At its December 1, 2020 general meeting, the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group passed the following resolution in support of an October 27th letter sent by EPA Region 2 to the New York City Departments of City Planning (DCP) and Environmental Protection (DEP) regarding the Gowanus Superfund Record of Decision and the Gowanus Rezoning.
The resolution reads as follows:
Resolved:
The Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) strongly supports the position EPA states in its October 27th letter to the NYC DEP and NYC DCP regarding the proposed rezoning of the land surrounding the banks of Gowanus Canal, “that any rezoning impacting the Canal must proceed in a manner that is protective of human health and the environment, as envisioned in EPA’s Canal remedy” and affirmed in the 2013 Gowanus Canal Record of Decision (ROD).
Background:
The EPA clarifies for the DCP and DEP that EPA’s role under CERCLA also includes: “ensuring that future land-use changes do not adversely affect the integrity of Superfund cleanups, including the ongoing work at the Gowanus Canal”; and in a May 2019 letter the EPA “directed the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to provide rezoning-related information to EPA as part of the CSO tank design process.” And the EPA again reiterates that “Progress on the CSO tanks . . . has been delayed by DEP”, while “Progress on the Canal cleanup is among the factors cited by the City in support of the rezoning.”
Click here to see a PDF version of the full resolution.