Letters to the Editor

PROTECTING ANIMALS: AN AWARD FOR NADLER

Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-NY-10) is a champion for animals and taxpayers, and White Coat Waste Project is proud to honor him with our 2021 Congressional Waste Warrior award.

Representative Nadler has led key initiatives to stop painful and outdated taxpayer-funded experiments on dogs, cats, and other animals that most people oppose and that cost Americans over $20 billion every year. As Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, he’s backed efforts to stop the Department of Justice from maiming and killing animals in archaic “live tissue training” drills in favor of more effective and economical human simulators. He’s also behind efforts to retire healthy animals from government labs when testing ends. Our 3 million members in New York and beyond are lucky to have Representative Nadler in Washington protecting animals from abuse and taxpayers from wasteful government spending.

Devin Murphy

Washington, DC

EMERGENCY VEHICLE SIRENS

Thank you, Dr. Gold, for putting into words the distress that all New Yorkers go through because of the use of emergency vehicle sirens (Our Town, May 5 - 11). These painful, noise piercing sounds are a lot more than an annoyance. They are a health hazard and to hear that they are possibly unnecessary is infuriating. Now that this has been articulated something must be done to dramatically reduce the use of this health hazard.

David Reibman

Upper West Side

CAN NYC TRANSIT PRESIDENT DAVEY DELIVER $100 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING?

Here is one of the first financial challenges facing NYC Transit President Richard Davey. Is he aware that his predecessors have been unsuccessful for six years in applying for three old Federal Transit Administration discretionary funded project allocations that would improve the NYC Transit Canarsie L subway line worth over $100 million?

On April 6, 2022 the FTA published Federal Notice of Available Funding for Federal Fiscal Year 2022. This included the availability of carryover earmark allocations from 2016 & 2017. They are NY Canarsie Power Improvements $3,200,271, NY Canarsie Power Improvement Program Expedited Project Delivery Pilot Program for $13,121,114, and NYC Canarsie Line Power and Station Improvements $83,680,000. Details may be found under Table 16 - Prior Years Unobligated Section 5309 Fixed Guideway Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Allocations. Here is the link: https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/apportionments/table-16-fy-2022-prior-year-unobligated-section-5309-fixed-guideway.

They should have previously developed and submitted grant applications to apply for these funds worth over $100 million. Six years later, work should have already been completed. Why have they been unsuccessful to date in having these funds obligated under approved grants? These funds will eventually lapse and be lost. They end up returned to the federal treasury and may be reprogrammed for another purpose.

Will NYC Transit President Davey be successful in applying for and having these funds obligated under approved grants? When will he develop a recovery schedule for completion of these long overdue projects? How many more years must taxpayers, commuters and NYC Transit employees have to wait before seeing the benefits from completion of these federally funded improvements to the Canarsie L Line?

Larry Penner

Great Neck, NY