| Westchester Environment | ||
| January - February 2003 | Volume 2003 No. 2 | |
| The News Magazine of the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County | ||
Stormwater
Energy Independence
|
Update on FCWC Activities By Edna Sussman
As many of you have already heard, having accomplished what I set out to do, I am stepping down from my position as executive director of FCWC. I will be continuing with FCWC as a project director on a consulting basis to assure the continued success of our many initiatives and will be returning to the practice of law with my former colleagues from White & Case at the firm of Hoguet, Newman and Regal. I can be reached at FCWC and at esussman@hnrlaw.com
It
has been a great pleasure to be associated with so many dedicated and
accomplished people in the pursuit of a cleaner and healthier environment.
Our host, the Pace University School of Law, with its dynamic environmental
faculty, able and enthusiastic students and numerous co-hosted environmental
groups, has been a great support for us at FCWC. Cooperative efforts with
other environmental groups and with representatives of county government
have made it possible for FCWC to pursue many initiatives. Together we
have moved the agenda forward in government circles and have educated
many about how they can protect the environment. Together we can continue
our efforts to protect our natural resources. Please stay in touch.
Issues - As you can see in these pages much of our effort for 2003 is directed at educating and advocating on two of the most critical issues of the day: energy and water.
Energy - With the global situation calling for attention to our energy independence and the developments with respect to Indian Point highlighting the urgency of shutting down those facilities now, FCWC is organizing a conference to educate professionals and homeowners about energy efficiency, conservation, green building and renewable energy sources. For details about this conference “ Energy Independence: Real World Solutions for Homes and Businesses” scheduled for May 3, see page 8. Our newspaper continues to cover these issues to disseminate the information to an even broader audience.
Clean Water - With the obligation of the municipalities to comply with EPA’s stormwater Phase II requirements, FCWC is organizing two conferences for 2003 to educate municipal leaders and others about funding sources, model ordinances, enforcement and low impact development techniques. For details about the first conference, “How to Survive and Thrive: Stormwater Phase II” scheduled for May 22, see page 8. The second conference, which will focus on low impact development, is scheduled for October 17; please hold the date. Again our newspaper continues to cover these issues to spread the word.
Your Support - We need your support for two important projects:
Davids Island Acquisition - The cost of purchase, clean up and development of Davids Island as a park has proven to be higher than anticipated and has been estimated to be as high as $20 million. Substantial private funding in these troubled fiscal times is likely to be necessary to accomplish the acquisition by the county. If you would like to help with this effort or know of others who can help, please contact us at FCWC.
Hutch trails restoration - Our last newspaper edition, which addressed the restoration of the Hutch trails, elicited a host of positive responses from our readers. We would like to be in a position to hire a part time staff person to focus on this project and meet with interested citizens, form a “Friends of the Hutch” group, increase public awareness, organize public meetings for communities along the Hutch to gather input, identify grant opportunities, write grant proposals, and work with and coordinate government at all levels. If you would like to help with this effort, please send us a contribution, made out to FCWC, clearly marked that it is dedicated to work related to the restoration of the Hutch trails. Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. If you would like to be part of the planning group, we need your help too. Please call us and work with us.
Earth Day Lobby Day -Our high school student environmental council continues to draw broad participation from throughout the county. The group is planning to go to Albany on April 28 for Earth Day Lobby Day on buses we will be running from Westchester. If you would like to join us, please call us at FCWC.
Students
Debate the Issues
by Amy Parekh
|
On January 31st over sixty students from over a dozen schools around the county and various parts of New York City gathered at New Rochelle High School for WESC’s annual high school environmental debates conducted in the Junior Statesmen of America format. After a quick pizza dinner and registration, students gathered for an inspiring keynote speech by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin. The Assemblywoman encouraged the students to participate in the political process and impressed upon them that their voices mattered and that their constituent letters do have an impact. New Rochelle students Sofia Casas, Ben Bunk, and John Deutsch and WESC president Jeff Licitra addressed the students before the debates began to welcome students, explain debate procedures and express their enthusiasm.
The debates were conducted in two different blocks. During each forty-minute block three different debates were conducted simultaneously in three adjacent classrooms. Each debate room had a moderator and a pro and con speaker previously designated and prepared to address the issue. Other students participated on the spot and debated their views of the issues. After heated discussion, resolutions were voted up or down at the end of each debate. Debate topics included the burning issues of the day: nuclear power, global warming and development versus the environment.
Interested in the students informed views on the use of nuclear power, Channel 12 News conducted interviews which the students were pleased to see aired that night. The students represented the following schools: Westlake High School in Thornwood, New Rochelle High School, Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, Scarsdale High School, Eastchester High School, Mt. St. Michael Academy in the Bronx, Curtis High School in Brooklyn, Harrison High School, Hackley High School in Tarrytown, Mount Vernon High School, Thornton-Donovan High School, a private school in New Rochelle, Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook and Mamaroneck High School. This event would have been impossible without the help of our Pace law student interns, Brian Matthews and David House, the students and staff of Westlake, New Rochelle and Blind Brook High Schools and the WESC executive committee and membership.
Amy Parekh is the Educational Coordinator of FCWC
The
PCB’s in Hastings
By Amy Parekh
|
Now that progress has been made on a program for cleaning up the PCB’s further up the Hudson, it is time to attend to the PCB’s right here in Westchester. In 1999 an article was written in this newspaper reporting that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) had agreed that more sampling of the Hastings waterfront was necessary and that they would revise their original Proposed Remedial Action Plan (PRAP) – a plan which initiates a public review process including a public hearing allowing the public to comment and provide input on the plan. Four years later, after many planning sessions and meetings, Hastings is still waiting.
What is it that they are waiting for? They are waiting for the adequate cleanup of the highest PCB concentrations in the State of New York. In addition to PCBs, the contamination includes high levels of PAHs, lead, copper and mercury contamination.
Who is responsible for this mess? ARCO (The Atlantic Richfield Corporation), which has now merged with BP Amoco, currently owns the property, which was formerly occupied by the Anaconda Wire and Cable Company, the party responsible for this pollution.
NYSDEC
At a meeting that the Hastings Waterfront Watch (HWW) held with the NYSDEC in April of 2002, representatives of the DEC indicated that they had not completed their studies of potential cleanup actions for the Tappan Terminal and Harbor at Hastings sites but is continuing to give serious consideration to an approach that would leave most of the toxic metals and poly nuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in place, while placing two feet of soil over the sites to prevent human exposure to these hazardous substances. HWW strongly believes that such an approach is not adequate to protect human health and should not be followed at these sites.
Citizen Activity
In a letter environmental attorney and active member of HWW Phil Karmel wrote to the NYSDEC, he discusses cleanup standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency in a number of other sites throughout the country to provide evidence that NYSDEC’s intent to cover the sites with two feet of soil is inadequate. On April 21st, HWW organized an informational session on the issues surrounding the cleanup of the Hastings Waterfront in celebration of Earth Day where local activists Vanessa Merton, Michelle Hertz, Andy Zimmerman and Phil Karmel explained various aspects of the history and details of the contamination of the site.
The very next day, Hastings high school students brought copies of this letter to Assemblyman Richard Brodsky and Senator Nicholas Spano’s offices on a trip to Albany for Earth Day Lobby Day, a statewide lobbying effort. These students were part of a group of sixty high school students who participated in this event through a student led high school environmental council called Westchester Environment Student Council (WESC) created by the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County. In June, Waterfront Watch members distributed information to residents at a village-wide fair.
Feasibility Study
Members of HWW have anxiously been awaiting the arrival of the revised Feasibility Study – a study that discusses potential cleanup approaches and provides the information needed to evaluate the effectiveness, feasibility, and cost of the plan- and the Proposed Remedial Action Plan. Once the DEC issues a new, revised Proposed Remedial Action Plan, the residents of Westchester County will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed plan and a final plan can be adopted.
A speedy release of the Proposed Remedial Action Plan would serve to move this already long delayed process along. The continuing pollution of the site prevents residents from enjoying one of the most beautiful river front spots in Westchester with a substantial area of land on the river side of the railroad tracks. It is a shame that must be remedied.
For more information contact Amy Parekh at 914-262-5425.
Amy Parekh is Coordinator of the Hastings Waterfront Watch
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