Last week, Streetsblog published an exclusive story about the Department of Environmental Protection’s plan to change the rules about illegal idling in a way that advocates say will weaken the law and lead to more pollution from idling commercial vehicles. As part of that coverage, we quoted a pediatrician who lambasted the agency at a hearing about its plans, as well as Spectrum’s application to be allowed to idle. We present his full testimony below to give you a better picture.
I am a board certified pediatrician and fellow of American Academy of Pediatrics. I have been working at Lincoln Hospital in Bronx for several years as an emergency department physician and hospitalist. Asthma rates there are among the highest in America. I have also worked as a pediatric chief resident at Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, and at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan.
My professional life has been centered on evidence-based decision-making in the interests of prevention and public safety.
As such, I feel qualified and qualified to testify in this matter. I hope that the Department of Environmental Protection will reconsider its position. NeverConsider public health when granting variances for idlers. They will not only listen but also act.
For me, the biggest question is why it seems like there is a need for DEP to be educated on the most basic and obvious facts about air pollution.The Department of Environmental Protection should be aware of the health effects of air pollution.Anyone can read the newspapers, and even the scientific or environmental journals.
Let me briefly summarize the situation.
- According to World Health Organization standards, 9 out of 10 people worldwide (and 10 of 10 in New York City), are breathing polluted indoor air.
- Polluted air causes 7-8 million premature deaths around the world
- Air pollution can cause chronic obstructive lung disease, asthma, lung cancer and strokes.
- Air pollution, particularly traffic related air pollution causes neurological diseases, such as dementia, Parkinsons disease, and Alzheimer’s in adults and causes delays in brain maturation with associated learning problem and behavioral issues in children
- Patients with Covid-19 infection are more likely to die from air pollution.
- Long term effects of pollution on the immune and metabolic systems can lead to chronic metabolic diseases.
As you can see from the above, idling and the resulting air pollution have a significant impact on public safety.
Public health is more than a theoretical concept.Every New Yorker is affected by traffic-related air pollution.
When deliberating on [Spectrum’s]I’m certain DEP has already spent hours considering the merits of your request for a variance.How much time did DEP spend considering the impact of this decision for New Yorkers.New York is home to nearly nine million people, almost two million being children.Most New Yorkers assume that DEP acts in their best interests, and certainly in the best interest of the environment. After all, that is what the name implies:Department of Environmental Protection
If every child in New York wrote a letter to DEP about the variance, and DEP spent just one minute reading each letter, DEP would have read those letters for 3,8 years.If every New Yorker wrote one letter, then DEP would need 16,7 years to go through those letters.I hope you are able to see how many lives could be negatively impacted by granting a variance in this case.
I don’t think it is about DEPs knowledge.The question is not whether the DEP cares about New Yorkers.
- No 8-year old wrote you a letter complaining about how difficult school was after being awakened three times in a night due to shortness of breath.
- No 6-month old complained to you about having to do five extra days of difficult breathing and a visit the ER to overcome a severe viral upper respiratory tract infection.
- No fetus has ever contacted you to remind that the effects of air pollution on intrauterine traffic will have a lasting impact on his or her intellectual development.
Charter Communications is the letter that you did not read. [Spectrum’s parent company].Evidently, many iterations have been submitted at this point. While the language is becoming more polished, we are now reading about commitments and lofty goals, robust reporting, live alerts, and so on. It is evident that the company continues to fail the law’s requirements to show the existence of any hardship.Although this company may well have been encouraged by DEPs lack of critical review of idling requests in the past, it should be obvious that the mentioned “2035goals”Charter Communications has not taken any action or insufficient action over the past several years to comply with the idling laws. This cannot be excused.
DEP should not be forced to grant a variance to the Idling Law for Charter Communications on the basis of a request that, even in its most recent iteration, is little more than a confirmation that Charter Communications has done nothing in the past several years to adopt the latest technologies.
If DEP were allowed to reissue a variance to Charter Communications it would:
- Do not ignore any existing guidelines that outline the criteria that must be met for a variance to become effective.
- Abdicate your role as a public servant and act AgainstInstead of InThe interest of New Yorkers,
- It would also discourage Charter Communications and other companies from investing in alternative energy sources.
It is BeyondIt is time for the New York City DEP, to live up to its reputation and to be an ambassador to New Yorkers, and not for companies looking to maximize their short-term profits by causing harm to New Yorkers health or wellbeing.
Patrick Schnell is a cyclist, environmental advocate, and has lived in New York City for over 20 years. He is a pediatrician board-certified in New York State as well as his native Germany.
