On the brief side...

Film Featuring Gennaro Wins Award

City Councilmember James Gennaro (D- Fresh Meadows) was on hand in Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival where a film, "Fields of Fuel", won the Documentary Audience Award, selected by popular vote of viewers as best documentary.

The film, which looked into the causes of and possible solutions to the United States' dependency on foreign oil, also featured Julia Roberts and Woody Harrelson.

In the film, Gennaro, chair of the councils Environmental Protection Committee and a leading environmentalist, speaks about a bill he authored which, if enacted, would mandate that all heating oil sold in New York City must contain a specified minimum of biodiesel fuel while strictly limiting its content.

Specifically, the bill would mandate that there would be at least 20 percent biodiesel fuel in heating oil by 2013. Biodiesel fuel, unlike most fuels, is derived from renewable sources such as corn or sugar and the chemicals it releases are less harmful to the environment when combusted.

Gennaro said that many proponents of biodiesel fuel argue that using it instead of petroleum-based fuels is a sensible way to curb greenhouse gas emissions while loosening America's reliance on imported oil.

Gennaro said he was honored to be part of "such a worthwhile project dedicated to raising the consciousness about this watershed issue". Seeks Slaughterhouse Investigations

Following the recent release of an undercover video that revealed alleged widespread criminal mistreatment of sick and disabled livestock, Congressmember Gary Ackerman (D- Bayside) has called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate all major slaughterhouses that process beef in the United States.

Ackerman said the video, released by the Humane Society of the United States, showed the illegal processing of cattle too sick to walk at the Hallmark Meat Packing Company in California, the second largest supplier of beef to the National School Lunch Program, which also provides meat to the needy and elderly.

Ackerman declared he was "outraged and disgusted" over the cruel abuses shown in the video and said the same thing may be happening at other major slaughterhouses in "blatant violation" of the law.

"Congress and the American people need to urgently know the extent to which downer cattle are still being passed into America's food chain," Ackerman declared. Stavisky Commends MTA

State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky (D- Flushing) commended MTA President Howard H. Roberts Jr. for responding to her request to suspend work on the No. 7 subway line during two weekends in February before and after the Lunar New Year.

"This is a great example of how business, merchants, local elected leaders and city officials can work together to ensure continued strength in the vital community that is Downtown Flushing," Stavisky stated.

Stavisky had been joined by Assemblymember Ellen Young and City Councilmember John Liu, both of Flushing, in calling on the MTA to delay work that would have shut down the line during the important shopping days in the Asian community.

Stavisky said businesses in Flushing were concerned that suspending service on the No. 7 line would have a major impact on commerce in the area around the Lunar New Year holiday. Comrie: 'Go Slow On Green Carts'

City Councilmember Leroy Comrie (D- Jamaica) told Bloomberg administration officials pushing "Green Cart" legislation that he agrees with the concept of promoting healthy food sales, but asked them to work with him to overcome some objections to creating the new vending carts.

Comrie offered his suggestion at a hearing before his Consumer Affairs Committee recently. Creation of the Green Carts is part of the city's overall strategy to increase access to healthy foods in certain communities in Queens. Legislation would authorize the carts in police precincts covering the Rockaways, Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park and Queens Village.

But Comrie expressed concerns about the negative impact the new carts might have on existing grocery stores. A representative from the Queens-based Small Business Congress, comprised of about 1,200 Korean-American grocers, also gave similar testimony at the hearing. No action was taken on the legislation at the hearing.