City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), the deputy majority leader, hailed the decision.
   “I want to applaud the jury for their deliberation and decision in this matter,” Comrie said in announcing the ruling. “The health of generations of Queens residents have been put at risk because of the callous, corporate decisions made by Exxon Mobil. In order to save three cents on the gallon, Exxon Mobil was reckless and perhaps criminally negligent in using MTBEs to boost octanes, when they could have been environmentally responsible in using ethanol.”
   Comrie recalled the water quality scare caused by the contamination two years ago, when residents boiled their water to make it drinkable and homebound seniors received deliveries of bottled water. And he criticized City Hall and said he wants the court to force the administration to move ahead with building a water treatment facility for the area right away.
   “In the aftermath of this decision, I would ask that the presiding judge in this matter place a deadline for the city’s construction of the water-treatment facility that will be funded by this decision,” the councilman said. “Far too often, Queens infrastructure projects have been delayed for years in the bureaucratic budget shell game run by the mayor’s office. I believe a federal judicial mandate will help to insure that this facility will be built in a timely manner so that the treatment of the water wells in southeast Queens can begin immediately.”