By Josephine Stratman, Thomas Tracy
New York Daily News
NEW YORK 鈥� The New York City Council passed a resolution Monday ordering the city鈥檚 to probe what information the city had on after the 9/11 attacks and when they had it.
The resolution鈥檚 passage, in a unanimous vote, comes after a yearslong fight to find out what the city knew about dangerous chemicals in the air after the .
The Adams administration as well as its predecessors have refused to release those documents, claiming they couldn鈥檛 find them and that the documents could lead to a barrage of lawsuits from survivors and first responders.
鈥淭his legislation is about responsive, transparent, and accountable government. The remaining residents and survivors of the September 11, 2001 attacks are deeply interested in what the city knew about the hazards of that period, and when,鈥� said Gale Brewer, chair of the Council鈥檚 . 鈥淩esolution 560-A will provide answers that are 20 years overdue.鈥�
The legislation marks the first time a provision of the City Charter allows the Council to order the DOI to undertake an investigation with a bill.
Despite lawsuits and multiple Freedom of Information Law requests, mayoral administrations since Rudy Giuliani have refused to release the documents.
This bill directs the DOI, which has independent oversight over the city, to investigate what past administrations knew about environmental toxins produced by the terror attacks and to submit those findings to the Council in a report.
The DOI will be required to produce biannual updates, with a final report due at the end of the two-year probe.
Spokespeople for the mayor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
鈥淭his resolution would finally reveal what city government knew about environmental toxins produced by the September 11 attacks, and when. This transparency is particularly relevant in this moment when trust in government is severely lacking,鈥� Brewer said.
About 137,000 first responders and survivors are enrolled in the U.S. Center for Disease Control鈥檚 to get treatment and medication due to Ground Zero toxins. Around 7,000 have died.
Some advocates have estimated there are more than 10,000 potential liability claims.
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