NEW YORK, NY August 31, 2007 —The city continues to negotiate with state and federal regulators about how to proceed with the demolition of the Deutsche Bank building. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has asked the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to reseal all of the building's floors that are still contaminated, because the demolition site's previous environmental protections were destroyed by a fatal fire August 18th.

REPORTER: Speaking on his weekly radio show on WABC today, Mayor Bloomberg said the city doesn't want to question the EPA's judgement:

BLOOMBERG: We have to work with the LMDC, because Spitzer and the EPA and all the regulatory authorities to bring the building down as safely as possible and as soon as possible. But that does not mean us trying to pressure the EAP to relax their standards."

REPORTER: The mayor is also defending the decision to demote three fire officials, saying they were responsible for inspecting the Deutsche Bank site every 15 days. A demoted fire captain, Peter Bosco, says there was an unwritten rule not to inspect the building so firefighters wouldn't be exposed to any airborne contaminants.