Greenpoint’s local elected officials—Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Council Member Lincoln Restler, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez—joined forces on Friday to demand local concrete batch plant DKN Ready Mix take action on air quality and public health concerns.
In July, Greenpointers first reported on the health and environmental concerns neighbors had from living next to DKN on Green Street, including noise, building vibrations, dust, and particulate matter. Air quality readings in the area provided by North Brooklyn Neighbors demonstrate that DKN has far exceeded healthy air standards.
The plant first opened on Green Street last November, and elected officials say they’ve been fielding concerns from constituents ever since.
“I’m dusting every day, at least. It coats your clothes, it’s coating our bedding, couches. It’s atrocious,” a neighbor told Greenpointers in July.
CBS New York was on hand to report on Friday’s gathering.
“This neighborhood has a long history of being wronged by fossil fuel companies, wronged by companies that have more interest in maximizing their profit than protecting the health and livelihoods of people here,” said Senator Kristen Gonzalez.
“They are refusing to acknowledge that they are part of a community that they have to be responsive and respectful to,” said Assemblymember Emily Gallagher.
DKN said they had the necessary infrastructure in place to mitigate the dust, although they have been fined for the issue multiple times (the City’s Department of Buildings has also confirmed that DKN had been recently fined for illegally operating contrary to their Certificate of Occupancy).
“The city received additional reports of excessive dust in August, but says the most recent inspection found the company to be in compliance with regulations,” CBS reports.