Stigma Remains in NY after Superfund Community Involement

The New York Times reports that the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY has been listed as a superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The agency, which proposed the Superfund designation last April at the urging of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, made its decision after a long public comment period that involved more than 50 meetings with city officials, developers, community groups and others. Nine other Superfund sites across the country were also designated on Tuesday.

According to the Times article, despite the public participation process this designation still comes as a contentious one for the City. Issues include, time, money regulatory control and stigma, none of which are necessarily related to cleaning up the polluted environment I might add. The hot button issue of stigma comes over uncertainty how the Superfund designation would affect economic development in the area.

The decision was a blow to the Bloomberg administration, which had proposed a cleanup without such a designation. The city had argued that the label could set off legal battles with polluters, prolong the dredging operation and spook developers leery of the stigma of a Superfund listing.

But in a conference call with reporters, Judith A. Enck, the E.P.A. administrator for the region, said the Superfund designation would guarantee the best result for residents and the environment and ensure that the polluters cover all the costs.

Go here to learn more about EPA's Superfund Community Involvement process.