NYC NOW - April 19, 2023: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: April 19, 2023

Updates on the fatal collapse of the parking garage in Lower Manhattan, a judge says two Nassau County detectives gave false testimony, and lastly the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants electric cars to go mainstream but WNYC’s Rosemary Misdary reports it might be tough in New York City without better infrastructure.

Good evening and welcome to NYC Now. I'm Sean Carlson for WNYC. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating the fatal collapse of a parking garage on Tuesday that killed a longtime manager of the facility and injured at least five others. Several nearby buildings were evacuated, including Pace University. A neighboring parking garage is closed while inspections continue, and that means Staten Island resident Valerie Malloy might have to wait to know the fate of her car. At the end of the day, I can replace the car, right? So if it's totaled, I have insurance, and I'll get a new car.

I mean, you know, you can't replace people. So, you know, I'll just be happy for that. You know, inconvenience is small compared to life. Stick around. There's more after the break. A judge says two Nassau County police detectives gave false testimony. WSHU's Charles Lane tells us what this is all about. Local and state law enforcement agencies are investigating two Nassau County detectives,

Robert Galgano and Daniel Cuncanon. after a federal judge found that they illegally strip-searched a man, then lied about it on the stand. Allie Frick is a lawyer for the Queensman the detectives are accused of illegally strip-searching during a traffic stop. She says her office was contacted by the State Attorney General's unit charged with investigating police misconduct. This is one of that unit's first known investigations. The NASA DA's office also said it is reviewing all active cases involving the detectives. The NASA County Police Department said claims of an investigative. are inaccurate, but did not offer details.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants electric cars to go mainstream. The federal agency is proposing a significant tightening of auto emissions over the next decade. But WMIC's Rosemary Misdiry reports widespread adoption of electric vehicles in New York City might be tough without better infrastructure. Cut carbon emissions in a big way? That's the goal behind the EPA's plan for new cars made after 2026. What we're proposing to do is to take the 2026 standard and reduce it by anywhere between 56% and 61%. Joseph Goffman is with the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. The goal is cleaner air and an important solution among many to the problem of climate change.

If adopted, the EPA predicts that in about a decade, two-thirds of all new cars will be electric. The question is whether these standards will compel gas guzzling drivers to switch. If you have a dedicated parking spot where you can plug in your vehicle, then electric cars work terrific. Arthur Wheaton is the Director of Labor Studies at Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He says bringing electric cars to the Big Apple will continue to be tough without better infrastructure. That's not the typical case in Manhattan for people to have a dedicated parking spot, same spot every night where they have. a charger where they can plug in their car without fears of it getting messed with. Electric car adoption is growing in New York City, but slowly. As of this month, 2.2 million

vehicles are registered here, but only 25,000 are electric. That's just about 1% of all vehicles. Part of the hold-up is that public charging is sparse. Over the last 12 months, New York City added only 14 new quick charge ports, while electric car registrations grew by nearly 4,000. Regular customers need chargers. All of the taxi fleets and all of the other limousine and car services and buses, all of those could go electric because many of those have dedicated charging places. For personal vehicles, one solution could be adding plug-in connectors to streetlights. Wheaton says future cars don't all need to be fully electric to meet the new EPA standards.

Whether it's hybrids, whether it's synthetic. fuels, whether it's electric vehicles, whether it's hydrogen, fuel cell. Who knows? By then, we may have solar that would work. The EPA's emissions proposal will have two public hearings in May and could be finalized early next year. Rosemary, WNYC News. And I'm Sean Carlson. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WNYC. And while I have you, we should say this Friday on all things considered, we're going on the road to Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Our live Earth Day broadcast will explore how the changing environment is playing out in our area. We'll ask, how do we balance public health and environmental stewardship with growth and development. Join us for special All Things Consider days Friday, starting at 4 on

WNYC. You can also live stream it at WNYC.org. And NYC now, we'll be back tomorrow. Listen to wherever you get your podcast.