Target: Antonio Delgado, President of New York Senate
Goal: Advocate for stricter oversight of last-mile warehouses to curtail negative health impacts on communities.
Residents of New York City’s Red Rock neighborhood suffer from critical asthma events and similar health concerns at a rate far higher than the average. According to air quality sensors installed not by agencies but by ordinary citizens, this community endures particulate pollution (that can become ingrained in the lungs) at dangerously high levels several times a year. And citizen-installed traffic monitors have routinely catalogued unrelenting and soaring levels of noise pollution from large vans and trucks. These at-risk residents blame a series of new additions to their neighborhoods: Amazon warehouses.
Unlike factories and other large and intrusive structures, warehouses are subject to almost no regulation or monitoring from local, state, or federal governments. They disproportionately end up in lower-income communities where health disparities are already pronounced. And the residents over time endure stressful noise that impacts their mental well-being and increased vehicle emissions that take a toll on their physical health.
New York’s leaders are currently considering a first-of-its-kind bill that would place more accountability on warehouse operators for the harm their operations cause. Efforts are also underway to mandate more rigorous permitting standards and to increase pollution monitoring in impacted areas. Sign the petition below to back these needed public health initiatives.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Lieutenant Governor Delgado,
“There’s a hidden cost of free, same-day delivery, and these communities are paying the price.” This condemnation comes from Consumer Reports and the Red Rock residents it heard and assisted when local, state, and national leaders would not. Since the Red Rock community begrudgingly welcomed two last-mile Amazon warehouse facilities, noise and air pollution have reportedly risen at deeply concerning levels. Rather than help these neighborhoods prove and rectify these threats to their public health, leaders have instead promised them yet another intrusive warehouse in their lives.
This trend is not exclusive to Red Rock. It is happening across New York and around the country, at the expense of disadvantaged communities who need the most urgent help. The federal government has washed its hands of any oversight or responsibility, but New York now has the opportunity to set a standard of care and quality for the rest of the nation. Pass the Clean Deliveries Act and show all New Yorkers and all Americans that their well-being matters.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Elevate
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