Justin Wood (NYLPI) supports Intros 367 and 369, opposes 911A

Good morning, Chair.

Thank you so much for holding this hearing.

And congratulations to you and Majority Leader Abreu and the Council on the passage of Intro 31 last night.

We strongly support that.

And of course, on the passage of a robust city budget.

My name is Justin Wood, Director of Policy at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and we're a member of Transform and Don't Trash New York City.

As another summer of extreme heat descends on us as we speak, the federal government continues an assault on renewable energy, climate science, public health, and the very concept of environmental justice.

So it's in that context that we offer this.

Strong support for intros 367 and 369 introduced by Councilmember Nurse.

Intro 367, to accept commercial waste at marine and rail facilities owned by the city, is a major and decades-old priority for environmental justice communities that continue to bear the pollution and safety burdens of unjustly cited concentrations of waste transfer stations

based on trucks in outer borough communities.

These facilities were designed at their inception to accept commercial waste overnight.

The 2006 Solid Waste Management Plan's environmental impact study explicitly proposed that they be used for this and found there would be minimal impacts on surrounding communities.

So we'll submit a more detailed written statement, but we strongly support that and any underlying studies.

that sanitation needs to conduct to arrive at any subsidy or price that would be necessary to induce commercial haulers to use these facilities.

We similarly strongly support Intro 369, requiring the city to operate at least one major aerobic composting facility in each borough, building on the successful expansion of the Fresh Kills facility we heard about today.

With the passage of Intro 31 and the long-awaited implementation and enforcement of commercial and residential

recycling rules, now is the time to begin planning to process far more organic waste locally and produce rich soil fertilizer for our parks, farms, and gardens.

Finally, if I may, we strongly oppose Intro 911A, which would retroactively delay and undermine implementation of CWZ in Staten Island.

Simply put, Staten Islanders, and I happen to be a resident of the borough, residents, sanitation workers, and businesses deserve the immediate benefits that started today of the CWZ system that was studied, debated, and legislated almost a decade ago.

Safer streets, cleaner air, recycling, composting, food donation services, and an affordable price structure that ensures Staten Island businesses can save money by diverting more waste from landfills are all good things.

I would just add that

If this bill were to pass, we would be concerned that the city would be subject to almost certainly to litigation by the haulers that have already been awarded these zones and implementation began today.

And we would urge the council not to disrupt the good things that are happening.

Our partners in organized labor at the Teamsters, for example, have been able to organize substantial numbers of workers in this historically dangerous and exploitative industry.

So thank you very much.

Thanks so much, Justin.

And with that, this first panel is relieved.

Thank you so much.

Now I'd like to bring up Eric Goldstein, Rhonda Kayser, and Jamiri Rush.

I hope I said that right.