WASHINGTON – US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced legislation that she said would put a stop to the contamination of waterways with toxic levels of PFAS. There is currently no limit to how much PFAS polluters can release into the environment, putting the health and safety of communities at risk and placing the burden of the clean-up costs on the communities rather than on the companies responsible for the pollution.
It also places the burden of the clean-up costs on the communities rather than on the companies responsible for the pollution, something she opposes. The senator believes the polluters must pay the bills for remediation.
The City of Newburgh’s water supply and watershed are contaminated by the chemical emanating from the nearby New York Air National Guard Base at Stewart Airport.
Gillibrand’s legislation would require the EPA to review all sources of PFAS chemicals and use that information to limit them from entering into the environment. “This bill is a prevention bill so I am hoping that I can reach out to a few Republicans who have PFAS issues in their state in a way to move this legislation forward in a bipartisan way and there are a number who have PFAS contamination in their state,” she said.
The federal government has acknowledged Newburgh contamination is from the Guard base, but Washington has yet to take any concrete measures to stop or remediate it.
In the meantime, Newburgh has been getting its water from the New York City Catskill Aqueduct with the state picking up the tab.
