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AGENCY TESTIMONY
Air, noise, and hazardous materials enforcement
0:22:38
ยท
90 sec
Commissioner Aggarwala discusses DEP's enforcement activities related to air quality, noise, and hazardous materials in New York City.
- DEP's hazmat response team addressed over 3,000 events in FY 2024, including nearly 400 lithium-ion battery fires.
- Air and noise inspectors processed over 24,000 citizen idling complaints and issued 849 muffler noise summonses based on camera evidence.
- The commissioner urges the City Council to enact Intro 941 to reform the citizens idling enforcement program, citing resource allocation issues:
- 94% of administrative staff time and 65% of inspector time in the air and noise division is dedicated to this single program.
- The program fails to focus on neighborhoods with disproportionate air quality-related health impacts.
- Reform would allow DEP to expand the noise camera program and address dust and construction noise complaints more effectively.
Rohit Aggarwala
0:22:38
The size of our water operations makes it easy to overlook the critical functions that DEP provides in enforcing the city's air, noise and hazmat codes.
0:22:46
Our hazmat response team responded to more than 3,000 events in fiscal year twenty four including almost 400 responses to lithium ion battery fires and assisted NYPD at 18 major events like the world series.
0:23:01
Our air and noise inspectors processed over a 24,000 citizen idling complaints and issued 849 muffler noise summonses based on evidence from our camera program.
0:23:14
I testified last year on intro nine forty one which would reform the citizens idling enforcement program.
0:23:20
The budget should reveal the need to reform this program.
0:23:23
Today, fully 94% of the time of the administrative staff of our air and noise division and 65% of our air and noise inspectors time is fully dedicated to administering this single program.
0:23:40
As I testified, the program is failing to focus on the neighborhoods where air quality related health impacts are disproportionately located which should be our first priority.
0:23:51
Areas such as Hunts Point, Sunset Park and others.
0:23:54
It is also a key reason we cannot currently expand the noise camera program or do more to focus on the many dust and construction noise complaints that we receive.
0:24:03
I urge the council to enact intro nine forty one to help us redirect our resources appropriately.