February 11, 2002 Senator Clinton Outlines 5-Point Plan to Address Ground Zero Air Quality Concerns New York, NY – At a Senate field hearing in lower Manhattan today, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined a 5-point plan to address Ground Zero air quality concerns. The plan includes: Passage of legislation to establish a permanent health monitoring system at disaster sites; more... Funding for long-term health registry to monitor Ground Zero workers and those who live, go to school, and work in lower Manhattan; more... Establishment of a World Trade Center indoor air program to provide more information about the testing, monitoring, and cleaning of office buildings, residences, and schools in lower Manhattan; more... Creation of a World Trade Center site clean air initiative to reduce harmful emissions from construction equipment; more... Application of lessons learned about air quality at Ground Zero to our homeland security plan, so that the nation can be better prepared to deal with potential future disasters. more... Today's hearing was conducted by Senator Joseph Lieberman and Senator Clinton who are members of the Senate Subcommittee on Clear Air, Wetlands, and Climate Change. Senator Lieberman is chairman of this subcommittee. "In the months following the tragic events of September 11, many of dedicated relief workers have been working and living at or around Ground Zero, and there are more and more concerns that these men and women have been exposed to hazards from the air," Senator Lieberman said. "We must determine what, if any, risks they now face, and ensure that they receive the aid they deserve. We also should ask ourselves how we responded to these terrible events, and how might we be better prepared if we are ever faced with a similar tragedy in the future." Senator Clinton said, "Unfortunately, we do not really know what our firefighters, police officers, emergency workers and others have been exposed to as a result of their courageous efforts at Ground Zero, but it is our responsibility to find those answers. In order to stem any long-term health problems these workers may be suffering, we must take steps now to address these concerns. And we must ensure that the public is protected and given sound information about environmental quality around Ground Zero. We must also find out what health risks may exist for any individuals and families who live, work or go to school near Ground Zero. I am hopeful that this hearing will help shed light on these important issues." Witness List of Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, and Climate Change hearing to receive testimony on the impacts of the September 11 attack on air quality and possible related health impacts in the area of the World Trade Center and how to address any such impacts. Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House One Bowling Green, New York, NY February 11, 2002 -- 9:15 a.m. PANEL I Congressman Jerrold Nadler U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. PANEL II Ms. Liz Berger Resident New York, NY Dr. Kerry Kelly Chief Medical Officer New York City Fire Department Brooklyn, NY Dr. George Thurston Associate Professor of Environmental Medicine New York University Medical School Nelson Institute of Environmental Medicine Tuxedo, NY Mr. Eric Goldstein New York Urban Program Director Natural Resources Defense Council New York, NY PANEL III Ms. Marianne Jackson Deputy Federal Coordinating Officer for the World Trade Center Event Federal Emergency Management Agency Washington, D.C. Ms. Jane M. Kenny Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 New York, NY Mr. Carl Johnson Deputy Commissioner for Air and Waste Management Department of Environmental Conservation State of New York Albany, NY Commissioner Joel Miele Department of Environmental Protection City of New York Flushing, NY PANEL IV Mr. Tom Scotto President Detectives Endowment Association New York, NY Mr. Edward J. Malloy President Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York New York, NY Dr. Stephen Levin Medical Director Irving J. Selikoff Occupational Health Clinical Center The Mount Sinai Medical Center New York, NY Ms. Marilena Christodoulou President Stuyvesant High School Parents' Association New York, NY Ms. Julie Hiraga Second Grade Teacher PS 89 New York, NY Mr. Bernard Orlan Director of Environmental Health and Safety New York City Board of Education Brooklyn, NY Dr. Phil Landrigan Ethel H. Wise Professor and Chairman Department of Community and Preventive Medicine The Mount Sinai School of Medicine New York, NY