PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Niki Cross, Staff Attorney at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI)
2:47:08
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126 sec
Niki Cross, a staff attorney from New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, testified in strong support of Intro 1067-A. The bill aims to provide financial assistance and information to New Yorkers facing flooding and sewage backup issues, particularly in historically underserved communities.
- Highlighted a case in South Jamaica, Queens, where residents face high costs for sewer maintenance and future connections to public lines
- Emphasized the disproportionate impact of flooding and sewage backups on Black, Brown, and low-income communities
- Noted that Queens residents made over 4,000 backup complaints involving private sewer systems in 2022, nearly six times as many as Manhattan
Niki Cross
2:47:08
Okay.
2:47:09
Thank you, chair of De Niro.
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I'm a staff attorney with New York lawyers for the public interest environmental justice program, testifying in strong support of intro 1067.
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This bill will provide necessary help for New Yorkers facing the increasing costs of flooding and sewage backups and aid in protecting the safety, financial stability, and housing security of homeowners.
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The current options available for 9 for financial assistance are difficult to navigate for many at risk New Yorkers.
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And this bill would help ensure that residents know the best options available to them and ease the burdens of applications.
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We represent clients in South Jamaica, a historically red lined area of Queens.
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There, a community of 20 homes, is connected on a failing shared private sewer line, requiring frequent repair and maintenance costing the community approximately $10,000 a year.
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DEP has pledged to build a public line for this area within 3 years, but at that point, each homeowner must make private, lateral connections to the public line which would cost 15,000 per household.
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This is a prohibitive cost for these homeowners.
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Without this infrastructure, they will continue to endure horrific sewage backups during rain events that have become increasingly extreme and frequent given climate change.
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Dealing with this persistent problem has been tearing the neighborhood apart and causing ongoing anxiety.
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Communities like this in which the city has historically invested less money and resources which tend to be black, brown, and low income communities, disproportionately bear the burdens of flooding and sewage backups.
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In Queens, the city's most racially diverse borough, residents made over 4000 backup complaints involving private sewer systems in 2022 alone, nearly six times as many as Manhattan.
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And I'll end there.
2:49:13
You can come back.
James F. Gennaro
2:49:14
Okay.
