Washington DC - Today, by a vote of 415-0, the House of Representatives passed legislation authored by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D – Queens & Brooklyn) that would require the Coast Guard to conduct a study and report to Congress on pollution in Newtown Creek, the waterway that divides Brooklyn & Queens.
The legislation, initially offered as an amendment in the House Transportation Committee, passed as part of the Coast Guard And Maritime Transportation Act Of 2005.
The Weiner legislation stipulates that the Coast Guard conduct a study within one year to determine the public health risks of pollution from an oil spill in Newtown Creek.
Newtown Creek is New York City’s most polluted waterway. A half century’s old oil spill has sent 17 million gallons of oil seeping below 55 acres of residential, commercial, and industrial property. While some oil has been cleaned, it will take at least twenty five years to completely clear the spill. The spill was caused by refineries operated along the banks of the Creek by the corporate predecessors to ExxonMobil, BP/Amoco and Chevron-Texaco.
A joint study by Riverkeeper (a non-profit organization that advocates for protection of the Hudson River, its tributaries and the New York City watershed), and Columbia-Lamont Dougherty Earth Laboratories found that Newtown creek has the highest concentrations of CFCs (carbon based gases linked to ozone depletion) in New York Harbor. The area's asthma, emphysema and bronchitis rates are 25% percent higher than the rest of the city. The Columbia study also found that inert chemical tracers placed in the Creek can be found throughout the entire Harbor Estuary within two days.
The Coast Guard is the agency of primary jurisdiction for Marine Pollution Education, Prevention, Response& Enforcement in coastal areas. The Creek qualifies as part of the federal New York Harbor Estuary.
“Hundreds of homes and businesses are effected by this terrible oil spill,” said Rep. Weiner. “While the oil companies lag in their cleanup responsibilities, the public has the right to know what effects this oil spill is having on our local environment.”
“Riverkeeper applauds Congressman Weiner’s leadership on Newtown Creek,” said Alex Matthiessen, Riverkeeper’s Executive Director. “This bill gives the Coast Guard the resources it needs to fully analyze the environmental effects of the massive Greenpoint Oil Spill. The people of Brooklyn and Queens have waited two decades for this kind of attention from the federal government. We are confident that the result will be a cleaner and safer New York Harbor.”
