MEDIA ADVISORY
BARUCH COLLEGE HOSTS PANEL
DISCUSSION ON THE FINANCING AND
RESTORATION OF THE GOWANUS CANAL
NEW YORK, NY – April 22, 2014 – The Robert Zicklin Center for Corporate Integrity and the Steven
L. Newman Real Estate Institute at Baruch College will host a panel discussion to address the restoring of
the two-mile Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. The event, “Cleaning the Canal: Who Pays for Gowanus?” is
scheduled on May 8 in partnership with the Sustainability Practice Network.
Panelists include: Brian E. Carr, Assistant Regional Counsel, United States Environmental Protection
Agency, Marcia Bystryn, President, New York League of Conservation Voters, and Lawrence Schnapf ,
Principal, Schnapf LLC. Legal, ethical and policy issues pertaining to restoring polluted public areas will be
discussed.
One of the most polluted sites in New York City, the Gowanus Canal was placed on the EPA’s Superfund
Priorities List in 2010. With this designation, the EPA can compel parties responsible for the pollution to
pay for the Canal’s cleanup. But determining which entities, such as factories, shippers, caused harm and
determining their proportion of liability is almost impossible decades after the event. The canal has been
the entryway for contaminants almost continuously since the nineteenth century, and many of the original
polluters are companies that no longer exist. Nonetheless, the EPA is in the process of identifying
“potentially responsible parties” and preparing to bring legal action to force them to pay their share of the
cleanup.
WHAT: “Cleaning the Canal: Who Pays for Gowanus?”
WHEN:
6 p.m. – 8 p.m., Thursday, May 8
Schedule:
6:00 p.m. Registration and Networking
6:15 p.m. Panel
7:30 p.m. Q & A
8:00 p.m. Networking
WHERE: Baruch College’s Newman Conference Center, Room 750
151 E. 25th Street
(between Lexington and Third)
###
About Baruch College:
Baruch College is a senior college in the City University of New York (CUNY) with a total enrollment of
more than 17,000 students, who represent 160 countries and speak more than 100 languages. Ranked
among the top 15% of U.S. colleges and the No. 5 public regional university, Baruch College is regularly
recognized as among the most ethnically diverse colleges in the country. As a public institution with a
tradition of academic excellence, Baruch College offers accessibility and opportunity for students from
every corner of New York City and from around the world. For more about Baruch College, go to
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Manny Romero, (646) 660-6141, manuel.romero@baruch.cuny.edu
Mercedes Sanchez, (646) 660-6112, mercedes.sanchez@baruch.cuny.edu
Celene McDermott (646) 660-6134, celene.mcdermott@baruch.cuny.edu