A View of the World Trade Center Site from the Hudson River.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Deutsche Bank Building at 130 Liberty Street
The EPA has clarified that the air quality in Lower Manhattan is no different from the air quality in the rest of New York City. There has been some continuing concern about air quality, and specifically about particulate matter concerns in Lower Manhattan therefore, the LMDC is issuing the following revised answer to the Frequently Asked Question below to further clarify the situation.
Q: The Comments from the EPA regarding the Draft Phase I Deconstruction Plan included a comment on fine particles and how the deconstruction of 130 Liberty may contribute to "already unhealthful levels of fine particles in Lower Manhattan." Is there an explanation for this statement?
A: The air quality in Lower Manhattan is no different from the rest of New York City or the surrounding metropolitan region. The EPA has clarified that the comment regarding "already unhealthful levels of fine particles in Lower Manhattan" is in relation to a much broader air quality issue than anything directly related to 130 Liberty, or even September 11th. The EPA has developed health-based standards for fine particles in the air and has identified areas throughout the country that attain the standard and identified areas that exceed the standard. The areas that exceed the standard fine particle concentration or contribute to problems in other areas were labeled "non attainment" areas. The five boroughs of New York City and adjacent areas are a non-attainment area as a result of emissions from motor vehicles, construction equipment, industry, power plants and dense population. As such, EPA's comment relates to its concern that all reasonable measures should be taken to avoid exacerbating the existing air quality problem whether it be in lower Manhattan or any other part of the metropolitan area for that matter.
If you have further questions regarding Particulate Matter designations please visit the EPA’s extensive web page which includes, particulate matter background information, Frequently Asked Questions on particulate matter and designation identification maps, at http://www.epa.gov/pmdesignations