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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Osagie Afe, Senior Business Assistance Manager of Long Island City Partnership
2:28:02
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Osagie Afe from the Long Island City Partnership testified on the potential impacts of the proposed indirect source rule on industrial businesses in New York City. He emphasized the importance of industrial businesses to the city's economy and urged for stakeholder engagement in developing the legislation.
- Highlighted the role of industrial businesses in providing middle-class jobs and economic mobility for a diverse workforce
- Expressed concerns that the indirect source rule could undermine the city's commitments to Industrial Business Zones (IBZs) and create additional operational challenges
- Warned that the proposed rule, combined with existing mandates and rising costs, could make it unsustainable for industrial businesses to operate in New York City
Osagie Afe
2:28:02
Thank you for the opportunity today.
2:28:06
My name is Osage Afe and I'm the senior business assist manager at the Long Island City Partnership.
2:28:13
And I'm appreciative of the opportunity to testify today.
2:28:16
As this legislation continues to develop, I strongly urge that industrial businesses, advocates and stakeholders be engaged in the process to ensure that the regulations strike the right balance between sustainability and urban industrial preservation.
2:28:34
Industrial businesses in the IBC play a vital role in NYC's economy as the second largest private employer, provided middle class jobs that serve a pathway to opportunities for our diverse workforce.
2:28:47
These businesses provide middle class jobs that pay nearly 20,000 more annually than retail positions and nearly double wages of the food and beverage industry.
2:28:57
These are jobs that offer economic mobility for our diverse workforce.
2:29:01
80% are minorities, fifty percent are immigrants.
2:29:05
However, the indirect source threatens to undermine the city's commitments to the IBZs.
2:29:10
These zones were established to preserve industrial space, prevent displacement, and ensure that industrial businesses can operate and thrive.
2:29:18
The proposals could create additional operational challenges, making it harder for them to remain in the city and undermine the promise of the IBC protection.
2:29:28
This bill could also place yet another burden on businesses that are already grappling with a growing number of costly mandates.
2:29:35
For example, local law 97 imposes severe fines for missing hard to miss emission targets, while congestion pricing adds tolls that further increase the cost of doing business.
2:29:46
These are in addition to the rising costs associated with minimum wages, increasing paid sick leave, and more, putting the indirect source rule on top of these challenges risk tipping the scales too far, making it unsustainable for industrial businesses to operate in New York.
2:30:02
Paradoxically, the industrial source rule may hinder the ability for industrial businesses to play help the city meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal, I'm transitioning to clearer operations and reducing greenhouse gas emission in a shared objective, but it requires significant investment from businesses.
2:30:23
If businesses are weighed down by potential fines from this rule, they will struggle to make investments necessary for adopting sustainable practices.