On Tuesday evening, the Greenpoint community showed up in full force, demanding a resolution to the constant pollution they say is being emitted by Green Asphalt, a Long Island City manufacturer.
Joining more than 100 residents at the Polish & Slavic Center (176 Java St.) were our local elected officials, as well as elected officials from neighboring Blissville, whose residents are also affected by the fumes and odor. Representatives from Green Asphalt and the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) were also present.
The DEC told the crowd it would enforce a consent order against Green Asphalt, who claims to be the country’s first 100% recycled asphalt plant. The DEC has fined Green Asphalt $124,000 for failing to submit air quality monitoring data over the past few years. As Greenpointers first reported, Green Asphalt was required to come into compliance with state guidelines this month, and must also double the height of its emission stack by December 2025. Previously, Green Asphalt indicated to local elected officials that they would double their stack by June of this year, although that was only an informal agreement and not a legally enforceable action.
The city has apparently contracted Green Asphalt to work with various agencies. City Council Member Lincoln Restler said he would advocate for them to terminate their contracts with Green Asphalt.
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher suggested that residents could bring forth a potential class action lawsuit.
One of the meeting’s biggest concerns was the lack of transparency on what kind of emissions Green Asphalt is generating and what kind of deleterious health effects they might produce.
“I’m not concerned about being around it, I don’t think the residents should be concerned about being around it,” Green Asphalt president and founder Michael A. Capasso told Spectrum NY News 1. “I understand they may not like the smell, but we’re not emitting toxins into the air at levels that will be harmful to their health.”
However, residents claim that their health has already been compromised, regardless of what may be present in the fumes. Residents have reported breathing issues, burning eyes, dizziness, and headaches that they believe stem from Green Asphalt.
Part of the consent order includes submitting the emissions to the DEC for elemental analysis in order to determine the makeup of the fumes. However, to the dismay of those affected, that mandate doesn’t take effect until after Green Asphalt increases its stack, sparking fears that they could continue to breathe in toxins over the next three months.
“The process of recycling asphalt can contribute to air pollution such as heavy metals, volatile organic compounds and hydrocarbons, according to a study released earlier this year,” Gothamist reports. “According to New Jersey’s Department of Health, many of the symptoms residents are experiencing, including migraines and itchy throats, are linked to these emissions.”
Green Asphalt declined to comment on this article.
The DEC did not respond to our inquiry as of press time.
You can continue to report emissions to Emily Gallagher’s office, as well as the DEC at [email protected].