The following article is from the April 2007 issue of

There is a battle brewing in Albany over the implementation of New York City's recently approved 20-year Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP). The plan, which was passed by the New York City Council and signed into law by Mayor Bloomberg in July 2006, calls for the reopening of marine transfer stations throughout the five boroughs. The marine transfer stations would alleviate the truck traffic around the city and more equitably distribute the city's waste.

A key piece of the plan, however, rests in the hands of the New York State Legislature. That's because the Gansevoort Recycling Center, which would process all of Manhattan's recyclables, cannot be built without an amendment to the Hudson River Park Act. This amendment must pass both houses of the legislature before the end of the 2007 legislative session.

Traditionally, when the state legislature takes on a local park amendment, the decision is deferred to the local elected officials. Under usual circumstances, when an assembly member does not want a change in the park, the change does not take place. But the Gansevoort Recycling Facility is not a traditional park fight.

The advocates for the Gansevoort Recycling Center see it as a piece of a citywide solid waste plan and argue that the recycling facility will go a long way toward alleviating some of the city's most hazardous environmental and public health problems. They also see the state-of-the-art "green" design of the proposed facility and the education center that will be attached to the recycling center as important bonuses.

The battle lines over Gansevoort are already being drawn: Environmental organizations, including NYLCV, Environmental Defense, and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), as well as environmental justice organizations like Organizations for Waterfront Neighborhoods (OWN), have lined up to support Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn to amend the act.

Community Board 2 in Manhattan and some West Side elected officials have lined up against the project, arguing that they don't think the Hudson River Park should house a recycling facility.

Similar battle lines were drawn when the SWMP went before the city council in 2005 and 2006, and outer-borough and citywide interests prevailed over the dissenting voices. Much like the original council vote, the 2007 final decision on the Gansevoort Recycling Center will come down to the ability of the advocates on each side of the issue to frame the debate and make their voices heard through the halls of the capitol.