ALBANY – PFOA and PFAS chemicals will be phased out in firefighting foam in New York as the governor has signed legislation to that effect.
That is significant to the local area as those chemicals were found in firefighting foam used by the New York Air National Guard at Stewart Airport that found its way into the City of Newburgh’s nearby Washington Lake reservoir.
Elizabeth Moran, the environmental policy director for New York Public Interest Research Group, said the law, a “gift of clean water this holiday season,” is a big step forward in protecting water supplies. “We are now learning this is a national crisis because these chemicals have been linked to very serious diseases,” she said. “We’ve seen it here in Hoosick Falls, Newburgh, and Long Island and potentially many, many more locations that we will learn in the years ahead. So by banning the entire class of chemicals from being used in firefighting foam, we’ve taken a major step forward in preventing future water contamination crises.”
State Assemblyman Colin Schmitt (R, New Windsor), in whose district the much of the eastern Orange County water contamination exists, said the new law “will have a significant positive impact on our region’s water supply and water supplies throughout the state.”
