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New York Post
NYC Council bill to force release of Sept. 11 air toxin reports, launch investigation into info city withheld from public
By Nicole Rosenthal,
9 hours ago
New York’s City Council is set to vote on a bill that would force city agencies to reveal what they knew about about air toxins after the Sept. 11 attacks and what was withheld from the public — despite the Adams administration’s efforts to keep the info quiet.
The resolution, which will be introduced Thursday by Council Member Gale Brewer, comes after Mayor Eric Adams balked at opening the two-decade-old books on 9/11 for fear that it could expose New York to massive liability.
More than two dozen firefighters died within the last year from 9/11-related illnesses, and the FDNY continues to bury more of its own every month. Matthew McDermot
“The remaining residents and survivors of the attacks are deeply interested in what the city knew about the hazards of that period, and when, exactly, they knew it,” said Brewer.
“The Adams administration has refused to release the documents, stating that potential liability prevents them from doing so. That’s not a legitimate reason to keep the files locked away.”
The binding resolution, which can’t be vetoed by the mayor, would require the Department of Investigation to obtain city files with information about the toxin types, health impacts and an analysis of the true depth of the problem and what has been shared with the public, Brewer said.
“As a former first responder who worked the site at Ground Zero, Mayor Adams is unwavering in his support of the 9/11 victims, first responders, families, and survivors,” a spokesperson from the mayor’s office told The Post. “We will review the legislation.”
“Those of us that are still alive owe it to the families of the sick and those who have passed to uncover the facts about what the city knew after the attacks, what they knew was there, and who made the decisions that have affected the lives of so many,” FDNY union president Andrew Ansbro said. New York Post
The new bill comes after the FDNY revealed earlier this week the dwindling federal funding for first responders and survivors with 9/11-related illnesses.
More than 125,000 people are currently enrolled in the CDC-run World Trade Center Health Program and over 6,900 of those have died in the years since.
Andrew Ansbro, the union president of the FDNY, said he expects the Memorial Wall for Deaths Related to World Trade Center Illnesses at FDNY Headquarters to ultimately see all of its 960 spaces fill up.
More than two dozen firefighters died within the last year from 9/11-related illnesses, and the FDNY continues to bury more of its own every month, Ansbro said.
“Those of us that are still alive owe it to the families of the sick and those who have passed to uncover the facts about what the city knew after the attacks, what they knew was there, and who made the decisions that have affected the lives of so many,” Ansbro said.
The bill serves as the latest effort in a years-long battle to get the city to release the coveted documents.
“The Adams administration has refused to release the documents, stating that potential liability prevents them from doing so. That’s not a legitimate reason to keep the files locked away,” Council Member Gale Brewer said. Robert Miller
After NY1 submitted public records requests for documents like testing and daily updates provided to then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, both the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and the city’s Office of Emergency Management told the outlet they had no documents.
A spokesperson from Adams’ office admitted in February that the office is “aware of requests to produce city documents on the aftermath of the attacks, which would require extensive legal review to identify privileged material and liability risk, and are exploring ways to determine the cost of such a review.”
A spokesperson from Mayor Eric Adams’ office said in February that the office is “aware of requests to produce city documents on the aftermath of the attacks, which would require extensive legal review to identify privileged material and liability risk, and are exploring ways to determine the cost of such a review.” Matthew McDermott
A spokesperson said Brewer’s office has not formally requested the information.
“The City dishonors these men and women, many now dead, by refusing to open its 9/11 files to the public,” Reps. Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) and Dan Goldman (NY-10) wrote in a letter sent in April to Adams. “Instead of simply releasing the requested documents, the City continues to publicly contradict itself.”
If passed, the DOI would have a 2-year deadline to complete its report and will be obligated to provide updates twice annually.
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