AGENCY TESTIMONY
CACP's failure to improve air quality in environmental justice communities
0:25:26
·
87 sec
Commissioner Aggarwala addresses the Citizens Air Complaint Program's failure to significantly improve air quality in environmental justice (EJ) communities.
- Presents maps showing that most complaints are issued in wealthier areas of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Western Queens, with minimal attention to EJ neighborhoods
- Explains that the deterrent effect is mainly limited to trucks idling in Manhattan
- Notes that DEP air inspectors now spend most of their time processing citizen complaints, unintentionally shifting enforcement away from EJ neighborhoods
- Suggests that a cure provision encouraging anti-idling devices could improve air quality citywide, as devices would be active wherever trucks go
Rohit T. Aggarwala
0:25:26
A second problem with the current program is that it has essentially done nothing to improve air quality in many environmental justice communities.
0:25:34
And I'd ask you to look at these 2 maps.
0:25:36
As these two maps show on the left hand side, is a map of where all of the complaints were issued in fiscal year 2024.
0:25:47
As that map shows, most civilian complaints are issued in the Manhattan Core, in the wealthier parts of Brooklyn and in Western Queens.
0:25:55
There is minimal attention to the areas that need it the most.
0:26:00
On the right hand side, of course, are the environmental justice neighborhoods in the city.
0:26:04
It doesn't show up as well, but you see they are kind of the inverse of the other.
0:26:09
The deterrent effect of this program, therefore, is mainly limited to trucks idling in Manhattan.
0:26:15
In fact, because DEP's air inspectors now spend basically the vast majority of their time processing citizen complaints, An unintentional impact of this program has been to shift to DEP's own enforcement out of many E.
0:26:31
J.
0:26:32
Neighborhoods to the processing of these primarily Manhattan violations.
0:26:38
This is another way that a cure provision encouraging anti idling devices would be impactful.
0:26:44
Once installed, the device would be active wherever the truck goes, so a ticket issued in Manhattan could also improve air quality in the Bronx.
