Issue Position: Waste Transfer Station
Issue Position
Asphalt Green is a treasure to the community and families from every borough who come to enjoy recreational activities. Rebecca understands that the proposed waste transfer station would be detrimental to the community and its families. Rebecca has fond memories of playing with her children alongside thousands of others at Asphalt Green and would hate to see this open space ripped in two by dump trucks.
A proud member of Pledge 2 Protect, Rebecca continues to protest the dump with many others at the site. Additionally, Rebecca feels that it is paramount in this election year for Governor Cuomo to take action, and she has already called on him to delay the plan until the current state of the community is addressed in mitigating the plans for its future. The waste transfer station is bad for children, families and, most of all bad for the residents of Stanley Isaacs/Holmes. Increased diesel traffic and trash barges produce emissions linked to asthma. Furthermore, the potential for accidents is increased. The Upper East Side has changed significantly since the permits to build the dump were originally approved including thousands of new residents, dedicated bike lanes, bus lanes and the new FEMA guidelines which places the proposed dump 6 feet below the new federal guidelines. The plan has come in over-budget and is not a practical solution for taking care of Manhattan's waste. The facility was supposed to cost taxpayers $45 million but has already reached $250 million. Rebecca believes that money spent on the dump could be better spent on her top priorities including education and housing. That is why Rebecca is calling on the Department of Environmental Conservation to hold a public hearing to stop the dump in its tracks.
If elected, Rebecca will seek appointment to the Committee on Environmental Conservation that oversees the Department of Environmental Conservation, a key pressure point in continuing the fight against the ill- advised plan. Moreover, Rebecca will demand a modern plan that changes the way we deal with waste and reduce it, eliminating the need for facilities like the East 91st Street waste transfer station.
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