Fighting Westway

W. Buzbee William

Description

From 1971 to 1985, battles raged over Westway, a multibillion-dollar highway, development, and park project slated for placement in New York City. It would have projected far into the Hudson River, including massive new landfill extending several miles along Manhattan's Lower West Side. The most expensive highway project ever proposed, Westway also provoked one of the highest stakes legal battles of its day. In Fighting Westway, William W. Buzbee reveals how environmentalists, citizens, their lawyers, and a growing opposition coalition, despite enormous resource disparities, were able to defeat this project supported by presidents, senators, governors, and mayors, much of the business community, and most unions. Although Westway's defeat has been derided as lacking justification, Westway's critics raised substantial and ultimately decisive objections. They questioned claimed project benefits and advocated trading federal Westway dollars for mass transit improvements. They also exposed illegally disregarded environmental risks, especially to increasingly scarce East Coast young striped bass often found in extraordinarily high numbers right where Westway was to be built. Drawing on archival records and interviews, Buzbee goes beyond the veneer of government actions and court rulings to illuminate the stakes, political pressures, and strategic moves and countermoves that shaped the Westway war, a fight involving all levels and branches of government, scientific conflict, strategic citizen action, and hearings, trials, and appeals in federal court. This Westway history illuminates how high-stakes regulatory battles are fought, the strategies and power of America's environmental laws, ways urban priorities are contested, the clout of savvy citizen activists and effective lawyers, and how separation of powers and federalism frameworks structure legal and political conflict. Whether readers seek an exciting tale of environmental, political, and legal conflict, to learn what really happened during these battles that transformed New York City, or to understand how modern legal frameworks shape high stakes regulatory wars, Fighting Westway will provide a good read.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique
• Local history
• History of the Americas

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 04 avril 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801470301
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Praise forFigting Westway—

“FîîgWngwesyaprovîdes a deep and îgy nuanced anaysîs o a andmark envîronmenabaea,ougîookpacewodecadesago,remaîns îgy reevan în oday’s racîous poîîca economy.”  —homas O. McGarity, Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Endowed Cair in Administrative Law, University of Texas Scool of Law, autor of Freedom to Harm: he Lasting Legacy of te Laissez Faire Revival

“Wîîam W. Buzbee’s absorbîng îsory unears e compex and ascînaîng evens, personaîîes, and reguaîons a conspîred o creae one o New York’s mos pubîc aîures o cîy pannîng—and one o îs mos memorabe rîumps o cîîzen acîvîsm. A e begînnîng o a new mayora admînîsraîon, îs book îs a îmey remînder a urban advocacy îs never ou o asîon în e cîy a never seeps.” —Elizabet L. Bradley, autor ofKnickerbocker

“Fîgîng Weswayîs a very good book on a rîc opîc. Wîîam W. Buzbee as done împressîve researc and îs we acquaîned wî envîronmena îîgaîon în genera and îs maîn proagonîss în parîcuar.” —Oliver A. Houck, Tulane University Law Scool, autor of Taking Back Eden

ForLîsa,Tîan,andSeana

and my parens,

Jon and Ellen Buzbee

FIGHTING WESTWAY

WESTWAYGNITHGIF

EnvîronmenalLaw,CîîzenAcîvîsm, and e Regulaory War ha Transormed New York Cîy

WilliamW.Buzbee

CORNEUNIVERSITYPRESS ITHACA AND ONDON

Copyrîg © 2014 by Wîîam W. Buzbee

A rîgs reserved. Excep or brîe quoaîons în a revîew, îs book, or pars ereo, mus no be reproduced în any orm wîou permîssîon în wrîîng rom e pubîser. For înormaîon, address Corne Unîversîy Press, Sage House, 512 Eas Sae Sree, ïaca, New York 14850.

Fîrs pubîsed 2014 by Corne Unîversîy Press Fîrs prînîng, Corne Paperbacks, 2014

Prîned în e Unîed Saes o Amerîca

îbrary o Congress Caaogîng-în-Pubîcaîon Daa Buzbee, Wîîam W., 1960– auor. Fîgîng Wesway : envîronmena aw, cîîzen acîvîsm, and e reguaory war a ransormed New York Cîy / Wîîam W. Buzbee. cm pages ïncudes bîbîograpîca reerences and îndex. ïSBN 978-0-8014-5190-4 (co : ak. paper) — ïSBN 978-0-8014-7944-1 (pbk. : ak. paper) 1. Express îgways—aw and egîsaîon—New York (Sae)—New York— Hîsory—20 cenury. 2. Wesway (New York, N.Y.) 3. Express îgways— Envîronmena aspecs—New York (Sae)—New York—Hîsory—20 cenury. 4. Green movemen—New York (Sae)—New York—Hîsory—20 cenury. 5. New York (N.Y.)—Poîîcs and governmen—1951– ï. îe. KFX2071.B89 2014  388.4'11097471—dc23 2013037423

Corne Unîversîy Press srîves o use envîronmenay responsîbe suppîers and maerîas o e ues exen possîbe în e pubîsîng o îs books. Suc maerîas încude vegeabe-based, ow-VOC înks and acîd-ree papers a are recyced, oay corîne-ree, or pary composed o nonwood ibers. For urer înormaîon, vîsî our websîe a www.cornepress.corne.edu.

Co prînîng Paperback prînîng

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

îsoFîgures

îsoAcronyms

WeswayCronoogy,1971–1985

 ïnroducîon 1Wesway Pan he  2Subways, and e Seeds o Dîssen Hîgways,

 3 he Ar o Reguaory War 4Road Warrîors and e New Envîronmen he 5or Wesway’s Acîes’ Hee: Aîr Pouîon? Searcîng

 6 Wesway’s Fî and Amerîca’s Proeced Waers 7 he Pubîc Fîs Sory 8e ïndependen Federa Judîcîary and e Power o aw Ener  9e 1971–1982 Debaces Reexamînîng

îx xî xîîî

1 7 21 31 52 64 78 84 98 115

vîîî / Conens

10 Wesway’s Second Cance 11 he rîa Crucîbe 12 he Cross-Examînaîon

13Days Judgmen 14Wesway’s Oucome Assessîng ï Wesway Were Proposed oday? Epîogue:

Acknowedgmens Noes ïndex

123 154 174 192 215 244

253 257 279

FIGURES

A.1. 1952 aerîa poograp o Hudson Rîver waerron aer proposed or Wesway 1.1. 1974 Drat Envîronmena ïmpac Saemen poograp o1973WesSîdeHîgwaycoapse 1.2. 1974 Drat Envîronmena ïmpac Saemen poograp osree-eveperspecîveromweny-hîrdSree,ookîng souandîncudîngacreagesaedorWesway

1.3. 1977 Fîna Envîronmena ïmpac Saemen cross-secîon scemaîcssowîngeexenoWesway’sHudsonRîveri 1.4. 1977 Fîna Envîronmena ïmpac Saemen map îmages oexîsîngcondîîonsandWeswaymodîiedouboardpan 2.1.Fîna Envîronmena ïmpac Saemen skec rom 1977 aerîaperspecîveoWesway 4.1. Poograp o Bunny Gabe, Marcy Bensock, and severa o eWeswaycîîzenopposîîoneadersakenaaWesway opposîîonund-raîseroneHudsonRîversoopClearwaer 5.1.awyer A Buze Opposîîon

2

8

9

15

17

23

53 65