At its February 24, 2026 general meeting, the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group passed the following resolution asking the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to take certain actions regarding the environmental remediation of the former Citizens Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) Works site.
The resolution reads as follows:
To: Amanda Lefton – Commissioner, New York Department of Environmental Conservation
Date: February 24, 2026
Resolution Supporting Assembly Member Simon Regarding the former Citizens MGP Works Site
By the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) members voting in favor of this resolution, members are expressing support for Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon’s August 19, 2025, and January 4, 2026, letters to NYSDEC. The resolution urges NYSDEC to reject the proposed amendment to the Brownfield Cleanup Agreement and to place Parcels I, II and III of the former Citizens Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) Works site into the New York State Superfund Program so that the entire site is managed under a unified, enforceable framework appropriate for its level of contamination and long-term risk.
Background
The former Citizens MGP Works site contains deep coal tar contamination that poses a long-term threat to nearby residents. NYSDEC and EPA investigations have documented mobile coal tar and contaminated groundwater extending across parcel boundaries, requiring off-site monitoring and long term source control. This former MGP site also represents a significant threat of recontamination to the Federal Superfund remediation of the Gowanus Canal.
The site is divided into four parcels. Parcels I, II, and III are currently in New York State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, Parcel IV is in the State Superfund Program, and the Gowanus Canal is in the federal Superfund Program. Although the site functions as a single contamination system, it is governed under these multiple programs, agreements, and owners.
In June 2025, the Public Place site applicants submitted an application to NYSDEC to amend its Brownfield Cleanup Agreement, requesting that the existing Brownfield site (C224012, aka Parcels I & II) be subdivided into two separate Brownfield sites to facilitate redevelopment (to become C224012 and C224012C). NYSDEC opened a public comment period on the proposed amendment, which closed on January 4, 2026.
Cleanup relies on engineered controls and monitoring systems that must operate and be maintained for decades. These controls will sit beneath multiple buildings, including low income housing, a school, and public spaces, and responsibility will eventually be distributed among multiple owners and operators. This creates long-term legal and practical challenges for ensuring that monitoring continues, systems are maintained, corrective action occurs when needed, and accountability does not weaken as properties change hands.
In her August 19 letter, Assembly Member Simon stated that this former Citizens MGP Works site was improperly placed in the Brownfield Program and urged that it be moved into the New York State Superfund Program, citing off-site coal tar migration, weaker Brownfield enforcement tools, and the need for long-term, enforceable oversight. In her January 4 letter, she further urged NYSDEC to reject the proposed Brownfield amendment, warning that it would formalize an approach that has already delayed remediation and allowed responsible parties to spread cleanup costs to taxpayers and ratepayers.
Resolution
The Gowanus Canal CAG supports Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon’s August 19, 2025, and January 4, 2026, letters regarding the former Citizens MGP Works site.
The Gowanus Canal CAG urges the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to reject the proposed amendment to the Brownfield Cleanup Agreement for Parcels I and II, and to stop the further splitting of this connected contaminated site into smaller regulatory pieces that weakens long-term accountability.
Consistent with Assembly Member Simon’s August 19 letter, the Gowanus Canal CAG supports transitioning Parcels I, II, and III into the New York State Superfund Program so that cleanup is governed under a unified, enforceable framework appropriate for a former MGP Works sites.
The Gowanus Canal CAG further supports Assembly Member Simon’s call for NYSDEC to hold responsible parties fully accountable for timely remediation and to prevent continued delays and the shifting of cleanup costs from polluters to taxpayers and ratepayers.
Respectfully submitted by the members of the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group.
Please direct all responses to Steve Marcus, Moderator of the CAG’s Land Use Committee @ stevemarcus7@gmail.com.
You can see a PDF version of the full resolution here.