HALF HOLLOW HILLS PTA COUNCIL NEEDS YOUR HELP with a letter-writing campaign in opposition of an Intermodal facility on the grounds of Pilgrim State Hospital
1. PLEASE READ THE ATTACHED LETTERS
2. SIGN THE LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR
3. RETURN TWO COPIES TO YOUR CHILD’ S SCHOOL BY APRIL 8TH
Dear Half Hollow Hill Parents,
The New York State Department of Transportation is planning to build Long Island’s only massive Intermodal facility in OUR NEIGHBORHOOD on Pilgrim State Hospital land, which rightly belongs to the Edgewood Preserve, per the NYS McKinney’s Laws of 1987. An Intermodal is a train to truck transfer station with over 600 trucks, trains, and cranes operating twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. This mammoth facility would be located only two blocks from residential homes and schools.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) twenty year study proves that diesel exhaust causes CANCER and ASTHMA. Further studies show that diesel exhaust causes respiratory diseases, chronic obstructive lung disease, pneumonia, heart disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, brain damage, premature death, infant mortality, and more. A Department of Transportation funded study states that 32 trucks idling in a 24 hour period exceeds the NEPA level of concern. That “level”, per a Natural Resource Defense Council expert, would cause 1 in 1200 PEOPLE TO DEVELOP CANCER. It only takes 16 trucks idling for 1 in 2000 people to develop cancer. Note again, this Intermodal would be opening with over 600 TRUCKS and TRAINS and would grow to even a much larger capacity over the years. Our homes and schools are in the ONE MILE study impact area. The USEPA states that the Zone of Influence for such a facility is a five mile radius. Diesel exhaust lives in the atmosphere for days to weeks over a five mile area and has an accumulative factor forming a constant toxic cloud that would be over our entire area poisoning the daily air we breathe. Children are the most susceptible to these toxins because of their under-developed bodies, faster metabolism, faster breathing rate, narrower air passage ways, and they spend 50% more time outside than adults. We are not willing to risk one life on such a facility that can be located in a more appropriate industrial area.
WE NEED YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW! Governor Paterson is currently in the decision-making process, after vetoing a bill last summer that would have transferred this land to Edgewood Preserve. The State left other potential sites off their list due to “possible opposition”. They honestly thought in our neighborhood, the 265,368 residents and 65,809 students in what the State calls a “wholly non residential area”, would not stand up for, literally, their lives. We need to send a strong message to the Governor that we will not let the State threaten our children’s health and lives by building such a facility in a residential zoned area. Please print the attached letter and have everyone in your household over the age of 18 sign a separate letter. You may even have other family and friends sign a letter too. We need two copies of each letter, if possible. Please send these letters back to school, with your child, in an envelope labeled “PTA-Intermodal”. We will be sending these letters in mass bulk to Governor Paterson and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. The deadline is April 8th.
The children, who are at risk to develop cancer and asthma from this facility, are yours. Are you willing to take that chance? Please act now by sending the message that we will not tolerate our children’s lives being put in jeopardy. We are thankful for your support and would appreciate your immediate attention to this extremely important issue.
Sincerely,
TWILA SILVERMAN JAMES PTUCHA GOVERNOR’S TASK FORCE COUNCIL GOVERNOR’S TASK FORCE COUNCIL HALF HOLLOW HILLS PARENT HALF HOLLOW HILLS PARENT
Half Hollow Hills Central School District of Huntington and Babylon ------
The Honorable Governor David Paterson State Capitol Albany, New York 12224
Dear Governor Paterson ,
On behalf of our children, we are urging you to uphold the McKinney’s Laws of 1987 and transfer the unused Pilgrim State Hospital land to the Edgewood Preserve immediately. This would set an important example for our children to know that laws must be upheld and not ignored. Secondly, this transfer would avoid a life threatening Intermodal facility from being built within two blocks from residential homes and schools. The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) twenty year study has proven that diesel exhaust causes cancer, asthma, atherosclerosis, brain damage, infant mortality, premature death, and many more serious illnesses. A Department of Transportation’s funded study states that the NEPA level of concern for diesel exhaust is exceeded at only 32 trucks idling in a 24 hour period, which means per a Natural Resources Defense Council expert, at that level 1 in 1200 people WILL develop cancer. Just 16 idling trucks would cause 1 in 2000 people to develop cancer. These facts cannot be ignored anymore when deciding where to place a Truck to Rail facility which operates 24/7 and will have over 600 trucks, trains, and cranes. You would be saying our children’s health and lives do not matter. It is proven the proximity of such facilities to homes and schools correlates to hospital admissions, asthma, cancer, and eminent death. This mammoth facility would impact the daily air that we breathe. Diesel emissions stay in the atmosphere for days to weeks, up to a five mile radius, and have an accumulative factor which means a constant toxic cloud would be over the communities of Dix Hills, Commack, Deer Park, Brentwood, and more. Brentwood children already have the highest rate of asthma on Long Island.
We need our governor to protect what is important, which is human life and our precious children who cannot speak for themselves. NYS has implemented a school bus idling law preventing the bus’s diesel exhaust accumulating at the schools, yet you would allow and support 600 trucks and trains to idle and queue within two blocks from their schools and homes. Children are the most susceptible to the effects of diesel exhaust due to their under-developed bodies, faster metabolism, faster breathing rate, narrower air passage ways, and they spend 50% more time outside than adults. Asthma is now an epidemic in the United States, with 1 in 15 children afflicted with asthma. You cannot possibly want to be responsible for adding hundreds to that number and additional fatalities. The United States Environmental Protection Agency states that the Zone of Influence for an Intermodal would be a five- mile radius which affects 265,368 residents and 65,809 students. We need to know that our children’s lives are of relevance to you and your administration. Human life simply cannot be ignored.
It is also unheard of building such a polluted facility directly on top of one of only nine “Special Groundwater Protection Areas” on Long Island. This land is a critical deep flow recharge area for our aquifer system that serves over one million people in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Per the 1987 “Sole Source Aquifer Act” this land is to remain undeveloped. There is no alternative to water.
We appreciate your consideration and upholding the McKinney’s Law of 1987 and transferring the Pilgrim State land to Edgewood Preserve. Send a strong message to the rest of New York State and Washington that your administration puts children’s health and lives first over a project that can be placed in an industrial area not a zoned residential area.
With gratitude,
Print Name: ______Signature ______
Address: ______
cc: Attorney General Andrew Cuomo