“Newtown Creek, the polluted estuary that separates Queens and Brooklyn, should be named a federal Superfund site, a move that could hasten long-stuttering cleanup efforts, a pair of New York lawmakers say. Representatives Anthony D. Weiner and Nydia M. Velázquez, whose Congressional districts include the contaminated area, are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to test the area for inclusion in the Superfund program. If the tests turn up a significant level of chemicals and other hazardous waste, the site could be eligible for millions of dollars in federal assistance. A Superfund designation would also allow the agency to go after the companies responsible for the contamination.”–NYT