Yesterday Reps Anthony Weiner, Nydia Velázquez and residents held a press conference calling for the Environmental Protection Agency to be declare the Newtown Creek a Superfund site. New York Shitty was on the scene and took the video above. “We are standing amidst the largest environmental disaster in American history,” said Weiner, “We are standing above a subterranean oil and chemical spill that covers dozens of acres, up to 55 acres, in this area.” As the Times notes, between 17 to 30 million gallons of petroleum are estimated to have been spilled in the creek and its surrounding area over the course of more than a century, and a recent study found that vapors from the spill could affect nearby homes and businesses. According to the Daily News, Superfund designation would start a cleanup process that would take more than a decade and result in up to $15 million in federal cleanup funds.
Press Conference At Newtown Creek [NY Shitty]
Lawmakers Ask E.P.A. to Help with Creek Cleanup [NY Times]
Lawmakers Want Feds to Declare Newtown Creek a Superfund Site [Daily News]
Video by NY Shitty.