Ben Kallos, Re-Elect to New York City Council in 2017 - Environment

FOX 5 WNYW Legislation seeks to make NYC a bit quieter by Fox News

Feed — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 06:42:16 +0000

FOX 5 WNYW

Legislation seeks to make NYC a bit quieter

https://www.fox5ny.com/news/legislation-seeks-to-make-nyc-a-bit-quieter

Fox News

12/20/2017

Coming to the rescue is Council Member Ben Kallos, whose bill has just been passed. The bill seeks to turn down the volume during the off hours that construction sites aren't taking off, whether it be on the Upper East Side or across the East River in Queens or back across to Manhattan's West Side where construction seems never-ending.

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Affordable Housing

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Environment

Upper East Side Patch Bill Aims To Keep NYC Construction Sites Quiet by Noah Manskar

Feed — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 06:42:16 +0000

Upper East Side Patch

Bill Aims To Keep NYC Construction Sites Quiet

https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-city/bill-aims-keep-nyc-construction-sites-q...

Noah Manskar

12/20/2017

The bill also cuts in half the amount of noise allowed to come from a construction site when work is being done before 7 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

"New York City may be the city that never sleeps, but that shouldn't be because of after-hours construction noise waking you up," City Councilman Ben Kallos (D-Manhattan) said in a statement. "Our new law will turn down the volume on after hours construction noise in residential neighborhoods."

NEW YORK, NY — Those jackhammers better keep it down — the City Council on passed new regulations Tuesday that aim to quiet construction noise around the five boroughs.

The bill requires the city Department of Environmental Protection to inspect construction sites at times when noise described in a complaint is likely to happen. The department would also have to issue annual reports about how it responds to noise complaints.

The bill also cuts in half the amount of noise allowed to come from a construction site when work is being done before 7 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

Project managers can get out of strictly following noise rules if they submit a plan to keep their sites as quiet as possible. But that plan has to show they can't do the work without exceeding the legal noise limit, even with measures in place to cut down on noise.

The bill is now on Mayor Bill de Blasio's desk. It would take effect 180 days after the mayor signs it.

Issue:

Environment

Time Out New York City Council passes measure to make NYC quieter at night by Clayton Guse

Feed — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 03:12:16 +0000

Time Out New York

City Council passes measure to make NYC quieter at night

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/city-council-passes-measure-to-make-nyc-qui...

Clayton Guse

12/19/2017

It’s no secret that New York is an obnoxious place—it’s known as the city that never sleeps for good reason. But any resident here will tell you that they absolutely cherish their beauty sleep.

On Tuesday, the City Council passed a measure aimed at keeping Gothamites from being woken from their peaceful slumbers. The legislation, dubbed the Noise Complaint Response Act, proposes more strict standards and oversight on construction crews that operate after hours (between 6pm and 7am).

Introduced by Council Member Ben Kallos, the measure would require the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to more thoroughly inspect and respond to late-night noise complaints. Currently, crews working overnight are forbidden from creating noise that exceeds 85 decibels within 200 feet of a residential building. This legislation forces that figure to drop to 75 decibels in 2020 and removes some barriers that prevent the DEP from investigating noise complaints.

It’s no secret that New York is an obnoxious place—it’s known as the city that never sleeps for good reason. But any resident here will tell you that they absolutely cherish their beauty sleep.

Instead of scheduling an appointment with residents to inspect excessive work noise, the measure would allow representatives from the DEP to measure decibels on the street level. Further, it would require the department to dispatch an inspector within two hours or on a later date at the same hour of the day that the original complaint was received.

The legislation still requires sign-off from Mayor Bill de Blasio. If (and when) that happens, New York City could become a (slightly) quieter place at night.

Issue:

Environment

david mohammed

david mohammed — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 03:25:30 +0000

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Upper East Side Patch Project To Revitalize Stretch Of East River Esplanade Breaks Ground by Brendan Krisel

Feed — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 03:02:16 +0000

Upper East Side Patch

Project To Revitalize Stretch Of East River Esplanade Breaks Ground

https://patch.com/new-york/upper-east-side-nyc/renovations-coming-2-block-stretc...

Brendan Krisel

10/03/2017

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Environment

Activists, Council Members say the Only Way NYC Will Meet Climate Goals is with Whole Building Retrofits

Feed — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 11:00:00 +0000

Environment

Activists, Council Members say the Only Way NYC Will Meet Climate Goals is with Whole Building Retrofits

Today, the Climate Works for All coalition released its plan to reduce NYC’s greenhouse gas emissions by 12%, by requiring comprehensive energy efficiency retrofits at the city’s large buildings.

Buildings in NYC contribute to 70% of the city’s emissions. While Mayor de Blasio has announced a commitment to mandate the reduction of on-site fossil fuel usage in large buildings, Climate Works for All, a broad coalition of labor, environmental justice, faith, and community organizations, argues that the retrofits must go further and include the use of electricity from the grid and central steam as well.

The City will only meet its ambitious target to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050 if it requires a whole building approach.

“The Climate Works for All plan is a strong step forward for New York City’s sustainability efforts and a positive example for cities across the country,” said Council Member Ben Kallos, Vice-Chair of the City Council Progressive Caucus. “By paying attention to the way large buildings are built and focusing on the environment, we will demonstrate that we can create an environmental agenda filled with opportunity for workers and that helps the environment. The Progressive Caucus has endorsed a Climate Works for All proposal on building retrofits that protects affordable housing and we look forward to continuing our work to come up with the best legislative package possible.”

New York, New York – Today, the Climate Works for All coalition released its plan to reduce NYC’s greenhouse gas emissions by 12%, by requiring comprehensive energy efficiency retrofits at the city’s large buildings.

The City will only meet its ambitious target to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050 if it requires a whole building approach.

The Climate Works for All plan will yield stronger results than de Blasio’s in several ways. It will reduce NYC total emissions by 12% instead of the 7% target under the Mayor’s plan, create 3,800 jobs per year instead of 1,120, and protect affordable housing from rent hikes, among other differences.

The coalition released a briefing that summarizes the differences between the plans.

Maritza Silva-Farrell, Executive Director of ALIGN, said: “The City clearly recognizes that reducing emissions from big buildings is a priority in the fight against climate change: now it must take bold action and require whole building energy efficiency retrofits. Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing our city and this is not a time for half measures. We are facing a tremendous opportunity to lead on this issue, to put low-income communities at the center, to create climate careers of the future and to protect affordable housing.”

“New York City must implement an aggressive building retrofit mandate for the biggest polluters, while protecting affordable housing and creating good jobs for low-income communities and communities of color on the frontlines of the climate crisis.” Eddie Bautista, Executive Director, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, “We cannot afford to have low-road climate policies – we need to protect the health of our communities and take bold action for climate justice.”

“An aggressive whole-building retrofit mandate has the potential to create thousands of good jobs for hard-working New Yorkers. By tackling the entire building instead of only the use of fossil fuels for heating and hot water, these retrofits can generate opportunities in many highly-skilled construction trades – for the Painters and Allied Trades represented by District Council 9 as well as others throughout the industry,” said Davon Lomax, Political Director of District Council 9.

Council Member Jumaane Williams, member of the City Council Progressive Caucussaid: “To say that we have to choose between affordable housing and being climate-conscious is a false choice. We can protect our planet and our people simultaneously, as the Climate Works for All plan demonstrates. Especially in the time of Trump, when the federal government is actively opposing environmentally friendly initiatives, New York City must lead the way.”

“With our leadership in Washington refusing to pursue a climate agenda, we have to step up to do our part locally. The Climate Works for All proposal not only establishes an effective approach to achieving long-term climate goals while protecting affordable housing, but creates green job opportunities for New Yorkers,” said Council Member Antonio Reynoso, Co-Chair of the City Council Progressive Caucus.

“We need to act now to protect all New Yorkers – particularly low-income workers and communities of color that stand to be disproportionately impacted by sea level rise and extreme weather caused by global climate change. This diverse coalition of community, labor and environmental advocates underscores the reality that climate change affects us all, and must be confronted head on,” said Council Member Margaret Chin, member of the City Council Progressive Caucus and Committee on Recovery and Resiliency. “The Climate Works for All Proposal works to achieve our City’s goal of increasing our reliance on renewable energy sources to reduce our carbon footprint – all while creating local jobs in the growing green energy sector. As world leaders continue to discuss global action on climate change, we must not forget the importance of local action to meet this historic challenge. Nothing less than the future of our children and grandchildren is at stake.”

About Climate Works for All

Climate Works for All is a broad coalition of labor, environmental justice, faith, and community organizations united to ensure that efforts to address climate change also create good, career-track jobs and prioritize low-income, climate-vulnerable communities. Climate change presents immense challenges, yet also offers the opportunity to pursue policies that will achieve significant benefits– environmental and economic– for our communities. We believe New York City can continue to elevate the voices of residents and workers on the front-lines of a growing movement for climate justice, and in the process, become a greater national leader on climate jobs and resiliency. In December 2014, the coalition released Climate Works for All: A Platform for Reducing Emissions, Protecting Our Communities, and Creating Good Jobs for New Yorkers. This agenda offers a roadmap for reducing New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

Through our No More Dirty Buildings campaign, Climate Works for All is urging the City to require energy efficiency improvements to reduce our emissions, create good, local jobs to address inequality, and protect affordable housing to prevent displacement.

lester shane

lester shane — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 23:59:08 +0000

Lester

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Environment

FOX 5 WNYW New York City pays $969 for a trash can by Linda Schmidt

Feed — Sun, 01 Oct 2017 18:32:18 +0000

FOX 5 WNYW

New York City pays $969 for a trash can

http://www.fox5ny.com/news/new-york-city-pays-969-for-a-trash-can

Linda Schmidt

09/25/2017

http://static.lakana.com/media.fox5ny.com/photo/2017/09/25/Garbage_cans_...

Issue:

Environment

The East River Esplanade

Feed — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Environment

The East River Esplanade

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FOX 5 WNYW Can NYC do anything about noise? by Dana Arschin

Feed — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 00:52:15 +0000

FOX 5 WNYW

Can NYC do anything about noise?

http://www.fox5ny.com/news/271603645-story

Dana Arschin

08/02/2017

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - The NYPD responded to more than 200,000 311 calls for noise complaints just this year, the department said. Last year, inspectors from the city's Department of Environmental Protection handled more than 58,000 noise complaints.

Construction worker Shawn Garley said that is the price you pay to live here.

"We are building and improving our infrastructure and everything else, so people kind of got to deal with it," Garley said. "You want roads and new buildings we have to put them up eventually."

In an effort to combat the noise, two City Council members recently introduced a bill that would require the city to respond to a noise complaint within two hours. Right now, there is no legally mandated deadline to respond.

"I think the legislation begins to up the ante and to make it possible that some of these complaints can be dealt with," said Sigmund Shipp, an associate professor of urban policy and planning at Hunter College. Shipp said he believes multiple city agencies are to blame for the excessive noise.

"They haven't been as compliant as they possibly could," he said.

A spokesperson for DEP said: "While the legislation is well intended, DEP is actively evaluating possible adjustments to the Noise Code that will aid in our enforcement efforts, including empowering inspectors with the authority to issue violations against construction companies that have permits to work after hours."

The DEP also said the Department of Buildings gives permits for work after hours and DEP inspectors can't issue a violation to a company that has a permit.

The DOB responded that it gives out after-hours permits because removing construction and debris from a building at night is safer because fewer people are on the sidewalk.

The City Council will vote on the bill by the end of the year.

Issue:

Environment