WASHINGTON – The Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee has included $20 million for the Air National Guard to reimburse New York State and local water authorities for the cleanup of PFOA and PFOS contamination due to Guard activities at the Stewart Air Guard Base in the Town of Newburgh.
The amendment, cosponsored by Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand,
allows the Air National Guard to use federal funds to reimburse the local
authorities and states for expenses they have incurred in the treatment
of the chemicals in their water.
The PFAS chemicals are carcinogens linked to certain types of cancers
and other illnesses.
As a result, the City of Newburgh’s Washington Lake reservoir has been discontinued as a water source while the state pays for Newburgh to secure clean water from the New York City Catskill Aqueduct.
