Local Pols Pledge New Anti-MTS Group

Pledge 2 Protect, a new coalition group that has sprung up in resistance to the city's controversial plan to reopen the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station (MTS), announced the support of several elected officials and candidates last week. City Council Member Jessica Lappin, who is vacating her seat to run for Manhattan Borough President this fall, State Assembly Member Micah Kellner, who will be running for Lappin's seat on the City Council, and Democratic Mayoral Candidate Sal Albanese all signed on to lend their support to the group's mission of stopping the garbage transfer station from opening.

"I'm proud to be the first elected official in New York City to sign the Pledge 2 Protect the communities of Yorkville and East Harlem from the proposed massive trash station that threatens to destroy our quality of life," said Kellner, who has spoken vociferously against the plan in the past. "I've been fighting to dump the dump every step of the way, and I have no intention of stopping now. I've sued the Mayor, launched a lawsuit in federal court, and helped rally grass-roots support against the construction of the garbage station ? and I'm going to keep on fighting until this ill-conceived plan is finally trashed once and for all."

"Please join us as we continue our efforts to stop the 91st Street MTS," said Lappin. "This is another way you can get involved in the fight."

"This isn't some NIMBY issue. This decision has citywide consequences," said Albanese. "If you believe that folks in public housing have a right to clean air and that students deserve safe streets around their parks, then it's impossible to look at a transfer station here or in other densely-populated neighborhoods as anything but a bad idea."

Pledge 2 Protect has been touting studies it commissioned that show the environmental and health impacts that the MTS would have if reopened, and is planning on holding door-to-door pledge signing drives, petitioning other politicians and driving their message to the community through social media.