Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
B.P. Molinaro to DEP: “Get out your calculators!”
Blasts “totally unacceptable” response to his Brookfield project FOIL request
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Borough President James P. Molinaro today blasted the “totally unacceptable” response he received to the FOIL request he filed with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The FOIL requested information about the amount of money spent over the last 17 years on the Brookfield Landfill Remediation Environmental Consultant.
In an unsigned form letter dated April 1, which Borough President Molinaro received April 3, DEP tersely wrote: “Your request is important to us, and will be handled as expeditiously as possible. You are advised, however, that because of the large increase in the volume of such requests, you (sic) response may be delayed.”
Today, Molinaro said, “After waiting 17 years for this hazardous waste dump to be cleaned up, DEP is now telling me that I have to continue waiting for information. This is totally unacceptable to me and to the residents of Great Kills who have been living with this toxic nightmare for two decades. No more delays. We want those numbers now!
Molinaro continued, “I guess the DEP doesn’t have a calculator in their offices at all. I made a simple, basic request that any government or elected official’s office must be able to respond to in a quick and timely manner. How much are they spending on a project consultant?
“Brookfield has been a line item for the DEP for 17 years,” Molinaro added. “Get a calculator, add up the numbers, and press ‘total.’ That’s all I’m asking for. This shows once again that the DEP has no desire to keep the public or elected officials informed, and is spending money from sources unknown.
“I will be reaching out to the Mayor’s Office in an attempt to resolve this situation, and I am hopeful that we will gain a more thorough knowledge about the DEP’s attention or lack thereof to Brookfield’s remediation,” Molinaro concluded.
April 8, 2009