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Newtown Creek news

A note from our friends at the Newtown Creek Alliance that the EPA is going to take a closer look at the creek. The upshot is that this could be a path on the road to Superfund status, which would mean addressing any imminent danger to human health as well as getting on the funding list. The downside is that Superfund is a long, drawn-out process and that the tax on chemical feedstocks that supported the Superfund program has expired, thus limiting funding.

Late this past week the United States Environmental Protection Agency agreed to conduct an assessment of data concerning pollution in Newtown Creek and the surrounding properties to determine whether the Creek or any near-by sites should be listed on the federal Superfund. EPA contacted Congress Members Weiner and Velazquez and Senator Clinton's office quickly following their requests to list the creek, and that is quite a coup, as no one expected the requests made by the elected officials to be entertained at all, much less granted. I want to thank the work of Congress Members Weiner and Velazquez, Senator Clinton, and Riverkeeper for all of their work to accomplish this. However, this is the result of several years of tireless advocacy by everyone receiving this, so good job.

They also note that Basil Seggos of Riverkeeper--one of the main forces behind the efforts to clean up the creek and investigate the health effects on Greenpoint residents--is leaving to start a new job in the recycling world. However, he will remain in an advisory role for the Alliance. We wish him best of luck in his new endeavors.

More Information
NYT's CityRoom has a very detailed post about the legal context of the EPA's move.