LTE: The US Needs to Better Protect Its Citizens

The US Needs to Better Protect Its Citizens

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently enacted the Comprehensive Asbestos Bill, and we must ask the question, why has it taken so long? We know there are hundreds of toxic chemicals that lead to disease in this country, yet why is the US one of the last to protect its own citizens? 

Asbestos has been a known carcinogen for decades, causing over 40,000 deaths in the US every year, and now our government is finally banning it. In 2016, during the Obama administration, the federal government passed legislation to update the 1976 Toxic Substance Control Act, but why did it take 40 years to update a bill on toxic substances? 

Twenty-two years ago, I founded the Community Health and Environment Coalition to address the high rate of cancer in the area. I wanted to know why it was happening and how to prevent it. Community members, elected officials, and health professionals challenged the NYS Department of Health to do more. The Health Department did this by launching an investigation but left us with more questions than answers. During the investigation, most residents expressed concerns about our environment, particularly our water. Twenty-two years later we have identified toxic chemicals in our water including PFAS forever chemicals and 1.4 Dioxane. 

Decades of illegal dumping, military and industrial use of toxic chemicals dumped in the ground, and now banned pesticides have contributed to our long toxic chemical legacy. We are finally seeing some progress after years of grassroots environmental advocacy and government policy proactively holding those responsible, but more must be done. 

As the chemical industry continues to exert power over the government, we must understand that cheap utilitarian toxic chemicals may seem helpful at first, but the long-term health effects may negate any cost savings and may put our lives at risk.

It’s been over 20 years since the Twin Towers 9/11 attack that killed thousands of people. Many first responders have suffered delayed symptoms and continue to lose their lives due to exposure to toxic chemicals. Now that we better understand the long-term health effects of toxic exposure, we must hold those responsible and do more to protect lives. 

Sarah S. Anker

Former Suffolk County Legislator

(Sarah S. Anker is a candidate for NYS Senate in 1st Senate District)

LTE: Calls For Traffic Enforcement After Another Serious MV Crash On Browns Rd.

Smithtown Matters

Here we go again. The 4^th bad accident within 6 months on Browns Road Nesconset. The speeding drivers are not slowing down as the road dangerously curves.

This time there was no tree to stop the driver that occurred just weeks ago. That car was headed straight into the dining room of the house.

Before that the motorcyclist crashed and lay in the middle of the road as drivers sped by him.

But last night the driver almost lost her life as she hit the curve with such an impact that the car flipped over. The entire 4^th precinct showed up along with the Nesconset Fire Dept. However the residents request for radar goes on deaf ears!

The survey taken by Mitchell J. Crowley, Director of Safety for the Town of Smithtown on August 2, 2019 was sent to Inspector Romagnolito S.C.P.D. 4^th Precinct Commanding Officer along with a letter requesting enforcement of the speed limit at this location. Yet to date no patrol car with radar detection is anywhere in sight.

If speeding tickets were issued, drivers would slow down and less accidents would occur on this residential street.

Sincerely, 

The Neighbors of Browns Road Nesconset

LTE: Peace In The World Is Possible

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As Quakers, we believe that peace in the world is possible, as Mary Lord, Quaker, of the American Friends Service Committee, reminds us. “We are called to live into the peaceable kingdom, and in that living discover the joy of a better way of life—in harmony with the Earth and one another. Peacemaking is not only possible but practical every day.” (Friends Journal, 6/1/2007) Peacemaking requires that we acknowledge the background of all participants, actively listen to what has been learned, then consider the elements of agreement. 

 Our peaceful sentiments have been called naïve and even unpatriotic. However, which is the greater naïveté: to believe that the difficult but productive path of using diplomacy and strengthening international law is the path of safety, or to believe that wars and their weapons of mass destruction resolve conflicts and make us safe and secure?

The path of “winning the war,” as though it were a game, is, as history shows, the more naïve perspective.  War brings a horrific cost in human life, in property, in cultural treasures, in the fouling of the earth and killing of its creatures. The aftermath invalidates the notion that wars bring about resolution, as evidenced by continuing warfare in the Middle East, Ukraine, Myanmar, Somalia, and elsewhere. 

Because Quakers believe there is good in everyone — people always have the capacity to be their best selves — we believe it is worth the effort of taking the steps of peacemaking to avoid the horrific costs of war and to provide the hope of establishing a just reality that sows the seeds of peace for future generations.

In Peace,
Carolyn Emerson
Clerk of Conscience Bay Meeting
of the Religious Society of Friends 

LTE: Grand Central Madison One Year Later

Grand Central Madison One Year Later

There is still much to do one year after the opening of Grand Central Madison that was omitted from the MTA ceremony celebration. 

How many of the original 73 East Side Access contracts has the MTA completed inspection and acceptance, punch list, receipt of maintenance asset plans resulting in final payment and release of retainage resulting in contract closeout? What is their collective dollar value?

How much of the $600 million in debt service payments buried in the agency operating budget which covered project costs are still outstanding? The same applies to several hundred million more in debt service payments that financed  

$4 billion worth of LIRR readiness projects to support start of full service in February 2023. They are carried off line from the official project budget.  These include the $2.6 billion Main Line Third Track, $450 million Jamaica Capacity Improvements, $387 million Ronkonkoma Double Track, $120 million Ronkonkoma Yard Expansion, $44 million Great Neck Pocket Track, $423 million for rail car fleet expansion.  Without these, the LIRR would lack the expanded operational capabilities to support  promised 24 rush hour train service to GCM and 40% increase in reverse peak rush hour service.  Honest accounting would include these other expenditures bringing the true cost of ESA to $16.1 billion.

How many of the original 73 East Side Access contracts are still open? What is their number and collective dollar value?

How many thousands of the original promised daily ridership projection has not been achieved?  This goes for the reverse peak as well.

Why does Grand Central Madison still not provide 24/7 service as does Penn Station?

Grand Central Madison still has only two men’s bathroom with a total of 18 urinals and 13 toilets, two women’s bathroom with a total of 25 toilets, one lactation room and two gender neutral bathrooms each with a single capacity, all located on the Madison Concourse. There are none on the lower or upper level platforms and mezzanine.

There is still only one waiting room located on the Madison Concourse. It has only 29 seats and seven stools for Wi-Fi connections to serve riders. There are no other seating options on the platform and mezzanine levels while waiting. 

 

Options for recycling newspapers or beverage containers, disposal of garbage or other waste continues to be nonexistent except for a handful of garbage cans at the platform level.  There are few options to dispose of waste at either the mezzanine or Madison concourse levels. This conflicts with MTA’s claim to be environmentally friendly.  

There are still no open newsstands.  These services are readily available in  Metro North Rail Road Grand Central Terminal, Penn and Jamaica Stations. 

There are 11 Ticket Vending Machines still waiting to be installed. It appears that the designed space is not wide enough to accommodate standard LIRR TVM’s. 

All the facility storefronts still stand vacant.  The original completion date was 2011. Full time service began in February 2023. MTA Real Estate had years to find tenants for the 32 vacant storefronts.  MTA Real Estate has yet to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to find a master tenant to manage all 32 vacant storefronts. When will this take place?

The MTA Arts & Design recent announcement that they are presenting a selection of works from photographer Stephen Wilkes’ “Day to Night” series of famous New York landmarks at this facility is of little value to most commuters  Some advertising posters would be better and generate some badly needed revenue..  

Transparency on the part of Governor Hochul, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber and LIRR President Richard Free in sharing with commuters, taxpayers, transit advocates and elected officials in dealing with these remaining open issues is required.

Sincerely,

Larry Penner

(Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a former Director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management.  This included the development, review, approval and oversight for billions in capital projects and programs for NJ Transit, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NYC Transit bus, subway and Staten Island Railway, Long Island and Metro North Rail Roads, MTA Bus, NYCDOT Staten Island Ferry along with 30 other transit agencies in NY & NJ.).,