At its September 28, 2021 general meeting, the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group passed the following resolution requesting that EPA conduct a new assessment of chemical contamination at the Citizens MGP site bordering the Gowanus Canal.
The resolution reads as follows:
Resolved:
In accordance with Section 105(d) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (the CAG) requests USEPA Region 2 to undertake a revised assessment of chemical contamination present at and potentially being released from the entire former Citizens Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) Site for a Hazard Ranking Score and potential inclusion on the National Priorities List (NPL) as a Federal Superfund site.
Be it further Resolved:
Although preliminary assessment has been conducted and various plans have been presented at different times to the Community regarding the cleanup, the CAG is dissatisfied with NYSDEC’s latest version of the Public Place property cleanup.
We believe that the current plan represents a significant downgrade in cleanup from the previous plan, and neither properly addresses nor satisfactorily remedies the contamination and toxicity at the former Citizens MGP Site for not only to the Gowanus Canal, but also to the community at large.
Since there are plans to develop the Public Place property into a densely populated housing complex and a school, the CAG considers the EPA the sole, appropriate agency to assess, score and truly rank the hazards this site presents. Our wish is that this site be added to the National Priorities List and remediated under the EPA Superfund Program.
Click here to see a PDF version of the complete resolution.