TESTIMONY
Testimony: Lisa Tower, Legislative Director for Borough President Antonio Reynoso, on Red Hook Environmental Justice
2:45:23
·
175 sec
Lisa Tower, serving as the legislative director for Borough President Antonio Reynoso, testifies in support of Intro 4, advocating for environmental justice in Red Hook. The testimony highlights the community’s struggle with pollution from industry, unsafe streets due to traffic, and the health impacts of cruise ship emissions. Tower urges the EDC to expedite shore power upgrades at Brooklyn Terminal, pursue capabilities in Manhattan, and develop effective traffic mitigation plans to safeguard community health and safety.
Speaker 19
2:45:23
Hi, everyone.
2:45:24
Thank you so much for holding the hearing today.
2:45:26
My name is Lisa Tower.
2:45:27
I'm the legislative director corporate and bureau president, Antonio Reynoso.
2:45:32
I'm here today to express the bureau president's support for intra 4, which will help bring environmental justice to Redhook.
2:45:40
As you have just been hearing, Redhook has been overburdened by the impacts of industry and the history of environmental racism.
2:45:47
Homes is the largest of the housing development in Brooklyn cut off from the rest of the borough by construction of the BQB in the battery tunnel.
2:45:53
And more recently, inundated with glass metal warehouse facilities causing a heavy increase in traffic.
2:45:59
The communities suffers from poor air quality and associated health effects such as heightened asthma rates.
2:46:04
The pedestrians and cyclists also report feeling unsafe on the streets due to the uptick check traffic.
2:46:09
This is the context into which these giant cruise ships arrive in Brooklyn.
2:46:13
They spew diesel exhaust equivalent to 34,000 400 idling tractor trailers per day when not connected to shore power, according to the New York Times, and now between 300 to 500 plus vehicles per hour during peak hours to run the small streets, creating a hectic traffic mess not to mention more idling according to ABC Zone analysis.
2:46:34
Birt president Reynoso wants to recognize CDC's work with council member of Viles and the RedHill community so far.
2:46:40
But he agrees with council member of Mila that ABC's agreement with the cruise ship industry does not go far enough.
2:46:45
2035 is too long for the community to wait for compliance.
2:46:49
According to an industry analysis, about 42% of these receivable cruise cruise ship fleet has adopted floor power.
2:46:57
You heard earlier, about how many of these ships are already able to comply.
2:47:04
California has a short power mandate All of the European Union will have one place for its major ports by 2030.
2:47:11
This is to say that the industry is already changing, so it does not seem unreasonable to demand.
2:47:16
That these companies prioritize community health and safety now or find somewhere else to die.
2:47:20
In order for this to happen, the city must make it feasible for them to do so.
2:47:24
CDC must expedite upgrades to the Brooklyn terminal and immediately pursue shore power capability in Manhattan, and do better working with the industry in communities to create traffic mitigation plans.
2:47:35
As mentioned, CDC's analysis of traffic issues on port of call day is just a messy system that could be greatly improved by, for example, coordinating shut up buses to common destinations or to public and or to public transit and adding more service on the NYC ferry.
2:47:49
In conclusion, Burrow, president radios look support Central Ford and encourages the EDC to work with the cruise ship industry and effective communities to make compliance possible quickly and mitigate impacts on the ground.
2:47:59
Our community's health is worth the investment.
2:48:01
Thank you.
Speaker 4
2:48:07
Thank you.
2:48:08
Next, we'll hear from Eric McClure followed by Karen Blondeau and then Mikaela Skopnik.
2:48:13
Eric, you may begin when the sergeant's called the time.
Speaker 0
2:48:16
Good time.
2:48:17
We'll begin.