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News ReleaseContact: Michael O'Loughlin (917) 957-9160, Campaign for New York’s Future CAMPAIGN FOR NEW YORK’S FUTURE APPLAUDS STATE SENATOR MALCOLM SMITH'S SUPPORT FOR PLANYC GOALS New York, May 28, 2007 – The Campaign for New York’s Future – a broad and growing coalition now comprised of 80 environmental, public health, civic, labor, community and business organizations – today praised New York State Senate Minority Leader Malcolm A. Smith’s endorsement of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC 2030 agenda, including a congestion pricing pilot program to clear New York’s air and raise billions of dollars for badly-needed transit projects. “Senator Smith deserves New Yorkers’ thanks for supporting the bold PlaNYC 2030 proposal to address the twin problems of traffic congestion and air pollution,” said Michael O’Loughlin, Campaign Director of the Campaign for New York’ Future. “The PlaNYC agenda will benefit New Yorkers from all communities by cleaning our air, making our commutes faster, and generating billions to improve the public transit most of us use. We hope to soon see many more officials join Senator Smith in taking a principled stand for a cleaner, healthier and more livable city.” Elizabeth C. Yeampierre, Executive Director of UPROSE and Chair of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance added, “The health of our children and other vulnerable people in our communities has suffered much too long because public officials did not address concentrated environmental hazards like air pollution in a timely fashion. Securing cleaner air and a healthier future requires aggressive action – today. We welcome Senator Smith’s support for PlaNYC and the actions needed to reduce asthma, increase access to open space, and create new opportunities in all our neighborhoods. We greatly appreciate Senator Smith’s willingness to tackle the harmful economic and health consequences of excessive traffic in all New York City’s neighborhoods, and we hope to see others following his lead soon.” "More than 2 million New Yorkers have higher risks of cancer, asthma attacks and reduced childhood lung development because they live near a congested road. Reducing traffic, investing in mass transit, and cleaning up the dirtiest diesel engines on our city streets – the plan Mayor Bloomberg proposed, dozens of groups endorse and Senator Smith boldly embraced – will benefit all New Yorkers and set a new international standard for how we achieve healthy air in the world's largest cities," concluded Ramón Cruz, Senior Policy Analyst at Environmental Defense. *** The Campaign for New York's Future (www.campaignfornewyork.org) is a coalition of civic, business, environmental, labor, community and public health organizations that support the goals and strategic direction of PlaNYC. Our goal is to make every neighborhood in NYC a great place to live and work, as well as make a significant contribution to fighting climate change. The coalition aims to encourage public debate – as well as fair and effective action – now and in the years to come. We recognize the need to both seize the opportunity for immediate action and to insure that this long-term plan evolves with continued dialogue and changing conditions.
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