Mayor Bloomberg's Ambitious Waste Plan Wins Victory in Court

Date: September 20, 2006

Source: News Room

Mayor Bloomberg's 20-year waste management plan scored a recent victory in court. Opponents of a proposed waste transfer station on 91st Street and the East River had sued saying that the location with its proximity to residential areas, posed a significant health hazard. In his ruling, Judge Michael Stallman rejected those arguments saying that the plan would "further the city's announced, rational goals of promoting equity among the boroughs for responsibility over waste disposal, and reducing truck traffic." The plaintiffs who include the Gracie Point Community Council, the Association for Community Reform Now, and several other groups have pledged to appeal the decision they claim contains several "errors of law." The Mayor's Plan, which had been proposed in 2004 three years after the closure of Fresh Kills, was only recently approved by the City Council in July. Its main selling point is to balance the burden of waste disposal equally among the five boroughs. The plan also calls for two other proposed sites on Manhattan's West Side, one on Gansevoort Street and the other at the 59th Street Pier.

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