Nydia Velázquez calls for additional $300 million for Superfund sites
A Brooklyn congressmember whose district includes three federal Superfund sites is calling for an increase of more than $300 million to fund the cleanup of the nation’s most toxic locations.
Citing inflation and a need to continue the momentum of ongoing remediation, U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, whose jurisdiction includes the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek in Brooklyn and Wolff-Alport Chemical Company in Queens, wrote a letter to the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies subcommittee, asking that the organization increase Superfund appropriations to $1.46 billion for fiscal year 2020.
“With three Superfund sites in or touching New York’s 7th Congressional District, including the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek, I’m acutely aware of how important it is to provide the Environmental Protection Agency adequate resources to properly administer this program,” Velázquez told the Brooklyn Eagle.
“Given the public health effects that environmental sore spots can have on families and children, this is a question of social and environmental justice. I’m pleased 100 of my colleagues have joined me to call for boosting the program’s funding.”