| In
This Issue - Charter Revision, Fair Share & 197-a reform;
Brownfields victory; Support NYC-EJA Fundraising
Campaign |
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| Greetings! |
Since
the 2010 Charter Revision Commission was first empaneled, NYC-EJA's
members and allies have urged the Commission to allow New Yorkers
to vote for fair share and 197-a reform on this November's ballot.
For communities of color disproportionately burdened with polluting
facilities, these long-awaited reforms could increase transparency
and accountability in the siting of City facilities.
Introduced during the 1989 Charter Revision, fair share was
intended to encourage a fairer distribution of City facilities by
requiring each City agency to: a) analyze a community district's
share of City facilities before siting, expanding, closing or
reducing a facility; b) provide annual notice of their facility
plans to local Community Boards before final decisions were made;
and c) allow Community Boards to hold hearings prior to final
facility decisions by agencies. Section 197-a was also expanded in
1989, allowing community boards to develop master land use plans
for their districts.
Given their advisory nature, these provisions were not designed to
tie an agency's hands; rather, they were intended to help agencies
plan better, while increasing agency transparency in
decision-making and allowing impacted communities a voice in the
process. However, loopholes in these two Charter provisions
undermined their promise of equity and environmental relief. As a
result, polluting facilities have continued to be clustered in a
handful of communities - neighborhoods with significant negative
public health disparities.
NYC-EJA has proposed a set of reforms for fair share and 197-a
supported by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Congressman Jose
Serrano, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Brooklyn Borough
President Marty Markowitz, the NY City Council's Black, Latino and
Asian Caucus, Citizens Union, and resolutions from Manhattan
Community Board 3, and Brooklyn Community Boards 1 and 7 -
community boards with combined total populations of over 400,000
New Yorkers.
Contact the Charter Revision
Commission at 212-442-1500 or commission@charter.nyc.gov - tell
them to allow NY'ers to vote for fair share and 197-a reform this
year, and:
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Mandate that City Facilities sitings, expansions and
reductions be properly identified in the Annual Statement of
Needs.
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Include allpolluting/infrastructure
facilities in the Atlas of Properties, not just City-owned
properties.
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Include true indicators of burdens (i.e., relevant public
health data, asthma rates, air quality, etc) in
Fair Share review.
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Mandate public review of formally submitted 197-a plans
before approving
subsequent rezoning and other land use applications proposed for a
community board with a 197-a plan.
If you have any questions, please contact NYC-EJA Executive
Director Eddie Bautista at nyceja@gmail.org
Fighting for cleaner and just communities - one block at a
time,
The NYC Environmental Justice Alliance
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| Brownfield
Victory |
On August 5th, Mayor Bloomberg and NYS DEC Commissioner Pete
Grannis signed an historic Memo of Agreement, launching the NYC
Brownfield Cleanup Program, the first municipally-run brownfield
clean-up program in the nation. The Agreement allows NYC to direct
more high-quality brownfield cleanups, including sites not eligible
for the state program, while winding down the current practice of
"self-directed clean-ups" by developers with no government
oversight. This landmark agreement concludes a nearly-decade long
campaign by NYC-EJA to establish local mechanisms - and
accountability - for brownfield clean-ups in NYC. One of the
priority areas for the NYC Brownfield Cleanup Program will be for
communities participating in NYS's Brownfield Opportunity Area
program.
"Particularly during these difficult economic times, a New York
City brownfield cleanup program that prioritizes community-led
proposals for brownfield redevelopment is essential to revitalizing
the neighborhoods that have for too long been burdened with a
disproportionate number of brownfield sites and the decay and
disinvestment associated with those sites," said Eddie Bautista,
Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice
Alliance.
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| NYC-EJA
Fundraising Campaign |
As
NYC-EJA approaches its 20th anniversary, we ask your help to
sustain our campaigns for environmental justice. Please help
NYC-EJA reach its fundraising goal of $5000 by September 30th
Founded in 1991, NYC-EJA, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, is
NYC's only federation of community-based organizations fighting for
environmental justice. From equitable energy policies to solid
waste to brownfield redevelopment, NYC-EJA and its members have
enjoyed an unparalleled string of victories that have begun
reversing decades of environmental burdens and inequities for our
most vulnerable communities. (Please visit www.nyc-eja.org,
to learn more about our current campaigns and past
accomplishments.)
But we need your help to continue our successes.
Your tax deductible online contribution at
www.nyc-eja.org will support NYC-EJA's ongoing campaigns,
including new challenges posed by climate change. You can also
mail a check payable to: New York City Environmental Justice
Alliance, 166A 22nd Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11232.
Become an EJ Friend - $50.00
Become an EJ Ally - $100.00
Become an EJ Champion - $200.00 (our 200x200 campaign!)
Hasta la proxima,
Eddie Bautista
Executive Director
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