Q&A
Balancing NYC water needs with upstate community concerns
1:46:39
·
3 min
Council Member Gennaro raises concerns about balancing NYC's water needs with upstate community interests, particularly in relation to land acquisition and DEC's role. Commissioner Aggarwala addresses these concerns, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing water quality policy.
- Gennaro expresses concern about potential DEC bias towards upstate communities
- Discussion of potential pushback against NYC land acquisition in upstate areas
- Aggarwala emphasizes the importance of focusing on water quality policy
- DEP is working collaboratively with DEC, local communities, and stakeholders
- Suspension of programmatic land acquisition in certain priority areas proposed to address local community concerns
James F. Gennaro
1:46:39
Now having been a a deputy commissioner at DEC for a number of years, the very sensitive that agency is to the wants and needs of the upset community as they well should be.
1:46:56
Mhmm.
1:47:00
But in my opinion there, sometimes sometimes I see a little bit of a tilt towards the upset communities, and I'm just wondering I don't know if you really answer this, but is there any pushback from DEC regarding reauthorizing the land act permit by virtue of, you know, local stakeholders up there feeling that New York City currently owns enough of upstate land, then they would prefer to be, you know, to control, like, the destiny of their area.
1:47:48
I think in knowing I'm saying very in a very clumsy manner here, I know what and because they've been other things.
1:47:56
I mean, like the state I mean, if the I I think if the state had its druthers, we'd be using the reservoirs for upstate flood control.
1:48:04
I mean, you know, they're just It is what it is.
1:48:09
And so how's it going with regard to yeah.
1:48:14
I mean, I know you don't wanna say anything that's gonna get back in.
1:48:18
You get get back to to, you know, to DEC or whatever, but am I getting warm here?
1:48:26
Or, like, what do you think?
Rohit T Aggarwala
1:48:29
Counsel member, I I think, first of all, say, I think we are on track to get this permit renewed.
1:48:36
Right.
1:48:36
And there has been an ongoing intensive, collaborative process that involves DEC, that involves the local communities, that involves many of the institutional stakeholders like NRDC and and Riverkeeper.
1:48:49
It's through that set of conversations that in fact DEP may put forward the the statement that that we would intentionally suspend in programmatic land acquisition and priority areas 34, which was something that the local communities were very in favor of.
1:49:10
You know, the dynamic that you're describing is is really why I was stressing in my testimony that what's important to the fad is that we remember that it has to be good water quality policy.
1:49:22
Right?
1:49:22
If we if we allow other issues like economic development or more general environmental efforts or what have you, to take primacy over the water quality science, then we put the fat at risk.
1:49:40
And, you know, that is something that no matter who's listening, that is something that the EP is going to be saying over and over again.
