Ferry boat pollution discussed at BPCA town hall meeting

NY Waterway stalling on promised ferry boat engine replacements

March 19, 2012  By Steven Greer, MD

Last November, the CEO of the company that operates the NY Waterway ferry boats announced before a meeting of the Community Board 1 that they would be replacing the polluting diesel engines of nine of their vessels that dock at the Vesey Street slip. The estimated completion date then, according to the CEO Paul Goodman, was “Mid 2012″.

The Battery Park City community near the Vesey Street slip have complained about the noise and pollution of those vessels for decades. The ferry boat company has failed to follow through with numerous promises in the past to rectify the situation.

BatteryPark.TV attempted to contact the CEO of BillyBey Ferry Company (DBA New York Waterway), Mr. Goodman, to get an update on the engine replacements. On one call, he hung up the phone with us. At our request, the CB1 staff was also trying, to no avail, to get an update from BillyBey. After more than a week of trying to reach the CEO, he finally gave a statement to the CB1.

Last November, Mr. Goodman claimed that all of the engines had “been ordered”. In his update to CB1 this week, only two boats are currently in dry dock having the engines replaced. The other seven are operating with the same maximum-polluting “Tier 0″ engines. 22 other boats have had diesel particulate filters replaced, according to the CEO. This has not been verified by any federal EPA or state officials.

The CEO is now “hoping” to have the engine replacement job completed by “the end of 2012″, which is a 6-month delay from his November, 2011 comments.

Skeptics of these new promises from BillyBey Ferry Company have ample justification. In 2006, more than $7 Million in State and Federal grants were given to BillyBey to replace and update their polluting engines, and the only accomplishments to date from the grant money has been to install some exhaust particulate filters on a few boats “perform tests”. Only now, after BatteryPark.TV coverage and the involvement of the NRDC, New York Times, EPA, and elected officials, is BillyBey promising to replace the outdated engines.

The updates listed above were generated by BatteryPark.TV inquiries. To our knowledge, no member of the CB1, NYSERD, EPA, or other State and Federal agencies, had made any attempt to keep an eye on the serial offenders at BillyBey Ferry Company.

Polluting ferry boats to get new, less polluting, less noisy, engines

November 2, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

The much anticipated BPC CB1 meeting to discuss the ongoing problem of noise and air pollution from the New York Waterway ferry boats yielded significant results for the first time in recent memory. The CEO of the BillyBey Ferry Company (DBA New York Waterway), Paul Goodman, announced that they will be using federal grants and “Nearly $1 Million of BillyBey money” to finally replace the outdated heavily-polluting diesel engines on nine of the worst offending vessels that dock often at WFC Vesey Street slip. The slip is controlled by the Port Authority.

The expected completion date will be mid-year 2012. That coincides with new regulations for marine vessels under the Clean Air Act.

Mr. Goodman elaborated, “Those 18 engines for 9 boats have been ordered. The program is fully funded…and installed over the first half of 2012.” He explained that the current engines, which so infamously now belch pure black diesel particulate smoke (see here) as they dock at the WFC Vesey Street slip fall under “Tier 0″ of the EPA classification of engines, according to Mr. Goodman. The new diesel engines with particulate filters will be “Tier 2″. (Note, our Google search of the EPA’s Tier system for engines revealed a system that did not coincide with what the BillyBey Ferry Company listed).

Given that no exhaust emission testings have ever been performed and made public, CB1 member Anthony Notaro tried to clarify whether BPC residents can expect to see, hear, and breath less pollution with the new engines promised. Goodman said, “You will see a significant reduction in pollution”. A spokesman for the DOT elaborated, “You can expect an 85% reduction in pollution (with the new engines).

Skeptics of these new promises from BillyBey Ferry Company have ample justification. The same NYSERD grant that will finally be used to convert the engines has been funded and made available to the company since at least 2006, and the only accomplishments to date from the grant money has been to install some exhaust particulate filters on a few boats and “perform tests”. Only now, after BatteryPark.TV coverage and the involvement of the NRDC, New York Times, EPA, and elected officials, is BillyBey promising to replace the outdated engines.

The Port Authority spokeswoman at the meeting said, “We were aware that the (NYSERD-funded emissions program) was ongoing, but it didn’t move as quickly as we would have liked.”

After more than 20 minutes of the BillyBey CEO and his entourage of supporting government officials speaking (i.e. NYSERD, DOT, consultant to NYSERD, and EPA), vocal residents spoke up requesting that the WFC Vesey Street slip be moved entirely away from the neighborhood. CB1 member Tom Goodkind echoed those views saying, “We should consider removing these boats (from the WFC Vesey Street slip) until these engine retrofits occur.” and received applause.

Recall, the BillyBey Ferry Company is a New Jersey company that exists almost exclusively to haul New Jersey residents to their Manhattan jobs. There is a reason one of the boats is named “U.S. Senate Frank R. Lautenberg“. For decades, this New Jersey-benefiting operation has polluted the air and disturbed the peace in Battery Park City. This might be the beginning of the beginning of a solution to this New Jersey-rooted problem. When new Caterpillar diesel engines are mounted in the boats, we will take our victory lap.

And the full unedited video of all of the different boats polluting equally from EPA Tier-0 “worst  category” engines

Dog excrement and speeding mopeds dominate BPCA town hall meeting

November 17, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

The Battery Park City Authority hosted the first town hall in ten years on the evening of November 17th. Chairman William Thompson was not present and speaking for the authority was CEO Gayle Horwitz. Both Mr. Thompson and Ms. Horwitz are the source of controversy relating to their handling of firing 19 BPCA staff without notice, as we have previously reported.

Unlike congressional town halls seen in the news over the last few years whereby constituents directly asked questions, Ms. Horwitz screened the questions by reading from written cards submitted by the audience. There were a few topics that were repeatedly raised by the residents in the audience that received applause after the questions were discussed.

Dog feces, urine, and the smell created by it all on South End Avenue in front of the Gateway Plaza shops seemed to be the biggest concern of the meeting. Residents of South BPC know too well that the sidewalk in front of the Gristedes, the ice cream shop, pizza shop, etc, is the favorite spot for dog owners living in Gateway Plaza to let their pets relieve themselves. Even when the excrement is not visible, the smell is pungent and disgusting. Multiple residents pointed out that other regions of BPC have building owners that diligently power wash the sidewalk, and that the owners of Gateway Plaza are far less fastidious. Ms. Horwitz stated that she would communicate with the Gateway Plaza representatives about possibly power washing the sidewalk more frequently. No promises of more stringent PEP enforcement were offered.

In addition to this problem area on South End Avenue, other residents complained about an overall increase in dog feces being spotted throughout BPC over the last six months. Dog association representative, and member of CB1, Jeff Galloway, along with another dog association member, dismissed the problem as being caused by a GI “illness” going around amongst the pet community. It was not clear whether they were joking at first, but they were indeed serious. Tess Huxley, manager of the Parks Conservancy and the staff who deal with problems of this nature offered no tangible solution to the problem.

The other problem raised that drew significant applause was an apparent infestation of rats all throughout BPC, particularly Wagner Park and the West Thames Park. Ms. Horwitz and Ms. Huxley offered no immediate solution to this problem and proposed bringing in a “rat expert” doctor to discuss the problem further. New trash collection centers south of West Thames Street were discussed as one measure already taken to reduce the open bags of tempting trash/food for the rats.

Speeding electric mopeds driven by food delivery men that whiz by pedestrians on the sidewalks and nearly collide with them was another common complaint. Ms. Huxley of the Parks Conservancy who manages the PEPs, and Ms. Horwitz, both seemed unaware of the problem and emphasized more what was legal for the delivery men to do rather than what the delivery men were doing wrong which could be ticketed by PEPs. They did not promise to begin ticketing the kamikaze drivers.

Will Brookfield Properties really save the beloved marble stairs in Winter Garden, as they have promised, was a question raised by activist Justine Cuccia. Apparently, artist renderings of the new construction about to take place show plans of the new Winter Garden sans stairs, in a possible bait and switch. CEO Horwitz vowed “To my dying breath” to not let Brookfield pull a fast one and demolish the staircase.

The problem of tour buses illegally parking on the streets of BPC was also complained about by several residents. Ms. Horwitz made no mention of the achievements made by BatteryPark.TV that have virtually eliminated this problem on North End Avenue. Ms. Horwitz made vague statements about how she is working with the First Precinct to encourage ticketing, and offered up her email address for anyone to send photos of the buses.

The problem of the noisy and polluting New York Waterway ferry boats was raised by a resident. Ms. Horwitz made mention of the Port Authority that runs the slip, but made no mention of the efforts by BatteryPark.TV that seem to have completely ameliorated the problem, assuming the company does as it promised and replaces the old diesel engines with newer ones.

Resident Adam Pratt gave a five-minute statement about his abuse by the PEPs earlier this year and his desire to see the PEP force dismantled. BatteryPark.TV will have more on that story.

Given that many BPC residents are renters or live in rent-controlled Gateway Plaza, they most important issues relating to the BPCA seemed of little concern. The sky-high land lease taxes paid by building owners to the BPCA, that in turn create the highest monthly fees in the city for apartment owners making their units un-sellable, were addressed by a resident. No tangible reductions or changes were promised by the BPCA board, to no one’s surprise.

Lastly, as we reported in our separate story, the 800-pound gorilla on the room was the mass firings of 19 BPCA staff by Ms. Horwtiz. She simply refused to address that matter whatsoever, stating, “This meeting is for community issues, not staff matters.”

Bonus:

Should New York Waterway be evicted?

A community board member suggested that the polluting New York Waterway ferry boats should the  be evicted from the WFC Vesey Street slip until they replace the engines? Do you agree?

Please take our two-question, 20-second, survey by clicking here

Smog pollutant may be tied to stroke risk

Nov 16, 2011

Related to the NY waterway ferry boat pollution issues, Reuters is reporting on a new study linking pollution to increased stroke.

Reuters By Lindsey Konkel

People who live in areas with high levels of traffic-related air pollution might have a slightly increased risk of dying from stroke, Danish researchers suggest in a new study.

They found people living in urban zones with high estimated concentrations of nitrogen dioxide were 22 percent more likely to suffer a fatal stroke than people in less-polluted neighborhoods.

Nitrogen dioxide is a component of car exhaust and is known to cause lung damage. Previous research also suggests spikes in air pollution over the course of days or weeks can trigger death and hospitalization from stroke.

Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency strengthened its standards to prevent brief exposures to high levels of the pollutant, but the average threshold has remained the same for decades.

The latest study, published in the journal Stroke, is one of the largest and most comprehensive to link chronic exposure to everyday levels of air pollution to strokes, said Dr. Jiu-Chiuan Chen, who studies the effects of air pollution at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

“Policy-makers need to realize the danger of living and walking near a high traffic area,” said Chen, who was not involved in the new work.

The Danish researchers looked at data for more than 52,000 residents of two major cities in Denmark. Over the course of a decade, nearly 2,000 participants, aged 50 to 65 at the start of the study, experienced a first-time stroke landing them in the hospital, and 142 died within 30 days.

People exposed to the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide at their homes were five percent more likely to experience a stroke than those who breathed the cleanest air. And they were 22 percent more likely to die from a stroke, report Zorana J. Andersen, of the Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen, and colleagues.

Those numbers take into account several factors related to stroke risk, such as how heavy people were and whether or not they exercised or smoked.

But from a statistical point of view, it is still possible that chance may have played a role in the findings. And there is no proof that nitrogen dioxide itself — and not some unknown factor — caused the rise in strokes.

The researchers based estimates of nitrogen dioxide exposure dating back nearly four decades on factors such as the proximity of a major roadway to a participant’s home.

Previous studies have found that air pollution particles, which are small enough to make their way into the blood stream, contribute to inflammation of the blood vessels, which ultimately may lead to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

In addition to higher long-term exposure to air pollution, stroke patients in this study were also more likely to be male, obese and have other risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and a history of smoking.

Though the authors estimated outdoor nitrogen dioxide concentrations at people’s home address, they did not account for commuting habits or air pollution at the job.

“Commuting is also an important source of air pollution exposure,” Chen noted.

While limiting commute time in heavy traffic and exercising away from busy roadways may help people avoid the worst smog, Chen said air pollution is ultimately a public health problem that policy-makers need to deal with.

Bonus:

Should New York Waterway be evicted?

A community board member suggested that the polluting New York Waterway ferry boats should the  be evicted from the WFC Vesey Street slip until they replace the engines? Do you agree?

Please take our two-question, 20-second, survey by clicking here

Should New York Waterway be evicted?

A community board member suggested at the most recent meeting that the polluting New York Waterway ferry boats should the  be evicted from the WFC Vesey Street slip until they replace the engines? Do you agree?

Please take our two-question, 20-second, survey by clicking here

Exclusive: The missing Goldman Sachs ferry boats are found

November 2, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

The New York Times first reported in March that Goldman Sachs had purchased two new luxurious state-of-the-art ferry boats to carry employees across the Hudson River and doc at the WFC Vesey Street slip. The boats were supposed to go into commission in April but never did. In fact, the boats seem to have mysteriously disappeared.

We previously reported that neither Goldman Sachs nor the CEO of the BillyBey Ferry Company would comment on the fate of the boats. Last night, all of the parties who would know were present at the CB1 meeting. We asked the Port Authority, DOT, and BillyBey CEO Paul Goodman what became of the Goldman Sachs ferry boats and they all refused to comment (see video). The Port Authority spokeswoman said nervously, “I do not have privy to that information.” The BillyBey CEO essentially filibustered and changes the topic.

We spoke with the New York Times reporter who first covered this story, Pat McGeehan. A credible rumor circulating to explain this hush-hush over the Goldman Sachs boats is that the vessels were purchased somehow using federal bank stimulus or bailout monies, then the Goldman executives realized that buying catamaran river yachts might give a bad appearance to the press so the boats were sold or returned.

We then spoke directly with the boat manufacturer. All American Marine, in Bellingham, Washington, to ask whether they knew the fate of the Goldman Sachs boats. The marketing account manager who “handled that deal from start to finish” and has “been to New York for this many time”, told us that he “…had no idea why Goldman Sachs is not using those boats. They are still tied up to the pier in the Hudson River. They are perfectly fine, accepted, and ready to use. They just tell us that “the timing is not right” to put them into commission.”

All American Marine explained that the state-of-the-art boats made for Goldman Sachs have the least polluting engines available now which fall into the EPA’s Tier-2 category. They use Caterpillar diesel engines with exhaust particulate filters. He said, “We in the marine industry are now being pressured to clean up our act (with regards to exhaust emissions). The particulate filters are an experiment on process. The downside to strong filters are that they can back up the exhaust and hurt the engines.” He said that each boat cost Goldman Sachs approximately $2.75 Million per boat.

The Goldman Sachs mystery ferries have now been located. Why they are out of commission is still a mystery.

New York Times

Big meeting tonight to discuss the fate of the polluting NY Waterway boats

November 1, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

The CB1 Battery Park City subcommittee will meet tonight to discuss the fate of the BillyBey Ferry Company’s air and noise polluting ferry boats (6:00 PM, 1 World Financial Center, 24th floor). After several meetings leading up to this one, scheduled to be in attendance tonight are the CEO of BillyBey, representatives from Senator Gillibrand and Rep. Nadler’s offices, the EPA, the DOT, the non-profit environmental watchdog group the NRDC, and The New York Times.

Key issues to be determined will be:

• What did BillyBey do with the more than $7 Million in grants provided by an arcane grant from the State and City specifically meant for cleaning up ferry boat exhaust? “The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), in partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), announces the Deployment Phase of the New York City Private Ferry Emission Reduction Program.”
• BillyBey claims that several of their boats have already been retrofitted with diesel particulate filters. However, per our filming and reporting, not a single New York Waterway ferry that docks at the Vesey Street slip seems to have any such filter.
• BillyBey also claims to be completely replacing older diesel engines with more modern “clean diesel”. When will this take place?
• What happened to the brand new super-clean and quiet Goldman Sachs ferry boats, seen briefly in April and reported by the New York Times? They seem to have disappeared and never made it into service. BillyBey CEO Goodman refused to answer that question in our previous call with him.
• What powers does the federal Clean Air Act give our local EPA to enforce pollution violations that appear to be committed by the BillyBey New York Waterway ferries? The well-funded non-profit environmental watchdog group, the NRDC, and the EPA, will shed some light onto that.
• What role will the Port Authority, operator of the Vesey Street slip and contractor with BillyBey, play in resolving this public health problem?
• What role will the city play now that the city is in contract with BillyBey for the East River new ferry services?

After decades of being subjected to noise and air pollution from the BillyBey New York Waterway ferries, our community seems to the most support ever for resolving this problem. Please attend the meeting tonight.

(unedited filming of ferry boat pollution)

Exclusive: Did Goldman Sachs buy ferry boats on TARP money and return them?

One of the ferry boats purchased by Goldman Sachs to provide less noisy less polluting service to Battery Park City, by The NY Times

October 18, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

BatteryPark.TV received call today from a reporter at a national newspaper asking whether we knew the fate of the two new Goldman Sachs ferry boats purchased to carry employees between the Vesey Street slip in Manhattan, owned by the Port Authority, and other slips in New Jersey. Recall, after the new Goldman Sachs headquarters opened on West Street and Vesey Street, BillyBey Ferry Company, owner of the New York Waterway ferry boats, began new routes crossing from Jersey City at earlier times in the morning, and the noise was a source of complaints. For decades, noise and pollution from the boats have angered BPC residents on the Hudson River.

The New York Times reported in March that two new boats had arrived from a shipyard in Washington State, and were rumored to cost $5 Million dollars. They were supposed to have gone into commission in April, but never did.

Goldman Sachs, in customary fashion, will not comment on the fate of the new boats. We called Paul Goodman, the CEO of BillyBey Ferry Company, operator of the New York Waterway branded boats and the yet-to-be commissioned Goldman Sachs boats. He said, “I have no comment one way or the other…I will see you at the November 1st Community Board meeting.”

Given the lack of clarity provided by Goldman Sachs and BillyBey Ferry, we are forced to speculate on rumor. One leading theory on the fate of the Goldman Sachs luxury ferry boats is that they were purchased with TARP funds or other federal stimulus money and have now been sold or returned in order to avoid a scandal. We will learn more at the next CB1 meeting.

The next CB1 is schedule to have speakers including the CEO of BillyBey Ferry and representatives from the EPA, Senator Gillibrand, and Rep. Nadler. For all of our previous coverage of this topic, click here.

CB 1 Meeting October 4

October 4, 2011

By Steven Greer

The Battery Park City division of Community Board 1 met tonight. Two Hudson river complaints were discussed. The first one dealt with the annual loud speed boat race. Then, the meeting turned to the topic of diesel exhaust air pollution from the New York Waterway ferry boats on the Vesey Street slip.

In attendance were staffers from Senator Gillibrand’s and Rep. Nadler’s offices. Surprisingly, the EPA ignored the invitation to attend, despite being the agency most empowered to do something about the problem (see our previous stories).

Steven Greer began with a video from BatteryPark.TV of medical doctor expert on air pollution and the effects to children’s lung development.  A 20-year study at USC has demonstrated that air pollution increases asthma, slows lung growth in children, and increases overall mortality rates. Several local residents expressed outrage over the ferry boat noise and pollution.

The committee decided to do the following:

• Have some entity, to be determined, test the levels of air pollution by the waterfall pond near the slip
• Request the Port Authority to deal with the New York Waterway company since the Authority controls the slip
• Continue to deal with the EPA and state DEC and invite those entities to the next meeting
• Continue to engage the federal representatives for lower Manhattan, namely Rep. Nadler and Senator Gillibrand, in order to use the enforcement powers of the federal EPA via the Clean Air Act. The state and city agencies have failed to act on this problem for decades.
• Look into any financial “green” incentives that might encourage the ferry boat operator to clean up their boats

The medical consequences of ferry boat diesel exhaust pollution to children’s lungs

October 4, 2011

(In full screen 1080iHD)

The Community Board 1, BPC division, will meet tonight to discuss the problem of diesel exhaust pollution damaging the eyes and lungs of nearby children in the parks by the Vesey Street ferry boat slip. Members of Rep. Nadler and Senators Schumer’s and Gillibrand’s staff have been invited.

In this video, the Chairman of Preventive Medicine at USC, who recently authored a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine on pollution and the Clean Air Act, discusses how engine exhaust causes asthma, delays lung growth, and increases mortality.

CB1 meeting discusses New York Waterway air pollution

September 6, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

BatteryPark.TV was invited by CB1 BPC Chairwoman Linda Belfer to present the video of the New York Waterway ferry boat pollution and discuss the results of our investigation to date. During the meeting, Ms. Belfer and others announced that they will next invite Senators Schumer and Gillibrand (both D-NY), as well as Rep. Nadler (D-NY), to attend the next CB BPC meeting and discuss how the EPA might be recruited to help clean up the problem.

September 14, 2011

This is an unedited series of clips requested by the community board

Update: EPA’s response to our letter on NY Waterway ferry pollution

August 31, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

CB1 Battery Park City committee Chairwoman Linda Belfer requested that BatteryPark.TV present our video of the NY Waterway ferries billowing black diesel particulate pollution at the Vesey Street slip on Tuesday, September 6th.

Updating our open-letter to the EPA, BatteryPark.TV spoke with a member of the enforcement staff of the EPA’s region 2. This person works for Kenneth Eng in the Clean Air division. He said, “Boy, you really caused a lot of fuss around here …numerous emails have been going back and forth…(based on your video and story)”.

This EPA official said that his office investigated the matter and concluded it was not enforceable by their offices because the pollution source is “Not stationary for more than six minutes”. This is an assertion that is disputable since, during rush hour, multiple ferries are docked, revving engines and stationary, for periods of time. longer than six minutes

The EPA official went on to say that this specific problem of ferry boat pollution was of great interest to more senior ranks within the EPA. It has been investigated in the past after complaints.

A second EPA official, also of the Region 2 enforcement office, explained that an update to the Clean Air Act, to start in June of 2012, would possibly govern marine vessels with diesel engines, possibly like the NY Waterway ferries in question. He referred us to this EPA document. He said that in June of 2012, the vehicles deemed to be regulated by this law will have to use cleaner diesel fuel and add diesel particulate filters.

The EPA also referred us to a different enforcement office run by the State of New York, the DEC and the staff of Mr. Sam Lieblich. The DEC did not return our messages, but the EPA and local CB1 members have told us that the DEC previously investigated various complaints about the boats (noise and pollution) several times but declined to enforce any law.

BatteryPark.TV reached out to the press offices of Governor Cuomo, Manhattan Borough President Stringer, Mayor Bloomberg, Assembly Speaker Silver, and U.S. Rep. Adler, but the Labor Day holiday has caused delays in responses.

To learn more about the health consequences of combustion engine pollution, and how the Clean Air Act has worked to reduce pollution, we refer you to this excellent discussion.

Do these NY Waterway ferries look safe to you?

June 24, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

In the wake of numerous discount tour bus massacres along New Jersey highways killing dozens of passengers traveling to casinos aboard astonishingly unregulated buses, one with a convicted murderer as a bus drivers, are our waterways also vulnerable?

Interstate business such as furniture movers, trucking, busing, etc. are often unregulated as they fall outside the jurisdiction of cities and states. The NY Waterway ferries, spanning New Jersey and New York via the Hudson River, are regulated by the Port Authority mostly.

A CB1 spokesperson wrote, “What is similar (to the tour buses that crashed) is that the city can’t regulate the buses in some instances because they are inter-state and need to be regulated at a federal level. Similarly, the city can’t set rules for vessels operating on the river because it is not city jurisdiction. The Port Authority has leverage over them but we don’t always have the leverage we need with the PA in this area. We raised issues pertaining to noise and pollutants from the boats in several meetings with operators and government agencies. They made some changes including putting some new, cleaner boats into service and retiring older boats. More needs to be done and I expect that we will hold additional meetings as it is an ongoing effort. Regulations are not as stringent as they could be.

With that in mind, we have been noticing the decrepit conditions of these NY Waterway ferries that dock by Vesey Street and the Irish Memorial.

You decide for yourself. Do these boats, filthy in diesel soot, paint peeling from all surfaces, do they look safe to you?

(Click images to expand and fully appreciate the dilapidated status of the boats)

George Washington has seen better days

The real Senator Lautenberg looks younger than this boat

Brooklyn given a bad name here?

A letter to the EPA about the NY Waterway ferries polluting the children’s playgrounds

Kenneth Eng

Chief, Air Compliance Branch

US EPA, Region 2

Mr. Eng

I am a medical doctor and am reporting a serious air quality health hazard at the west end of Vesey Street where the New York Waterway ferries dock. They have old, unclean diesel engines in all of the boats. When they dock, the boats rev the engines and dark black exhaust spews out (see video). This happens every day.

The direct and acute health hazard comes from the fact that 60 yards away, on land, is a well-kept and popular series of children’s playgrounds. At certain times of the day when multiple ferries are docked at once, the fumes are so powerful that they burn the eyes and throat. These fumes contain benzene, ozone, and many other toxic compounds that the Clean Air Act would never find permissible.

Since these boats fall under interstate commerce, no single city or state seems able to do anything about this problem. I believe that your “Mobile source unit”, led by Mr. Michael Moltzen, might be able to deal with this and use new clean diesel regulations to deal with the problem.

We contacted the CEO of New York Waterway, Mr. Paul Goodman, and he refused to comment.

The EPA would certainly make thousands of friends down here if you can be the agency to finally solve this health hazard.

We filed a report at the EPA, # 987024

Steven Greer, MD

BatteryPark.TV

Community Board 1 discusses NY Waterway ferry boat pollution and the grass field

September 27, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

The monthly joint meeting of all of the divisions of Community Board 1 met tonight. NY State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver made an appearance to invite people to join him in a tour of the 9/11 Memorial this Sunday.

BPC’s Linda Belfer discussed BatteryPark.TV’s story on NY Waterway ferry boat pollution that resulted in her staff making a report. She said that Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, as well as Rep. Nadler, will be invited to the next meeting.

The final rules for the West Thames Park grass field were also approved. The committee for this was initiated after BatteryPark.TV conducted a survey of local residents on how they desired the field to be used.