Queens Gazette - Letters to the Editor - Leave Reservoir Alone by Henry Euler

Letters to the Editor:

The Ridgewood Reservoir is an area on the Queens- Brooklyn border by Highland Park that the Parks Department and the city would like to develop into recreational space. The problem, however, is that it would mean that acres of trees would have to be cut down.

How ironic that would be! The city in conjunction with the Parks Department wants to plant one million trees throughout the city for health and ecological benefits. Yet in this pristine area, they are willing to sacrifice hundreds of trees to put down Astroturf and the like. In the meantime, there are many ball fields and other recreational spaces around the city that already exist and are in need of improvement. Some of those areas are even near the Ridgewood Reservoir. Shouldn't some of the money that would be allocated for this project be better used to repair what already exists?

It is not only the trees at stake at the Ridgewood Reservoir site. The area is an oasis for birds. Over one hundred types of migratory birds have been identified there. Many of those nest there as well. It is an ideal habitat for birds and other types of wildlife.

The Ridgewood Reservoir was used as a backup water supply for Queens and Brooklyn into the 1960s. It was made up of three basins. Two of those three water areas subsequently became reforested in the typical way that land changes over time in nature. That process is known as succession and this particular site is on its way to becoming a full fledged Eastern forest. Why interrupt this urban forest by cutting down trees?

My understanding is that the city and Parks Department are planning on spending anywhere from $46 million to $55 million on this project, depending on the source. That money should be spent on improving existing recreational areas and purchasing additional parcels of land to be used for open space and park uses.

In Queens, many concerned citizens urged the purchase of several parcels including the St. Saviour's church property in Maspeth, the Klein Farm in Fresh Meadows and the Iris Hill wooded property in Bellerose. Other parcels are available as well, and all of this land should be used for green areas for the public.

According to the mayor, one million more residents are expected in the city by 2030. It is difficult to figure where everyone will live, given the overdevelopment, infrastructure and flooding problems that we are already facing today. In addition, where will everyone go to relax and enjoy nature? Where will our children play? It is time to plan ahead and think of the future. We must buy open space in the city to meet those needs and we also have to preserve land that is environmentally sensitive like the Ridgewood Reservoir area.

Henry Euler
Bayside

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Queens Civic Congress - Joint Statement Queens Civic Congress and Queens Coalition for Parks & Green Spaces

Queens Civic Congress

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Joint Statement - Queens Civic Congress and Queens Coalition for Parks & Green Spaces

New York City must work to preserve its historic natural areas; these historic settings must receive much the same treatment as historical landmarks. The destruction or loss of any natural areas negatively impacts the quality of life for the surrounding communities bordering these green spaces. It flies in the face of what City Hall advocates for parks and preservation in PlaNYC.



Ridgewood Reservoir should be preserved as such and the monies (some $46 million) to destroy this green area's natural settings should be re-allocated to purchases to preserve other threatened historical natural areas which also include historical structures -- such as St. Saviour's, the Klein Farm, Iris Hill and the former Cornell Farm. What we destroy today cannot be restored tomorrow.

City Hall needs to take a hard look and re-evaluate what needs to be done to preserve natural areas before they cease to exist. This includes re-thinking any plans that threaten natural parks and historic settings such as Ridgewood Reservoir, St. Saviour's, the Klein Farm.

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Queens Chronicle - Safety Officer, Aqueduct Talk At CB10 Meeting by Stephen Geffon...

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School crossing guards and safety agents play important roles in maintaining the well-being of students, but a recent City Council hearing found that the low pay and limited benefits offered to them makes their recruitment and retention challenging.

Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr.

Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) told members of Community Board 10 at their meeting last Thursday night that at a recent joint hearing in Manhattan, it was determined that part-time crossing guards earn about $12,000 a year. The current beginning salary for a school safety agent is $26,041 a year.

NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly has testified at past council hearings that the hiring of crossing guards has always been a challenge. Several factors contribute to the difficulty, including the low wages offered and the schedule that corresponds with the arrival and dismissal of students.

As of March 2007, the number of crossing guards employed at city schools was approximately 100 less than the NYPD’s target figure. But a recent wave of applicants — 300 since June 2007 — has NYPD officials hopeful.

Statistics show that between 2002 to 2007 the turnover rate of school safety agents has been 50 percent, with approximately 40 agents leaving per month. Leaders of the union representing the safety agents point out that the large turnover rate hurts their performance as a unit.

Councilman Joe Addabbo with Jennifer Manley Queens Commissioner of the Mayor's Community Affairs Unit

At the meeting, held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in South Ozone Park, board member Frank Dardani asked Addabbo what the City Council could do to retain school safety agents. Addabbo said the pay issue had to be addressed by the mayor. However, he said the council was looking at what they could do legislatively regarding the agents’ benefits and other possible incentives.

Senator Serphin Maltese

Board members heard from state Sen. Serphin Maltese (R-Glendale) on the current status of negotiations for the control of Aqueduct Race Track. Agreeing with many of his constituents, Maltese said that “it’s the best thing for our community” for horses to continue running in Ozone Park. He added that despite speculation that American Indian tribes may run a casino at Aqueduct, “that was not realistic, and (was) not expected to happen.”

Maltese said that he hopes that a fiscally sound group comes forward and agrees to continue racing at Aqueduct. Maltese noted that both he and Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Ozone Park) have the support of senate and assembly leaders in Albany in their efforts to do what is best for South Queens.


Addendum:

NY State Assemblyman Rory Lancman came by to introduce himself to the Board...

Councilman Rory Lancman

Queens Ledger - Will Autumn Be a Lot More Colorful in NYC? by Stephen Geffon...

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"It's not easy being green," laments Kermit the Frog, however, if he travels to New York City his sadness will turn to joy in the company of thousands of green street trees as part of a recent proposal put forward by the Department of City Planning (DCP).



Deborah Carney, deputy director of the Queens DCP office, told the members of Community Board 10 at their meeting last Thursday evening at the Knights of Columbus Hall in South Ozone Park that the department believes that their street trees proposal will contribute to the greening of the city, the greening of the community, and ultimately improve the quality of life in the city. Mayor Bloomberg's goal is to plant one million trees in the city over the next decade.

Under the mayor's plan, the Parks Department would receive nearly $400 million over the next 10 years to plant 600,000 public trees, by reforesting 2,000 acres of existing parkland and lining streets with new trees. The plan calls for non-profit and community groups, businesses, developers, and community residents to plant the remaining 400,000 trees.


DCP has proposed zoning changes that would require the planting of street trees as a condition of new developments, major enlargements of existing projects, and some building conversions. If adopted, the proposal, now under public review, could generate roughly 10,000 new trees each year. The average street tree in New York City intercepts over 1,400 gallons of storm water each year, while reducing energy costs and air pollution.

DCP's proposed requirements for street trees for new developments, enlargements of 20 percent or more and some changes of use would be based on frontage, requiring one street tree for every 25 feet of street frontage, with a minimum requirement of one street tree. Existing street trees in front of the property could fulfill the requirement.


Carney said that although the property owner would be responsible for planting the trees, the Parks Department would be responsible for maintaining them.
The NYC Department of Parks reported that the 2005/2006 Street Tree Census found 592,130 street trees in the city - a 19 percent increase over the 1995/1996 census.


Queens remains the borough with the most trees, with just over 40 percent of the total population, or 239,882 trees. The top ten trees are the London Planetree, Norway Maple, Callery Pear, Honeylocust, Pine Oak, Littleleaf Linden, Green Ash, Red Maple, Silver Maple, and Ginkgo.

DCP officials noted that in keeping with the Bloomberg Administration's PlaNYC 2030 plan, the department is undertaking other "green" initiatives. In addition to the street tree requirements, a proposal for new regulations that would green new commercial parking lots is currently undergoing public review. City planning also recently initiated public review on a zoning change to establish landscaping requirements for yards throughout the city, and prohibit excessive paving in the front yards of homes in residential communities.

The new citywide requirements are being considered by the 59 community boards and the five borough presidents. Following their recommendations, the City Planning Commission will hold its own public hearings on the proposals, which will subsequently require approval by the City Council.

Times Newsweekly: Coalition is Fighting for Boro’s Trees - Group Demands End To Arborcide by Ralph Mancini...

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story and captioned photos by Ralph Mancini

Saving the borough’s trees from destruction by careless developers brought a broad spectrum of residents together to support initiatives planned by the Queens Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces (QCPGS).

On Thursday, Oct. 25, QCPGS president Frederick Kress announced that “it’s time to flex our muscles” to the group of tree preservationists congregated at the Overlook of Forest Park in Kew Gardens, as he referenced a host of arborcides reportedly being committed by construction companies and city agencies.

Kress specifically made mention of recent plans made by the Long Island Rail Road to clear a swath of trees at the Broadway-Flushing station which was reportedly stopped by community members.

He also touched upon another attempt by the Parks Department to denude one chamber of the Ridgewood Reservoir and turn it into an athletic field.

“We’ve been sitting back and letting things happen,” he said. “We’re strong enough to make a difference...What’s most damaging is not having the facts and looking like we don’t know what we’re talking about.”

Consulting Arborist of the Kissena Park Civic Association Carsten Glaeser, Ph.D, talks about numerous construction sites throughout Queens where trees are being irreparably damaged.

To that end, Kress introduced Consulting Arborist from the Kissena Park Civic Association Carsten Glaeser, Ph. D to provide those in attendance with a comprehensive overview of how a wave of construction has done irreparable damage to trees throughout the borough in the past 10 years.

Following a rundown of the various species of trees and their ecological benefits, Glaeser apprised people of the fact that even when trees aren’t taken down, they’re root zones aren’t being protected.

The fibrous root systems reportedly absorb moisture and are the site of vital gas exchange, which also allows for a tree to receive the proper nutrients it requires and also enables it to metabolize and ward off insects.

In most construction projects, he said, several city agencies are involved in approving the work without flagging any concerns about trees. The Department of Buildings was singled out as one of those who typically commit that oversight when issuing building permits.

The tree specialist told of how backhoes oftentimes kill root systems, as well as work done during the installation of curb cuts.

“When you compact soil irreversibly, you’re killing microorganisms that contribute to the ecosystem,” he added along with changes that are made to the soil’s pH levels.

Compacted soil, residents learned, often leads to trees drying out and eventually dying.

Glaeser was careful not to pin the entire blame on the DOB as he pointed out how a lack communication between city agencies is further contributing to the mistreatment of the largest and longest-living organisms on the face of the earth.

Throughout his slideshow, the Flushing based arborist showed a number of sites where this is happening, such as a location on Parsons Boulevard where the new home owner proceeded to tear down a healthy 100-year-old Copper Leaf Peach tree.

“We need a mechanism to fight this,” he stressed in relation to numerous contractors that are getting away with mass tree destruction with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

Glaeser also noted that architects and engineers should also be partially blamed for what’s taking place due to the fact that they’re often assigned to evaluate whether or not a tree should be spared, but make the wrong decision to do away with it based solely on pictures and past projects instead of them actually going out on the field themselves.

Juniper Park Civic Association board member Steven Fiedler took issue with the Department of Transportation when performing street millings and repavements.

In lieu of using residential machinery to complete the work, the agency is reportedly utilizing heavy duty commercial grade equipment to save time, but this practice, said Fiedler, is also doing unnecessary harm to root systems.

While on the topic, Glaeser advocated that all Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Design and Construction crews employ air spading diagnostic tools while performing sewer improvements.

These tools, according to the arborist, exposes a tree’s root system and indentifies where it’s coming from.

“[This procedure] allows you to slip pipes underneath and keep roots intact.”

Many Queens residents came out to voice their concerns over the plight of several trees throughout the borough, including South Queens activist David M. Quintana (pictured addressing speaker).

South Queens activist David M. Quintana commented on tree root damage by making the following analogy: “It’s like having our feet cut out and standing on our ankles.”

Glaeser also opined on tree prunings by indicating that they can wound trees, which sometimes cannot heal and progressively become susceptible to pathogens as a result.

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Grading the Grades - New York Times

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Brilliant proposals are often undermined through less-than brilliant execution. That is clearly the case in New York, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s new system for rating the city’s public schools has come under withering fire from across the political spectrum.

Mr. Bloomberg should preserve the heart of the new system. It does a valuable service to students, and teachers, by holding schools accountable for both overall performance and for how much progress students make from one year to the next. But Mr. Bloomberg should ditch the simplistic and counterproductive A through F rating system. It boils down the entire shooting match to a single letter grade that does not convey the full weight of this approach and lends itself to tabloid headlines instead of a real look at a school’s problems.

The city’s new rating system is part of growing national trend toward the use of so-called “growth models” in education. These models, now being tested in several states, try to create a cumulative portrait of each student’s progress through school as a way of identifying successful schools and successful teaching strategies.

The New York version places a heavy emphasis on how much individual students improve on state tests from one year to the next. Schools are judged not only on general achievement levels but on how much their students improve compared with students in similarly situated schools across the city. The system focuses especially on how well schools do helping their lowest-achieving students do better.

These are all important things for educators to know. And schools that fail to sustain educational gains from one year to the next should certainly be called to account and required to do better. But the practice of giving, say, an F, to an otherwise high-performing school that lags in student improvement for a single year stigmatizes the entire school and angers parents. It also shakes the public’s faith in the evaluation system.

The city’s focus on student improvement is commendable. But even commendable aims followed out the window can yield misleading and distorted results. For example, people all over the city were understandably skeptical when a high-performing school was given an F and several low-performing schools — those actually on the state’s failing list — were given A’s and B’s.

Beyond that, people who know the growth models well were displeased to learn that New York’s first crack at the system for elementary and middle schools was based on a single year’s test data, instead of the accepted standard of three years.

Mayor Bloomberg did the right thing by embracing the growth model for New York’s enormous and complicated public school system at a time when many areas of the country have yet to move on the issue. It was especially important to make clear that student progress really counts.

But while it tinkers with this system, the city should come up with a way to emphasize student progress without needlessly stigmatizing entire schools and communities. That means replacing the A through F system with a more subtle and flexible one.

Agency threatens to halt horse racing in January -- Newsday.com

Agency threatens to halt horse racing in January

NYRA officials are warning that if a resolution to the dispute over thoroughbred horse racing in New York is not reached by Dec. 31, racetracks could go dark starting on New Year's Day.

While some critics dismiss the prediction as political posturing, New York Racing Association head Charles Hayward insisted it is a real possibility. And he says it grows more real as each day passes without a solution to who will run the state's three largest thoroughbred race tracks: Belmont, located in Elmont; Aqueduct in Jamaica, Queens; and Saratoga in upstate New York.

"The last thing we want to do is to have to have racing stop," Hayward said. But "it's certainly possible."

NYRA's franchise to run thoroughbred racing expires Dec. 31. Under state law, a state racing oversight board could temporarily take over running the tracks.

But Hayward said NYRA would fight any attempt to place another entity in charge of racing because it owns the land where the three tracks are located. Hayward said the land is worth at least $1 billion.

He said NYRA would not voluntarily give up its claim to the land or let another entity take over racing on it without receiving compensation.

Some NYRA competitors for the franchise bid said Hayward is blowing smoke to pressure state officials to grant NYRA a new franchise for 30 years.

"That sword of Damocles - it's a fictitious sword," said Karl O'Farrell of Capital Play, one of the entities vying to run racing in the state and operate video lottery terminals at some tracks, including Aqueduct and possibly Belmont.

"I think NYRA would destroy themselves forever" if they shut down the tracks, O'Farrell said. "It would be very upsetting for the industry. It's not the sort of thing to say lightly."

Racing has shut down before in the state - including in 1911-12, when wagering was outlawed; during World War II, when travel restrictions closed Saratoga; and after the Sept. 11 attacks for a few days.

Bennett Liebman, an Albany Law School professor and racing expert, said technically NYRA might have the capability to assert its land claim and block the oversight board from taking over.

Still, he added, he doubts that politically a shutdown could happen. "Closing off racing could potentially be a very risky political strategy" because of the backlash, he said.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer's spokesman said the governor is committed to resolving the dispute and avoiding any shutdown. Spitzer "believes that it is in the interest of racing ... for there to be a seamless transition" from the current NYRA franchise to whoever gets the new one, spokesman Paul Larrabee said.

If no deal is reached by Dec. 31 and the oversight board moves to take over the tracks, the dispute over what happens next likely will land in federal bankruptcy court, where a judge is overseeing NYRA's case. NYRA entered bankruptcy proceedings last November.

Critics contend NYRA's claim to the land is baseless, although Hayward said the association has held the deeds for more than 50 years and paid property taxes, though it failed to pay all taxes in Nassau County during the past few years.

[Aqueduct Racetrack, Ozone Park, NY 11417]

NY Daily News - Queens Politicians Urge Protection of Wetlands by John Lauinger...

Queens politicians urge protection of wetlands

Councilman James Gennaro (l.) & Robert Pirani discuss ideas.

With swamps and marshland gradually disappearing across the five boroughs, two Council members are calling on City Hall to preserve more than 250 acres of city-owned wetlands.

Queens Councilmen James Gennaro and Joseph Addabbo urged Mayor Bloomberg to place the land − 82 properties in all, including 68 in Queens − under Parks Department jurisdiction.

The holdings are currently controlled by as many as 12 different city agencies. With darker financial clouds looming for city government, the Council members reasoned, the time is now to pull those neglected environmental assets under the Parks Department umbrella.

"In the last century, the New York harbor area has lost about 86 square miles of coastal wetlands," Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) said at a Thursday news conference held at one such parcel in Broad Channel, overlooking the salt marshes of Jamaica Bay.

"We certainly cannot recover these vanished ecosystems," Gennaro added, "but we can and must work to protect and restore what remains."

The seven-member Wetlands Transfer Taskforce − created by Gennaro-­authored legislation in 2005 − evaluated 1,020 properties in the city's portfolio, many acquired as a result of foreclosures or former industrial sites.

Robert Pirani, director for environmental programs for the Regional Plan Association, co-chaired the task force.

"The feeling was that by putting [the wetlands] in Parks' ownership, we'd ensure their permanent protection − and, just as importantly, they'd be managed for conservation purposes," he said.

In addition to recommending 82 parcels for parkland status, the task force urged further review on 111 other parcels, totaling 373 acres, including 47

acres in Queens. These parcels are also suitable for parkland, but certain legal snags must first be worked out.

City Hall has until March 27 to transfer the properties - or explain why such actions were not taken, said Gennaro, who is chairman of the Council's Environmental Protection Committee.

City Hall did not return a call seeking comment last week.

Nevertheless, Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), who previously chaired the Council's Parks and Recreation Committee, said prospects for the transfers are good.

"I firmly believe and am very optimistic that the Parks Department will get these wetlands," he said. "They're the right agency to maintain them and to protect them."

In Queens, some of the parcels recommended for transfer are large holdings that border existing parkland, such as wetlands adjoining Idlewild Park Preserve along Jamaica Bay's north shore and portions of the Rockaway Peninsula.

But Broad Channel resident Donna Reardon, who formed a local wetlands preservation group when several city-owned parcels were slated for auction in 2004, said large parcels should not dominate the transfer process.

"I'm hoping that no plot of wetlands is too small to be considered," she said. "Every inch of marshes or wetlands does contribute something to the ecosystem."

jlauinger@nydailynews.com

Countdown Special Comment: Torture Part 1 and 2...

Keith at his best...Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein are sell-outs and enablers for the criminal enterprise known as the Bush Administration...

PROTEST VIGIL at Senator Schumer's Residence - November 6 at 6 pm

TUESDAY, NOV 6th, 6:00 pm

PROTEST VIGIL at Senator Schumer's residence: 9 Prospect Park West (corner of President Street in Park Slope)

o Protest Schumer's support of Michael Mukasey - who will support Bush's continued use of torture.

o Protest Schumer's increasing support of military action against Iran and Bush's attempt to launch a new war.

o Protest Schumer's continuing support of funding for the war against Iraq.

Senator Schumer, abandoning his own party and angering many of his constituents, has announed that he will support the nomination of Mukasey. This, despite Mukasey's repeated refusal to state, categorically, his opposition to waterboarding, a form of torture. Mukasey also stated his belief that President Bush has the right to ignore laws passed by Congress in his capacity of Commander-In-Chief, thus showing that he would continue the drift toward authoritarian rule which has become a hallmark of the Bush Administration.

Futhermore, Schumer, originally one of the strongest supporters of the war in Iraq , has been supportive of the increasing bellicose plans of Bush and Cheney to foment a new and even more dangerous war against Iran. He voted in favor of the Kyl-Lieberman bill which many experts beliee Bush can use as justification to launch a new war and he refused to join 30 other Democrats in supporting the Webb bill which warns the President that he has no authority from Congress to take military action against Iran.

Now is the time for Brooklynites to express their anger and concern for Schumer's increasingly pro-war and anti-democratic positions. The election of November 2006 demonstrated clearly that Americans want to end the war in Iraq and reverse the disastrous course of the Bush Administration. Charles Schumer is ignoring the will of those voters and is serving, instead, the interests of George Bush which is to pursue the war, launch new ones and undermine our democratic rights.

** Please attend the protest vigil this Tuesday, November 6th at 6pm outside Schumer's residence at 9 Prospect Pk West.

** Please contact all your friends, family and colleague so that hundreds will gather to protest the Senator from New York who ignores the will of his constituents.

** Call Charles Schumer to tell him he must change his position and oppose Mukasey as nothing short of our constitution and democracy are at stake. Call now Congressional switchboard, ask for Congressman Schumer's office: (800) 828-0498 or direct: (202) 224-6542

For more information on the vigil, please call Brooklyn For Peace at (718) 624-5921

If you are outside the NYC Metro area, please contact all your friends, family and colleagues to put together a midday vigil outside one of Schumer's district offices in your area.

Thank you!

Frances Anderson

New York State Coordinator

Progressive Democrats of America

A Vote for the Adirondacks - New York Times

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It may seem like a small thing — a new well to give decent drinking water to 71 families in Raquette Lake, a small town north of Utica in the Adirondacks. But the town’s request for permission to build the well on state parkland is the only constitutional issue that voters across New York will be asked to approve next Tuesday. New Yorkers should vote yes. And lovers of the Adirondacks should be extremely relieved that even this modest request, for a structure 10 feet wide and 12 feet long, needs statewide approval before it can be built in one of the pristine areas of the park.

The reason for all this effort is that since the six-million-acre park was created in 1892, nearly three million acres of forest has been preserved as “forever wild” by the state Constitution. There is plenty of private land in the park, with 130,000 permanent residents, and there are enough lakes and mountains and trails and cabins to lure about 10 million visitors a year.

But when the founders of the park put some sections off limits — deeming it to be of such importance that almost nothing new should be built on it — they clearly meant business.

Any exceptions require a constitutional amendment, which in turn requires the consent of both the Legislature and the voters. Over the years, state voters have been asked to approve a range of projects — cutting trees near an airport, for instance, or expanding a cemetery — and most such requests have been granted.

Raquette Lake asked for help after water from the old well began to resemble “amber beer on a bad day,” as one local official put it, and the Health Department declared the water undrinkable, forcing residents to boil it. Under a plan developed by residents and the state, Raquette Lake would trade 12 acres of its own woods for an acre of the “forever wild” forest where the town could build a new well. This is essentially the deal that voters will be asked to approve.

That a small well requires a constitutional amendment should make the Adirondacks’ many admirers breathe easier. Changing New York’s Constitution is as hard as it gets in government; in the Adirondacks’ case, it means that nobody can build a housing development or anything else on “forever wild” land without the approval of all the rest of us in the state.

On Tuesday, vote yes on the only statewide initiative on the ballot. It will allow Raquette Lake to use one acre, and only one acre, of Adirondack wilderness for a new well.

Globalwarming.gov | Media Center | Press Releases

Globalwarming.gov

NPR’s “Car Talk” Hosts: No More “Fear-Mongering Bull-feathers” from Automakers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Select Committee, 202-225-4081

NPR’s “Car Talk” Hosts: No More “Fear-Mongering Bull-feathers” from Automakers

Click and Clack Say We've Let Fuel Economy Get Out of Whack

WASHINGTON (October 30, 2007) – The hosts of National Public Radio’s famed show “Car Talk” have sent a letter to Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and the members of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming backing a 35 mile per gallon fuel economy standard for America’s vehicles that is currently being considered in Congress. In the letter, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, aka Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, use their renowned wit and vehicle knowledge to knock down the auto industry’s continued resistance to adopt stronger fuel economy standards.

“As any listener knows, Tom and Ray are where common sense begins when it comes to cars, and when they say reaching 35 miles per gallon is feasible and the smart play for the American auto industry, people should listen” said Chairman Markey. “Automakers should stop acting like they’re playing the Tappet Brothers’ game, ‘Stump the Chumps,’ and start supporting higher fuel economy standards in Congress’ energy bill.”

In the letter, Click and Clack argue that technology currently exists to reach a 35 mpg standard in 5 years, nearly a decade before the 2020 timeframe that is currently in the compromise Senate language being considered in Congress. From hybrid technology to rail fuel injection to cylinder deactivation, the brothers’ encyclopedic knowledge of solutions to America’s low fuel economy is on display in the missive, as is their rapier wit.

Here are selected excerpts from the letter, which is available on the Select Committee website:

--The onslaught of ‘we can’t. . .it’ll ruin us. . .you’re denying Americans a choice in vehicles’ begins every time we the people—through our elected representatives—try to bring the auto industry, kicking and screaming into the modern era.

--Every single time [the auto industry has] resisted safety, environmental, or fuel economy regulations, auto industry predictions have turned out, in retrospect, to be fear-mongering bull-feathers.

--The truth is, significantly higher average fuel economy can be achieved. In fact it’s already being achieved. And if we don’t push our own auto industry to set world class standards, they’ll be beaten again by the Japanese, the Koreans, and, maybe even the Chinese. . .

--Not only can it be done, but by increasing CAFE standards dramatically, you’ll be helping the American automotive industry compete—by forcing to synchronize their priorities with those of the American people. . .

Congress is currently considering two energy bills passed by the House and Senate that would reduce oil dependence and cut global warming pollution. The Senate-passed bill, which contains the 35 mpg fuel economy standard and other oil saving provisions, would save more than twice as much oil as we currently import from the Middle East by 2030. The House bill contains groundbreaking provisions to increase our use of renewable energy and make our appliances and buildings more efficient. It is estimated that, by 2030, energy legislation with the best provisions from both bills would reduce the total amount of U.S. heat-trapping emissions by roughly 40 percent of what’s needed to save the planet from dangerous global warming.

# # #

The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming was formed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to increase the visibility and priority given to America's oil dependence and global warming challenges. It is chaired by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and will actively explore the solutions, science and progress on these pressing issues during the 110th Congress.

Times Newsweekly: Community Headlines

Times Newsweekly: Community Headlines:

S"TREET WORK IS ON TAP Board 10 Resurfacings Are Announced At Latest Meeting story by Ralph Mancini

The Thursday, Oct. 4 meeting of Community Board 10 featured the announcement of upcoming street resurfacings and sewer reconstruction in various parts of Howard Beach.

Howard Beach resurfacings

Board members and residents congregated at the Knights of Columbus Hall in South Ozone Park were apprised of the milling and repaving of the following Howard Beach locations by Community Board 10 Chairperson Elizabeth Braton:

160th Avenue between Cross Bay Boulevard and 90th Street.

156th Avenue from Shore Parkway to the dead end portion of the street.

176th Street between 156th and 157th avenues.

• 91st Street between 161st and 162nd avenues.

• 161st Avenue between Cross Bay Boulevard and 87th Street.

• 161st Avenue from 87th to 83rd streets.

• 81st Street from 157th to 161st avenues.

• 82nd Street from 157th to 160th avenues.

• 85th Street from 158th to 165th avenues.

• 83rd Street from 158th to 161st avenues.

Additional Ozone Park and South Ozone Park locations were not available at the meeting.

Bus shelters

While reading correspondence, Braton made mention of the following locations identified by the Department of Transportation for bus shelter installations.

• Cross Bay Boulevard between Pitkin Avenue and Linden Boulevard; and

• Cross Bay Boulevard between 156th and 157th avenues, near a Chase Bank branch.

On this last spot, the community board chairperson indicated that permission will be needed from the property owner in order to make the proposed shelter a reality.

Sewer reconstruction

In her monthly report, District Manager Karyn Petersen shared a notice she received from the Department of Environmental Protection informing the community of sewer reconstruction taking place on 105th Street between Liberty and 107th avenues in Ozone Park.

The work involved will consist of preparing a collapsed area surrounding a manhole cover.

Park funding

Petersen also learned that Southern Fields in South Ozone Park is in line for field improvements thanks to $2 million in funding on the part of Borough President Helen Marshall.

Other park projects included the addition of a multi-use field at Pals Oval, located at North Conduit Avenue and 88th Street in Ozone Park. This endeavor was reportedly made possible through a $3.1 million allocation secured by City Council Member Joseph Addabbo.

City Council Member Thomas White, according to Petersen, was also able to obtain funding by appropriating $1.2 million to renovate the fields at Frederick B. Judge Park located in the area of 111th Avenue and Lincoln Street in Ozone Park.

JFK GM introduced

The recently appointed general manager of JFK International Airport, Susan Baer, was on hand to introduce herself to board members who peppered her with a hodgepodge of questions.

When asked by board member John Fazio if there’s anything in the pipeline to build better railways that would eliminate the need for the high number of existing short flights to Washington D.C. and other cities, Baer said that the number of flights of under 500 miles are actually down because people are electing to drive or ride trains.

Furthermore, she stated that she personally prefers riding trains because they are “reliable and ultimately faster.”

One of her biggest challenges remains finding enough room at JFK for growing airlines, such as Jetblue, Delta and American, said Baer.

Prior to accepting her current position at JFK, the New Jersey resident was also the general manager for LaGuardia International Airport in addition to working in Newark Liberty International Airport’s capital redevelopment program.

Buckeye revisits community

Buckeye Pipeline’s manager of right-of-way and permits Roy Haase, Jr. joined Jeff Arrien, Buckeye’s supervisor of JFK International Airport, in giving people a recap of their company and explained why no one should not feel safe regarding their fuel distributions.

In reference to two pipelines bringing both airplane fuel and other fuel varieties into JFK, LaGuardia, Inwood and Long Island City, Haase informed that the “jet fuel” going into the airports is actually turbine fuel, which is “a cleaner version of diesel similar to kerosene.”

In total, Buckeye delivers 10 million gallons of fuel per day to these parts of which 4.2 million gallons consists of turbine fuel and another 5.2 million gallons is a combination of gasoline, diesel and home heating oil.

On a daily basis, Haase estimated that it would take approximately 2,500 trucks to deliver the 10 million gallons of fuel that is carried through company pipelines.

The company spokesman further stressed that truck accidents resulting in deaths are 87 times more likely than pipeline mishaps ending up in the same fashion.

In addition, it was noted that all of Buckeye’s pipelines are patrolled and inspected daily.

Automatic shutoff valves are also remotely operated to check for loss of product that’s been unaccounted for.

Insurance concerns

During the meeting, Fazio brought up the fact that a number of well-known insurance providers, such as Allstate and AIG, are no longer renewing or issuing home insurance policies to property owners living within a mile of the water.

The Hamilton Beach resident called for legislative bodies to regulate these insurance companies.

Fazio communicated that homeowners who are renting their space are particularly being rejected or hit with very high premiums.

“A lot of people are not apprised to the fact that when their insurance policy comes to be renewed, and if it’s by one of these companies, it won’t be renewed. Now, you have to go out hunting,” he said. “People are not knowing about this until they get hit in the head with it.”

Community Board 10 regularly meets on the first Thursday of the month at the South Ozone Park Knights of Columbus Hall located at 135-45 Lefferts Boulevard. For further details call 1-718-843-4488.

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