Williamsburg radioactive waste facility may vacate spot near school

A radioactive waste storage facility at 261 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg may have to find a new home soon, pending Governor David Paterson’s approval of a piece legislation that has already been passed by the state Senate and Assembly, according to the Brooklyn Eagle. The legislation would restrict where hazardous waste facilities can be installed, prohibiting them from being set up within 1,500 feet of a school. The facility at 261 Kent Avenue sits within that distance to a local elementary school, P.S. 83. The potential new law comes after years of lobbying by community groups to remove the facility from the neighborhood, according to Luis Garden Acosta, founder of El Puente, a local advocacy organization. “With Governor Paterson’s support, we look forward to ‘Toxic Free School Zones’ across New York state,” Acosta said. [Brooklyn Eagle]