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Q&A
Discussion of Intro 107 on air quality monitoring
1:31:55
·
3 min
Commissioner Aggarwala discusses Intro 107, which would require the installation of street-level air monitors at major intersections. He expresses concerns about the scale and cost of the proposed monitoring expansion.
- The bill would require approximately 2,200 monitors, a 25x expansion from the current 85 monitors
- Additional monitors for parks and playgrounds could add thousands more
- Estimated cost is $41 million over four years, with 13 full-time employees needed for maintenance
- The commissioner suggests there may be more effective ways to invest $40 million in improving air quality
- Alternative investments could include continuing current work, supporting vehicle electrification, marine facilities, and enhancing enforcement capabilities
Alexa Avilés
1:31:55
Thank you.
1:31:56
So in terms of I think we're going to do a segue a little bit to intro one zero seven, if that's okay.
1:32:04
Chair, are good?
1:32:04
Okay.
1:32:06
So I guess Intro 107 would require, obviously, install the street level air monitors at no fewer than two major intersections on every designated use thoroughfare.
1:32:21
And I think you noted in your testimony that's every block in New York What kind of infrastructure or personnel would it require?
1:32:30
You said a lot and we believe you, but if you could expand upon
Rohit Aggarwala
1:32:33
that a little So so our best interpretation of of this bill would be that it would require something on the order of 2,200 monitors.
1:32:45
Right?
1:32:46
And as I mentioned, we have roughly 85 that we've been using for the last fifteen or or more years on on NICAS.
1:32:57
So that's a 25x expansion of the number of monitors.
1:33:03
And the there's a provision in the bill as well around parks and playgrounds, that could be a couple of thousand more.
1:33:10
So it's a significant increase.
1:33:13
We think there's roughly 13 FTE that we would need to maintain those monitors.
1:33:22
And, you know, and and I think the total cost is something on the order of $41,000,000 over the first four years.
1:33:31
And, you know, and again, I think while I'm always in favor of additional data and, you know, just personally, NICAS was a PlanYC initiative from the first PlanYC, so I take great pride in having contributed to the creation of NICAS.
1:33:49
The reality is that Julie's Bureau has so many other ways that we could invest money and and headcount to improve air quality that I I can't see how this is the the place I would spend $40,000,000 if I had $40,000,000 to to improve New York City's air.
Alexa Avilés
1:34:12
On that note, so how would you spend $40,000,000 to improve air quality?
Rohit Aggarwala
1:34:17
Well, we would we would do the things we're doing.
1:34:19
We would we would continue with all the great work, which I hope you know, we've got a number of things that I described in my testimony that are federally funded, and I hope we don't wind up losing any of those federal funds.
1:34:31
Obviously, this administration has expressed its lack of interest in electric vehicles and vehicle electrification, and we completely disagree with that.
1:34:42
Of course, we're extraordinarily in favor of vehicle electrification.
1:34:46
We've continued to invest in things like the marine facilities that are part of the Blue Highways plan.
1:34:53
And we would invest in our enforcement capability through things like Intro nine forty one that which I think would would make the anti idling laws work much better because I I don't think they're having the kind of impact that the law intended.
1:35:10
And I think that intro would actually get us where where we ought to be in terms of actually reducing idling in a consistent way.
1:35:18
And, you know, I really think that our DEC, our DEP air and noise inspectors perform a really valuable service and I would invest in them.