Dive Brief:
- Opponents of the Southwest Brooklyn Marine Transfer Station (MTS), led by Assemblyman William Colton, took their case to an appellate court yesterday in an effort to stop construction on the project.
- Their main contention is that important information about the project wasn't known at the time its permit was approved. The main issue they've raised is toxic sediment found underwater that could be disturbed by dredging and become a health hazard.
- This project will likely be the final site to be completed in the Department of Sanitation's (DSNY) planned MTS network for exporting refuse. Opponents argue that it may not even be necessary if recycling diversion rates are increased as outlined in the city's zero waste plan.
Dive Insight:
Colton fought the incinerator that was on the site for years and has attacked the MTS project with equal intensity.
Though a 2014 effort to stop construction was unsuccessful, this hasn't stopped community leaders from trying every possible approach. They've also raised concerns about the presence of munitions lost during a 1950s naval accident and suggested that the area be declared a Superfund site.
DSNY has acknowledged these issues, but says they can all be mitigated. Despite this, Colton has continued to fight the project with strong rhetoric and legal maneuvers.
The final point of contention is where the waste will end up going. A Progressive Waste Solutions subsidiary had originally been slated to export refuse from the Southwest Brooklyn MTS and Hamilton Avenue MTS to an upstate landfill. Now that the deal has fallen apart, the Hamilton site sits dormant and Colton argues that work shouldn't continue on Southwest until DSNY has a new plan.
