VOLUME 6, NUMBER 17 MAY 21, 2014
THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CHELSEA, HUDSON YARDS & HELL'S KITCHEN
Concerns Linger Over Radon Levels in Spectra Pipeline Gas BY SAM SPOKONY It’s been nearly seven months since the Spectra pipeline came online, pumping millions of cubic liters of natural gas to serve homes throughout New York City — but medical experts, administrators, residents and legislators are still raising urgent concerns about the possibility that the gas is also bringing dangerously high levels of radon. Those concerns are part of what sparked numerous protests against the pipeline — which enters the city through the west side of Manhattan at the Gansevoort Peninsula — long before it became active. Radon, a radioactive element that normally exists as a tasteless, odorless and colorless gas, is responsible for approximately 21,000 deaths each year across the country, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Exposure to radon is also recognized by numerous medical and government sources to be the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers — and it’s been well documented that radon is found in natural gas. However, the potential dangers of radon in this case have, up to this point, been considered inconsequential by some federal officials. In allowing the Spectra pipe-
line project to move forward as it currently exists, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) determined that levels of the radioactive element coming into New York City homes would be low enough so as not to require special monitoring. But a number of city and state lawmakers, including State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, believe that ignoring the potential public health risks of those radon levels could be a grave mistake. Last year, Rosenthal introduced a bill that would require constant monitoring of the state’s natural gas delivery points — notably including the Spectra pipeline — in order to prevent radon levels from rising above a certain threshold. That threshold would correspond to a recommendation by the United Nations’ World Health Organization that radon levels, in order to maintain public safety, should not exceed 2.7 picocuries per liter of gas (picocuries being the accepted unit of measurement among experts). Rosenthal’s bill would require gas companies — such as Con Edison, which is the main supplier of gas
Continued on page 7
TALKING POINT, LETTERS PAGE 8/9
MARXFEST MARCHES ON PAGE 11
The Watery Way to Commute Photo courtesy of New York Water Taxi
The May 19 maiden voyage of New York Water Taxi's West Side ferry, connecting Pier 84 on West 44th Street to Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan. See page 3.
Shades of Gray in Conflict of Interest Rules for Community Boards BY EILEEN STUKANE The public session of May 7’s full board meeting of Community Board 4 (CB4) ignited a burst of neighborhood activism in the many Hell’s Kitchen residents who came out to speak either for or against the liquor license application for Rise Bar at 859 Ninth Ave. (btw. W. 55th & 56th Sts.). Annetta Marion, representing the co-op board of 855/857 Ninth Ave., was one of a number of speakers opposing Rise who said that a
member of CB4 was involved with the bar, and a conflict of interest existed. Also, John Blair, one of the owners of Rise, has previously served as a CB4 member (for seven years). It suddenly seemed more than coincidental that CB4’s Conflict of Interest Rules and Procedures were being reviewed that night. A conflict of interest, which comes up more often in areas of real estate (because members may be architects, real estate brokers, or developers themselves), requires
a board member to recuse himself during a vote. However, a member can still attend and speak at a committee meeting. The New York City Charter, Chapter 68, rules of conduct for Conflict of Interest among community board members, allows a member with a conflict to speak at a board’s committee meeting as long as he/she reveals the situation. As Christine Berthet, CB4 chair,
Continued on page 5