For more on the delays in plans to replace parks in the Bronx, see her article, <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/parks/20090413/14/2884">Yankee Stadium Is Opening, But Not the Parks</a>.</i></p>
<p>The state is providing a capital subsidy of $65 million for the construction of four new parking garages for the new Yankee Stadium &#8212; more than the capital funding the state budget allocates next year for the entire state park system. (The garages are also receiving tax-exempt federal and state financing of $59.6 million.) </p>
<p>Three of the garages are either under construction or complete. The fourth is slated for Jerome Avenue and 161st Street, where the parks department built an interim synthetic turf baseball/soccer field and track for the community, pending the completion of replacements for the 22 acres of public athletic fields that were taken over for the new stadium.</p>
<p>The first partial replacement park –- a football/soccer field ringed by a 400-meter track –- should be finished this month. At that point, the interim field will make way for the fourth parking garage. Baseball teams in the neighborhood will have to wait for new fields until the old stadium is razed and a park is created on its footprint, two and a half years from now.</p>
<p>How necessary is all that parking for 81 days a year?  (OK, plus a few more if the Yankees go into the post-season.)  The stadium is served by two subway lines and a brand new Metro North station. Wouldn’t taxpayer money be better spent on keeping afloat the mass transit systems essential to the functioning of the city’s economy? </p>
<p>Why not at least postpone the construction of the last garage and leave a nice new playing field for the neighborhood kids?</p>
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		<title>Brooklyn Trash Taken By Train</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/03/10/brooklyn-trash-taken-by-train/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/03/10/brooklyn-trash-taken-by-train/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:44:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Courtney Gross</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Transportation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bloomberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[garbage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solid waste management plan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=2994</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Check, northern Brooklyn. 
The Bronx and Staten Island. Check, check. 
These boroughs are now transporting their trash by rail or barge as part of the city&#8217;s Solid Waste Management Plan approved by the City Council in 2006. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced in East Williamsburg this morning that about 950 tons of waste from Brooklyn Community [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/game.jpg" alt="game" title="game" width="350" height="239" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2995" /></p>
<p>Check, northern Brooklyn. </p>
<p>The Bronx and Staten Island. Check, check. </p>
<p>These boroughs are now <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/gamesandquizzes/20071113/201/2343">transporting their trash</a> by rail or barge as part of the city&#8217;s Solid Waste Management Plan <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/20/nyregion/20garbage.html?_r=1&#038;oref=slogin">approved by the City Council</a> in 2006. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced in East Williamsburg this morning that about 950 tons of waste from Brooklyn Community Boards 1, 3, 4, and 5 will be taken by rail from the Varick Avenue transfer station daily. All of that trash had previously been taken by tractor trailers, which spew out far more noxious and harmful fumes in the area.<br />
<em><br />
We took an in depth look at the city&#8217;s garbage plan with <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/games/garbage.php">The Garbage Game.</a> See if you can design the city&#8217;s solid waste management plan. </em><br />
<span id="more-2994"></span><br />
The city&#8217;s solid waste management plan has seen its fair share of hiccups &#8212; both before and after it was approved by the Council, which in itself was a long and arduous process. Part of its recycling component, which was hinged on the <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/environment/20070618/7/2206">construction of a recycling center</a> on the west side of Manhattan near 14th Street, was stalled in Albany for more than a year by three Assembly members. A deal was carved out<a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/06/25/garbage-garbage-everywhere/"> last year</a>. </p>
<p>According to a release from the mayor&#8217;s office, the city will break ground on two transfer stations in Sunset Park and College Point sometime this year. Another two stations will be constructed as part of the solid waste plan. The recycling station should also be operable soon, the release says. </p>
<p>The plan is supposed to direct the disposal of the city&#8217;s trash for 20 years. </p>
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