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WNYC News: Archive for Environment

Mulchfest Recycles City Christmas Trees

Monday, January 05, 2009

New Yorkers have from now until January 16th to have their trees mulched by the city. Sanitation crews will be out collecting leftover trees. Last year parks officials recycled more than 13,000 trees, but this year sanitation commissioner, John Doherty says they will need a little help.

DOHERTY: What we really ...

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In With the New, But Recycle the Old

Friday, December 26, 2008

If Santa brought you shiny new gadgets for Christmas this year, don't throw the old ones in the garbage.

Electronics like TVs, computers, and cell phones contain toxins that can pollute air and water. The Lower East Side Ecology Center will be holding four electronics recycling events in early January. Executive ...

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Harlem Park Closed for High Lead Levels

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

The New York City Parks department has closed Harlem's Thomas Jefferson Park due to elevated levels of lead.

REPORTER: Al Huang, an environmental justice attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, says the contaminated park poses a danger to the entire city.

HUANG: Not only is there now a concern that the ...

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Hundreds of City Schools Near Polluted Sites

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

A study by USA today finds 240 New York City schools are in locations with heavier-than-average industrial pollution. More than half are in Brooklyn, with large numbers in Queens and Manhattan. Local sources of pollution include Brooklyn's Pfizer Plant and Navy Yard, Long Island City's Keyspan Power Station and New ...

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Court Weighs Power Plant Costs vs. Protecting Fish

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Today the Supreme Court will hear arguments that could affect future operations at the Indian Point nuclear power station north of New York City. WNYC's Ilya Marritz has more.

REPORTER: At issue is the system Indian Point uses to cool its two reactors. The plant draws withdraws billions of gallons of ...

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More on Entergy v. Riverkeeper

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Both sides are preparing to make their arguments today before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Entergy Corporation v. Riverkeeper.

The owner of the Indian Point nuclear power station is petitioning to halt an order that would require an expensive new cooling system be installed there. The state of ...

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Divers Plumb the Depths of City's Water System

Monday, November 24, 2008

If you didn't see yesterday's New York Times, then you missed what is now the most e-mailed article from their New York section. The story starts with a leak in the city's complex water system that's turned into a 36 million gallon-a-day gusher.

To fix this problem 20 years after it ...

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Gas Drilling in Upstate New York Atracts Foreign Investors

Thursday, November 13, 2008

How valuable are upstate New York's untapped natural gas reserves? No one knows for sure. But as WNYC's Ilya Marritz reports, a new joint venture gives some clues.

REPORTER: StatoilHydro, a Norwegian company, will pay $3.4 billion dollars for a one-third share in Chesapeake Energy's northeast natural gas operations. Chesapeake has ...

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Greening Your House One Tool at a Time

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

So, you want to be green? Looking to buy some eco-friendly soap or flooring or a TV? OK, but how do you know if they really are good for the environment?

MATRANGA: I think all of us are confused.

REPORTER: That’s Vicky Matranga. She’s not looking to buy eco-friendly products. Actually, she ...

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Environmental Review Ordered at Four Bronx Schools Under Construction

Sunday, November 09, 2008

A judge says city officials did not have a sufficient plan to monitor pollution before starting to build schools on contaminated land in the South Bronx. The New York Times reports that the ruling requires the School Construction Authority to provide a long-term plan for checking air quality and other ...

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The End of a Sanitation Era

Monday, November 03, 2008

As Commissioner, Emily Lloyd oversaw the the flow of more than a billion gallons of drinking water every day from upstate reservoirs into New York City homes.

She was also responsible for the treatment of the water flowing out of those bathtubs, dish washers, and storm drains.

WNYC's Amy Eddings caught up ...

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New York Expands Its "Stop Smoking" Campaign

Friday, October 31, 2008

State and city environmental officers set up the first of several check points where they'll pull over trucks that are visibly spewing exhaust, or needlessly idling.

State Environmental Commissioner Pete Grannis says the first stop on the campaign is right under the entrance ramp to the Triborough Bridge.

GRANNIS: We estimate that ...

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NYC Ups Pubilc Recycling

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

To increase public recycling, the city is adding more than a hundred new recycling bins around the five boroughs.

Citywide, about a third of trash is recycled, but residential recycling is only at about 16 percent.

DOHERTY: And that's an area we have to work on. We've put out a lot of ...

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Waterfalls Public Art a Boon to NYC Tourism

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Bloomberg Administration says the Waterfalls exhibit on the East River, which ran from June 26th to October 13th, had an even greater economic impact than anticipated.

REPORTER: Officials say the falls generated $69 million dollars in economic activity, exceeding the initial expectation of $55 million dollars. Seth Pinsky of the ...

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NY is Northeast's Wind Capital

Friday, October 10, 2008

America’s wind energy boom has largely bypassed the densely populated Northeast. But the region’s trying to catch up. Recently, Maine issued more wind project permits than the rest of New England combined. Rhode Island’s getting in the game with a vow to generate 15 percent of its electricity from wind ...

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Top Officials Speak Out on Wall Street Turmoil

Monday, September 15, 2008

The turmoil on Wall Street has caught the attention of top elected officials. Governor Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg have scheduled separate news conferences this hour to talk about the crisis brought on by the demise of Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers.

REPORTER: Crain's New York Business Editor in Chief Greg David ...

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Decision on Indian Point Delayed Until 2010

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Opponents of the Indian Point nuclear power plant have succeeded in delaying a decision on whether to re-license the plant, which is about 35 miles north of New York City.

Officials now say there will be no final judgment on re-licensing until August of 2010 at the earliest, a delay of ...

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Designation May Inject Aid to Newtown Creek

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Newtown Creek, which separates Brooklyn and Queens, may become a federal Superfund site. That's according to Congress members Nydia Velazquez and Anthony Weiner.

In response to pressure from the two legislators, the Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to test Newtown Creek to see if its pollutants are a threat to surrounding ...

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Mayor Proposes Wind Farms

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

If Mayor Michael Bloomberg has his way, New York City could be home to some offshore wind farms. He invited proposals for new clean energy initiatives during a speech in Las Vegas last night. WNYC's Ilya Marritz has more.

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Bloomberg Wary of Natural Gas Drilling Near Water Supply

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is voicing concerns about possible natural gas drilling near upstate water reservoirs.

The mayor says any deal to allow drilling must also protect city drinking water.

BLOOMBERG: Look, I think we need energy, there's no question about that. You can drill in a responsible way. Our great concern would ...

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