Why does the NY City Council want to stop independent chemical, biological and radiological testing?

What logical reason would there be to prevent independent testing of potentially deadly substances? I've been getting these urgent email action alerts over the last three days -- from medical professionals and scientific researchers.

Here's one of them copied and pasted intact:
********************************************
URGENT! STOP INTRO 650 (NYC COUNCIL) NOW!

Dear Friend,

We are writing you with great urgency in opposition to Intro 650, a bill introduced into the New York City Council at the request of the mayor and with the support of the Speaker of the City Council. We believe this bill poses a grave threat to university programs, academic research, and unions, environmental, and community-based organizations that conduct independent chemical, biological and radiological environmental sampling. We ask you to join us in opposing this legislation.

Intro 650 will require permits for the possession or use of any instruments which monitor chemical, biological or radiological contamination. The NYC Police Department has testified that the impetus for the bill came from the Department of Homeland Security. Intro 650 will give NYPD the power to authorize, deny, or delay any workplace or environmental sampling. NYPD has testified that the Department of Homeland Security intends to use this legislation, if enacted, as a model for other cities throughout the country. We believe the bill, if enacted, will restrict, and could prevent altogether, independent environmental monitoring by unions, community organizations, and others, including university programs. We believe this would pose a significant threat to our civil liberties.

The stated purposed of the bill is to reduce excessive false alarms and unwarranted anxiety." However, the bills proponents have presented no data to support the claim of "excessive false alarms," nor have they identified the types of alarms that are presumed to be excessive. No evidence has been presented to document "unwarranted anxiety." It is likely that no such data exist.

An initial hearing on the bill was held January 8. Strong opposition was raised by numerous speakers representing a broad range of groups. At the hearing, Council Member John Liu noted the bills potential for restricting the collection of independent environmental data. He said the bill would give NYPD a blank check with no restrictions.

Had such legislation been in place on and after 9/11, the independent testing done by unions and community-based organizations could not have been legally conducted and what we now know about the contamination of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Lower Manhattan would be limited. This same concern was addressed by other speakers at the hearing.

The bill is being opposed by a wide range of organizations including the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the New York City Central Labor Council, the United Federation of Teachers, Healthy Schools Network, West Harlem Environmental Action, and NYCOSH. I have enclosed a copy of the joint testimony submitted by NYCOSH and the New York City Central Labor Council as well as testimony by the UFT and the faculty at the Hunter College Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Program. A copy of the bill is also attached.

We have been told that the leadership of the City Council is committed to passage of this legislation and wants the bill to be enacted by the end of this month. We believe we can stop this proposed legislation if we work together. But we need your help to contact organizations, both local and national, to oppose the bill.

Attached please find a letter we are asking you to sign which we will submit to the City Council. Please send me your endorsement and indicate whether this is an organizational endorsement or whether we should list your name, title, and affiliation for identification purposes only. If you send your own letter to the City Council, could you please forward us a copy. Thank you. Time is of the essence.

In solidarity,

Joel Shufro William Henning

Executive Director, NYCOSH Chair, NYCOSH




_________ Yes, please add my name as a signatory to the enclosed letter.

Name ____________________________

Title ____________________________

Organization________________________



Please email us back at nycosh@nycosh.org or

Fax us at 212-227-9854



_________ Please designate that the name of the institution attached to my

name is for identification purposes only.



_________ I will send a letter over my signature to the members of the

City Council below and will send a copy to NYCOSH.

(Contact information for City Council members is available here:

http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml

_________ I will do both.


ATTACHMENT:

Letter to City Council Members (Council_letter,doc)

to this setup to insure that the "authorities" have total control over monitoring for chemicals and biologicals.

This is NYC we're talking about- there have to be many thousands of spots
that test positive for dangerous levels of various contaminants, stuff
that's been there for decades.

And I'm sure the City would rather just build over those spots than pay
the many BILLION$ it would cost to clean them up.

So, one step in "sweeping this under the rug" would be to make it ILLEGAL
for average citizens to possess the tools necessary to discover the
contamination in the first place.

Just a thought.