Message from Liz

On December 17th, I held a public forum in New

York City on the Marijuana Regulation and
Taxation Act (MRTA; S. 6005 / A. 8341 of 2014)
and the need for marijuana law reform in New York
State. I will be reintroducing a revised version of
this legislation for the coming session. The hearing
featured testimony from advocates, policy experts,
and government officials representing community,
law enforcement, health, economic and budgetary
perspectives.

Whats Inside
Message from Liz
Community Spotlight

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- Update on Efforts to Fight the Proposed

Marine Transfer Station (MTS)
- Roundtable for Boomers and Seniors on
February 19th
- 2015 Kindergarten Application Process
- Discussion on the DOEs Gifted & Talented
Programs
- NYU Dental Van at PS 198
- Volunteer at the EITC Phone-a-thon on
January 31st
- NYs Health Plan Marketplace - Open
Enrollment is Here
- New Legal Services NYC Government
Benefits Hotline
- Legal Advocacy Clinics From Lenox Hill
Neighborhood House
- Monthly Housing Clinics and Workshops
- VOLS Legal Clinics for Low-Income
Residents Over Age 60
- e-Waste Recycling Options
- Metrocard Bus and Van Schedule
- Heat Season Rules

Experts, advocates, and members of the public

offered testimony on the real characteristics of
cannabis as a substance, the effects of marijuanarelated incarceration on communities in New York
State, and the fiscal and economic benefits of
regulation and taxation both for the state and local
governments. Among those offering testimony and
comment were Councilmembers Jumaane Williams
and Steve Levin, Gabriel Sayegh from the Drug
Policy Spotlight
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Policy Alliance, Doug Turetzky from the New York
- Hydrofracking
City Independent Budget Office, Robert Cordero
and John Hellman from BOOM!Health, Bob Gangi
from Police Reform Organizing Project, Professor Carl Hart from Columbia University, Evan
Nison and Adam Scavone from New York Cannabis Alliance, and Seema Sadanandan from
the American Civil Liberties Union.
Links to audio and written testimony from the hearing are available at
http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/senator-liz-krueger-holds-first-nyc-forummarijuana-regulation-taxation-act-0.
In December 2013, I introduced the MRTA to lay the first stone in New York's path beyond
its current costly, discriminatory, and ultimately failed policy of prohibition and
incarceration. If passed, this legislation would make New York the most populous state in
the country to regulate and tax marijuana for general use. Assemblymember Crystal
Peoples Stokes carries this legislation in the Assembly.
In New York, more than 97 percent of marijuana arrests are solely for possession, and in
between 2002 and 2012 there were 440,000 of these arrests. The Bronx has the fourth
highest per-capita arrest rate for marijuana possession of any county-level jurisdiction in
the country.

The enforcement of the present law has disproportionately affected African-American and
Latino communities. Government health surveys find that young whites use marijuana at
higher rates than young blacks and Latinos, but the NYPD has arrested African-Americans
for marijuana possession at seven times the rate of whites, and Latinos at nearly four times
the rate of whites.
On their face, the racial disparities in these statistics represent a grave injustice, while the
sheer volume of arrests shows just how gross a waste of city and state resources our
current policy has become. Weve been spending taxpayer money to ruin lives,
disproportionately from communities of color, with no real public policy goal to be found in
any of it. While Mayor de Blasio should be commended for taking proactive executive action
this fall to partially address this injustice, its time for the State Legislature to remove
possession of marijuana for personal use from the criminal law, and modernize our laws as
so many other states are doing.
Law enforcement agencies operating under the current law have not been able to make a
significant dent in the sale of marijuana in the United States. Meanwhile, the domestic and
international criminal organizations that thrive on the illegal drug trade have only become
more frightening. Legalization and regulation should therefore be seen as a practical
alternative whose time has come, even from the perspective of those who would otherwise
prefer marijuana remain illegal.
The MRTA would regulate marijuana in a manner similar to New Yorks current treatment
of alcohol, and would empower the State Liquor Authority to act as the primary regulatory
agency. In brief, the bill:
- Removes penalties for possession of two ounces of marijuana or less;
- Makes 18 the minimum legal age for marijuana possession and consumption;
- Establishes that smoking marijuana in public and possession of marijuana by persons
under the age of 18 are violations;
- Prohibits sale of marijuana to persons under 21;
- Allows for home cultivation of up to six marijuana plants;
- Empowers the State Liquor Authority to grant licenses for marijuana production,
transport and retail sale;
- Establishes an tax structure for marijuana, and authorizes localities to charge a sales tax
on retail sales;
- Directs a portion of the state tax revenue collected to be directed to re-entry programs,
substance abuse programs, and job training programs in low-income, high-unemployment
communities;
- Allows communities to opt out of retail sale for off-premises consumption through a
referendum process similar to what is now in place for alcohol sales; and
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- Allows communities to opt in to allow retail sales for on-premises consumption through a
vote of the local legislature, in addition to the local community board in the case of New
York City.
Washington States Initiative 502 went into effect on Dec. 6, 2012, and retail stores opened
earlier in 2014. Washingtons producers, processors and retailers, are licensed and
regulated by the Washington Liquor Control Board. Colorados Regulate Marijuana Like
Alcohol Act of 2012 (Amendment 64) went into effect on Dec. 10, 2012, and licensees have
begun operating, with state revenue significantly exceeding projections. In November,
Oregon, Alaska and Washington D.C. passed their own initiatives allowing for regulated
legal sales of marijuana.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Update on Efforts to Fight the Proposed Marine Transfer Station (MTS):
As I am sure you are already aware, my fellow elected officials and I have challenged the
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservations pending renewal of the operating
and construction permits previously approved for the East 91st St. Marine Transfer
Station. In our call for a review of the vastly altered environmental conditions, we also
requested that DEC hold a public hearing. Those most harshly affected by the adverse
impact this ill conceived project will have on the surrounding community deserve to be
heard from directly. While no such hearing has been scheduled, DEC has informed my
office that a public comment period for the submission of written testimony will be
announced within the month. I plan to make my concerns over air quality, flood risk and
traffic safety (especially for the children utilizing Asphalt Greens recreation facilities) heard
loud and clear. I urge my friends, neighbors and fellow activists to write individual letters
of testimony to the DEC once the comment period is announced. Please also feel free to
submit your testimony directly to my office and I will deliver your submissions to DEC once
the comment period officially opens. Please take a minute to review some of the concerns
below, which I will also be expressing in my own written testimony. We need to pressure
DEC to hold a public hearing on these permits. An onslaught of written testimony from the
impacted community is essential to apply the needed pressure to push for a public hearing.
Air quality on the Upper East Side and Southern Harlem is among the worst in the City.
The continued use of #6 heating oil and traffic congestion contribute to these already
unacceptable conditions. Adding hundreds of diesel burning garbage trucks per day and
waste to a geographic area already over burdened with contaminants will aggravate the
poor air quality already burdening this community. While air monitoring for particulate
matter (PM 10) is ongoing at the site, health threats from PM 2.5, which is considered to be
more dangerous, remain unaddressed.
Superstorm Sandy has fundamentally changed the way we must approach construction
along our waterfront. During Superstorm Sandy, the area surrounding this site was
flooded as much as four blocks in from the East River. Following Sandy, FEMA issued
new flood maps indicating apparent danger to the MTS location and situation. According to
the new FEMA flood maps, the 91st St. MTS platform will sit more than five feet below the
estimated 100 year floodplain, effectively placing the structure in danger and exposing the
surrounding community and river to potentially polluted waters. While the first floor of the
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MTS and its mechanicals have been waterproofed DEC needs to examine the fact
that structurally, nothing has been changed in the MTS plans to protect against such a
scenario.
The surrounding area has seen a sharp upturn in population grown in addition to a
significant number of construction projects currently underway, which will further
exacerbate the problem.
The immediate ten block radius surrounding the site is home to five new schools that
opened since the original permit was approved.
First and Second Avenues have seen the implementation of Select Bus Service, which
occupy an entire lane, and First Avenue is also now also home to a protected bike
lane. These changes in the streetscape have altered traffic patterns in the area in the time
since the EIS was conducted.
Roundtable for Boomers and Seniors on February 19th:
Senator Liz Kruegers Roundtable for Boomers & Seniors is a 5-part program that
provides an opportunity for constituents to come together to explore life issues that are
relevant across the age span.
This year we are looking at Caregiving and all its aspects. The third session of this popular
program will discuss aging in place and affordable senior housing options. It will take place
on Thursday, February 19th, at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, 331 East 70th Street. The
program runs from 8:30 am 10:30 am. Bagels and coffee will be served.
For more information, contact Alice Fisher by email at [email protected] or call
212-490-9535. RSVPs are required for this event.
2015 Kindergarten Application Process:
The kindergarten admission process has begun. For children born in 2010, the application
period opens on January 7 and closes on February 13. Placement offers will be distributed
in early April and pre-registration at schools starts in April. Like last year, families can
apply online by visiting www.nyc.gov/schools/kindergarten, over-the-phone by calling (718)
935-2400 between 8 am and 6 pm Monday through Friday, or in person at one of the
DOEs Family Welcome Centers
http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/NewStudents/WelcomeCenters/default.htm.
This year the kindergarten application is translated into nine languages on-line, and the
Family Welcome Centers will have translated paper copies of the applications as well.
Kindergarten admissions information sessions are being offered in January in each
borough. The Manhattan session will take place on Monday, January 12th at the High
School of Fashion Industries, 225 West 24th Street, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.
Discussion on the DOEs Gifted & Talented Programs:
The Youth and Education Committee of Community Board 8 will be discussing the NYC
Department of Educations Gifted & Talented programs at its next meeting on Monday,
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January 12th at 7 p.m. The meeting will feature the PS/IS 217 Principal Beckman
discussing their program and Daniel Hildreth from the NYC DOE Office of Enrollment.
Issues to be addressed include how the program works, standards for admission, testing,
and the timing of applications. The meeting will take place at PS/IS 217, 645 Main Street,
Roosevelt Island, Auditorium.
NYU Dental Van at PS 198:
The New York University (NYU) Smiling Faces, Going Places mobile dental van program will
be visiting PS 198, 1700 Third Avenue at 95th Street on January 14th, 21st and 28th from
10 am to 8:30 pm. During the visit, the fully equipped mobile van and team of dental
professionals will be providing oral health services to children for whom dental care is least
accessible. At the visit, the van will see students from the school during the day and the
van will be open to members of the community during the evening hours.
Volunteer at the EITC Phone-a-thon on Jqanuary 31st:
Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are missing out on anywhere from $2,000 to
$10,000 in tax credits, like the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Care Tax Credit. About
25% of eligible working families fail to claim their money money families need to help pay
for daily necessities because many people dont know about these programs. Our fellow
New Yorkers need information on how to get these credits and how to get free tax
preparation and financial counseling to make the most of their refund and YOU can help
make it happen.
On Saturday, January 31 The NYC Department of Consumer Affairs is hosting the first ever
Phone-a-Thon to let our friends and neighbors know about refundable tax credits.
YOUR TWO HOURS WILL HELP A FAMILY MAKE ENDS MEET.
TIME SLOTS AVAILABLE:
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
LOCATION: Hunter College, 695 Park Avenue, 3rd Floor Cafeteria
To register, or for other locations, visit
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dca/html/contact/TaxCreditCampaignVolunteerRegistration.sh
tml.
NYs Health Plan Marketplace - Open Enrollment is Here:
New Yorks Marketplace, NY State of Health, is a way for individuals, families, and small
businesses (under 50 employees) to find quality health insurance. It can help if you dont
have coverage now, or if you have insurance but want to look at other options under certain
conditions (the Marketplace is not for people who have Medicare). The Marketplace is being
administered as part of the federal health care reform law.
Free and low-cost options are available to those who qualify, including Medicaid, Child
Health Plus, and financial aid. Financial aid to buy insurance is available for certain small
businesses, individuals who earn up to $46,680 a year, or $95,400 a year for a family of 4.
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All plans provide essential care, including doctor visits, emergency care, and prescription
drugs.You cannot be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition.
When Do I Apply? Open enrollment for 2015 runs through February 15, 2015. Apply by
the 15th of any month for coverage effective the 1st of the following month.
How Do I Apply? For more information, or to apply for a plan, call the Marketplace at 1855-355-5777 or go online to the Marketplaces website at
http://www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov/.
Need Assistance? For a complete list of certified health care navigators and counselors, go
to http://info.nystateofhealth.ny.gov/IPANavigatorSiteLocations or call the Marketplace at
1-855-355-5777. These services are free for you. In my district, Lenox Hill Neighborhood
House has a certified application counselor who can help you understand your options and
enroll in a plan. Call to make an appointment: 212-218-0432 (no walk-ins). Please feel free
to call my office at 212-490-9535 with any questions.
New Legal Services NYC Government Benefits Hotline:
Legal Services NYC has launched a centralized Government Benefits Hotline (917-6614500) for residents in need of assistance with Public Assistance, SNAP (Food Stamps),
HASA, one-shots, and Medicaid (primarily Spend Down and Home Care) matters. Hotline
callers can obtain advice, referrals and appointments with advocates by calling the Central
Hotline number Monday through Friday, between the hours of 10am 4pm. They provide
free legal advice and representation to low-income New York City residents in all languages.
Legal Advocacy Clinics From Lenox Hill Neighborhood House:
The Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Legal Advocacy Center Offers assistance on a number
of different issues. Here is a list of their ongoing programs and clinics:
SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) Clinics: Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lenox
Hill Neighborhood House, 331 East 70th Street. First come, first served. Bring proof
of identity, income information, utility bill, proof of housing costs, information on any
dependents and if you are 60 or over or on SSI/SSD, information on medical costs.
For more information, call 212-218-0431.
SCRIE Clinics: call 212-218-0503 ext. 6 for assistance in applying or recertifying for
the Senior Citizens Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program.
Eviction Prevention: Walk-in clinic, every third Monday of the month, form 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m. at 331 East 70th Street. For more information, call 212-218-0429.
Advance Directives: volunteer attorneys may be able to assist you with one-on-one
counseling and individualized drafting of Advance Directives including Health Care
Proxies, Living Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Simple, low-asset Wills. If you are
interested in being screened for a possible appointment, call the intake hotline at
212-218-0503 ext 4.
Monthly Housing Clinics and Workshops:
Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Goddard Riversides SRO Law Project, and the Urban
Justice Center co-sponsor monthly housing clinics and workshops at the Goddard
Riverside Community Center, 593 Columbus Avenue (between 88th and 89th Streets). On
the first Wednesday of each month, from 6pm 8pm, the clinic offers a presentation on a
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variety of topics, followed by a question and answer session. The funding is provided by the
Housing Preservation Initiative of the New York City Council. Each evening, at least one
staff attorney will meet with individuals who are seeking specific legal advice.
For questions, contact the Urban Justice Center at (646) 459-3017 or the Office of Council
Member Rosenthal at (212) 873-0282. Sign-up sheet starting at 6pm each evening.
February 4, 2015: City-Wide Housing Related Campaigns
March 4, 2015: DHCR Overview, including MCIs and 1/40ths
April 1, 2015: Housing Court 101
May 6, 2015: SCRIE and DRIE
June 3, 2015: Succession Rights, Preferential Rights and Non-Primary Residence
VOLS Legal Clinics for Low-Income Residents Over Age 60:
The Volunteers of Legal Services (VOLS) Elderly Project provides pro-bono legal services to
low-income people over age 60 who live in Manhattan. VOLS conducts legal clinics each
month at senior centers where seniors can discuss their legal concerns in confidence,
receive legal advice and, where appropriate, obtain referrals to a volunteer lawyer for
representation. Areas of legal assistance include wills, medical directives, powers of
attorney, housing, consumer matters and Medicaid. Over 150 lawyers serve on their Elderly
Project volunteer attorney roster.
Upcoming Clinic dates and locations are below:
Burden Center for the Aging, 1484 First Avenue (between 77th & 78th Streets) 2 pm
second Friday of each month (January 16, February 13). Call Velda Murad at 212-8797400 for information.
Stanley Isaacs Senior Center, 415 East 93rd Street (east of 1st Avenue) 10 am third
Friday of each month (January 23, February 20). Call Amy Loewenberg at 212-360-7620
ext, 112 for information.
Encore Community Services Senior Center, St. Malachys Church - 239 West 49th Street
(between Broadway and 8th Avenue) 10 am fourth Monday of Each Month (January
26, February 23). Call Sister Margaret Rose at 212-581-2910, ext 118 for information.
e-Waste Recycling Options:
Starting in January 2015, it is now illegal for New Yorkers to discard electronics in the
trash. The NYC Bureau of Recycling and Sustainability has updated the
nyc.gov/electronicspage to include additional recommendations and recycling options for
working and non-working electronics, including:
1. DSNY's e-cycleNYC program.
Apartment buildings with more than 10 units can enroll for this free and convenient pickup
service.
2. Retail drop-off programs.
For example, drop off electronics (no purchase required) at any Goodwill, Salvation Army,
Best Buy, Staples (no TVs), or the Gowanus E-Waste Warehouse.
3. Mail-back and pickup options.
For residents who live in smaller buildings and are not able to bring their
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electronics to a drop-off location or event, the following options are

available:
- Best Buy will remove an appliance or TV free of charge from a customers home when a
new product is purchased and delivered by Best Buy.
- Staples offers free shipping through their technology trade-in program.
- Dell will pick up any Dell product for free through their FedEx Package Return Program.
If none of these options work for you, please contact the manufacturer of your
item. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation maintains a list of
electronic equipment manufacturers registered in NYS.
4. Electronics recycling events.
Bring to events run by organizations such as Lower East Side Ecology Center, or DSNYs
SAFE Disposal Events. Visit nyc.gov/safedisposal for more information.
5. Donate or sell working electronics.
Visit the nyc.gov/stuffexchange to find options to buy, sell, or donate electronics.
Metrocard Bus and Van Schedule:
The MTA offers MetroCard-related services throughout New York City through mobile buses
and vans. Buses provide a full range of services, including applying for or refilling a
Reduced-Fare MetroCard, buying or refilling a regular MetroCard, or getting answers to a
MetroCard-related question. Vans sell Unlimited Ride MetroCards and Pay-Per-Ride
MetroCards, and they refill MetroCards and Reduced-Fare MetroCards.
Buses and vans will be in my district on the following dates and locations:
January 13, 9 -10:30 am, 92 Street & Lexington Avenue Bus
January 13, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm., 86 Street & Lexington Avenue Bus
January 13, 1:30 - 2:30 pm, 68 Street & Lexington Avenue Bus
January 21, 9 - 10:30 am, 79 Street & 3 Avenue Bus
January 21, 11 am - 1 pm, 79 Street & York Avenue Bus
January 21, 1:30 - 2:30 pm, 72 Street & York Avenue Bus
January 22, 8:30 - 10:30 am, 47 Street & 2 Avenue Van
January 22, 1:30 - 3:30 pm, 28 Street & 2 Avenue Van
January 27, 10:30 am, 92 Street & Lexington Avenue Bus
January 27, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm., 86 Street & Lexington Avenue Bus
January 27, 1:30 - 2:30 pm, 68 Street & Lexington Avenue Bus
February 4, 9 - 10:30 am, 79 Street & 3 Avenue Bus
February 4, 11 am - 1 pm, 79 Street & York Avenue Bus
February 4, 1:30 - 2:30 pm, 72 Street & York Avenue Bus
February 5, 7 9 am, 90 Street and York Avenue - Van
February 5, 8:30 - 10:30 am, 47 Street & 2 Avenue Van
February 5, 1:30 - 3:30 pm, 28 Street & 2 Avenue Van
February 6, 9 - 10 am, 57 Street and 1 Avenue Van
February 6, 10:30 - 11:30 am, 57 Street and 3 Avenue Van
February 6, 12:30 - 2:30 pm, 68 Street and 1 Avenue Van
February 10, 10:30 am, 92 Street & Lexington Avenue Bus
February 10, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm., 86 Street & Lexington Avenue Bus
February 10, 1:30 - 2:30 pm, 68 Street & Lexington Avenue Bus
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The full mobile MetroCard schedule is available at http://mta.info/metrocard/mms.htm.

Please note that MetroCard buses and vans do not take credit cards.
Heat Season Rules:
The City Housing Maintenance Code and State Multiple Dwelling Law require building
owners to provide heat and hot water to all tenants. Building owners are required to
provide hot water 365 days a year at a constant minimum temperature of 120 degrees
Fahrenheit.
Between October 1st and May 31st, a period designated as Heat Season, building owners
are also required to provide tenants with heat under the following conditions:

Between the hours of 6AM and 10PM, if the outside temperature falls below 55
degrees, the inside temperature is required to be at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
Between the hours of 10PM and 6AM, if the temperature outside falls below 40
degrees, the inside temperature is required to be at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tenants who are cold in their apartments should first attempt to notify the building owner,
managing agent or superintendent. If heat is not restored, the tenant should call the Citys
Citizen Service Center at 311. For the hearing-impaired, the TTY number is (212) 504-4115.
The Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Policy Spotlight
Hydrofracking
Last month Governor Cuomo announced a ban on hydrofracking, in New York State. This
is an extremely important action by the governor that will protect the health and safety of
New Yorkers. I have been a supporter of legislative action to ban high volume hydraulic
fracturing (HVHF) in New York State for many years.
The Governors decision followed the release of the state Department of Healths (DOH) twoyear analysis of an environmental impact assessment of fracking along the PennsylvaniaNew York border. The assessment reached the following concluision:
The overall weight of the evidence from the cumulative body of information contained
in this Public Health Review demonstrates that there are significant uncertainties
about the kinds of adverse health outcomes that may be associated with HVHF, the
likelihood of the occurrence of adverse health outcomes, and the effectiveness of some
of the mitigation measures in reducing or preventing environmental impacts which
could adversely affect public health. Until the science provides sufficient information to
determine the level of risk to public health from HVHF to all New Yorkers and whether
the risks can be adequately managed, DOH recommends that HVHF should not
proceed in NYS.
The dangers presented by hydrofracking are many. Evidence from other states
demonstrates that there are significant environmental risks associated with hydrofracking.
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In Pennsylvania, Alabama, and Wyoming, there have been numerous reports of

groundwater contamination. In Ohio, tap water caught fire after an accident at a
hydrofracking well.
Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the chemicals used in the cocktail of hydraulic
fracturing fluids are safe for human health because we have not been able to ban
carcinogenic materials from the process. I have long carried legislation that would greatly
increase the transparency in the hydrofracking process by requiring the full disclosure of
the materials infused in hydraulic fracturing fluids and would prohibit the use of chemicals
deemed to pose a risk to human health. Therefore, we could know for a fact that only safe
materials are used but this legislation remains stalled because the natural gas industry has
fought tooth and nail to protect what they call trade secrets.
For these and a host of other reasons, I am extremely pleased that Governor Cuomo has
banned hydrofracking in New York State. The risks it poses to the environment and to the
health of New York State residents are simply too great. There is still legislation needed to
prevent toxic fracking waste from other places being dumped or sold in NYS For example: it
is being marketed as a cheaoer salt alternative for icy roads, where it immediately soaks
into the earth and water system. Can we all say, Oy Vey!

District Office: 1850 Second Avenue | New York, NY 10128 | (212) 490-9535 | Fax: (212) 490-2151
Albany Office: Legislative Office Building, Room 905 | Albany, NY 12247 | (518) 455-2297 | Fax: (518) 426-6874
Email: [email protected] | On the Web: http://krueger.nysenate.gov

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