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provide some 7 years of storage capacity for New York City, as I 
recall. The big decision for New York at that time was whether or 
not to challenge the decision, or to go ahead, and go to bid and ac- 
quire the land for storage purposes. New York City found that to 
be a reasonable alternative, but once again the bottom line became 
one of costs. 
Mayor Kocu. We did not find it to be a reasonable alternative. 
Mr. HuGuHeEs. You came in and testified at one point—I was here 
when one of your people testified—— 
Mayor Kocu. I would have the commissioner to respond to that, 
but we did not find that a reasonable alternative. 
Mr. McGoucu. There was a law, and there was a deadline. In 
order to meet that deadline, we began planning early. Indeed, we 
spent over $46 million attempting to meet that deadline. We had 
bid, at the time the Sofaer decision came down, over $125 million 
worth of contracts which have now been canceled. We now have 
been challenged on $26 million of claims. In any case, we were at- 
tempting to meet that deadline. In the course of that exercise, we 
developed significant concern aboust the land-based alternative. 
Mayor Kocu. We will carry out the law. That is why we tried to 
meet the deadline. 
Mr. McGoueu. It was when we found that we only had, in the 
city of New York, space for composting on the land for 7 years, and 
that EPA was unwilling to consider the prospective problems that 
began to surface in our research—some of the downsides of land 
application—that we decided to see if the Federal courts would 
uphold our interpretation of the law. 
Mayor Kocu. Could I just add to that? You see, we are a law- 
abiding city. If the Congress says we have to do something, we are 
going to do it. It may not make sense. It may be that we will take 
our budget and just throw it down the sewer, but we will do what- 
ever you mandate us to do. That does not mean we have to say 
that it is the sensible thing to do. If you tell us to do it, and you 
give us no alternatives, we will carry out your orders. 
Mr. Hucues. Mayor, you may recall, because you were in the 
Congress at the time, that the December 31, 1981, deadline was one 
that was arrived at by the EPA and New York City, and other 
communities who felt they could comply with that deadline. That 
was not created in a vacuum. You were in the Congress at the 
time. You may remember that the EPA developed informal regula- 
tions that set December 31, 1981, as the deadline, and we put it in 
writing after a series of hearings. 
Mayor Kocu. If I may comment on that. You know, I often think 
about what I did when I was a Congressman and how foolish some 
of those things were. That is no reflection on Members of Congress, 
or me, at the time. If somebody comes in and says, “This is good for 
you; it will clean up the water” or ‘This is good for you; it will 
clean up the air,’ did I ask, “Who is going to pay for it?” I did not 
ask, “Who is going to pay for it?” 
Did I ask, “What are the balancing of interests?”” No. What did I 
ask? Gee, who in his right mind is going to say no to clean air or 
clean water. Did anybody talk about the loss of jobs in those years? 
They did not. 
