Brookhaven officials have been ordered by state environmental authorities to prepare a landfill cleanup plan that could include closing the 51-year-old facility after an inspection earlier this year found elevated levels of so-called "forever chemicals" in a miles-long plume emanating from the dump.
No place could be more impacted than Nassau County by the EPA’s decision to postpone by two years the deadline for water utilities to comply with new federal water standards for PFAS until 2031.
These chemicals are dangerous, having been linked to a large number of illnesses – kidney cancer, testicular cancer, high cholesterol, immune suppression, thyroid disease, and pregnancy complications.
In the most recent fiscal year, New York made more investments in water infrastructure than in any prior year.
Announcing the record spending Wednesday at Albany’s Corning Preserve, President and CEO of New York’s Environmental Facilities Corporation Maureen Coleman says nearly 330 projects were executed with financial assistance in the last fiscal year -- a 55 percent increase year-to-year.
“Trump’s EPA to repeal core of greenhouse gas rules,” was the Reuters headline this week as Lee Zeldin, chosen by Donald Trump to be administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, announced what Reuters said “will rescind the long-standing finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, as well as tailpipe emission standards for vehicles, removing the legal foundation of greenhouse gas regulations across industries.”
You flush and forget about it. But what goes down doesn’t just disappear. On Long Island, where it ends up has been a problem for decades. Outdated septic systems and cesspools leak pollutants into the groundwater. As a result, these aging systems pose serious threats to drinking water, the environment, public health, and the local economy. It’s been a long fight for change, but on July 23rd, Suffolk County took a huge step toward cleaner water.
As the Environmental Protection Agency lays the groundwork to potentially end its own ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, a delegation from the advocacy group Long Island Sound Citizens Advisory Committee went to Washington last week to meet with someone they knew well: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. The agenda: ensure consistent protection for Long Island Sound amid harsh federal funding cuts.
Legislation S8241-A/A8807 Makes It Easier and More Cost-Effective for New Yorkers to Upgrade to Advanced Septic Systems That Significantly Reduce Water Pollution
State Septic System Replacement Program Targets Priority Geographic Areas Like Long Island Which Rely on Sole-Source Aquifers
Funding Incentivizes Replacement of Old Septic and Cesspool Systems to Prevent Water Pollution
The June 24 Port Jefferson Station-Terryville Civic Association meeting at Comsewogue Library saw Adrienne Esposito, the executive director for the Suffolk based CCE (Citizens Campaign for the Environment), featured as a special guest. Esposito touched on a number of topics related to health, the environment and local infrastructure and in particular advocated for three bills in the state senate and assembly.
Environmentalists increasingly blame Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie — who’s firing back.
Tensions are still simmering among state lawmakers and advocates after the Assembly closed its 2025 session last week without passing any of this year’s flagship climate and environmental bills.
Legislators shelved measures to cut packaging waste, transition homes off fossil fuels, and ban toxic “forever chemicals” from everyday products. Each measure had passed the Senate, and an Assembly vote was the final hurdle. But most of them never came to a vote.
Despite widespread PFAS contamination on Long Island, SCWA delivers treated water with no PFOA or PFOS above federal limits.
The Suffolk County Water Authority announced today that all treated water it supplies to customers is in full compliance with the federal drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS—six years ahead of the 2031 compliance deadline set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
New York State has awarded another $5 million grant to the Port Washington Water District to build a granular activated carbon treatment system designed to remove PFOA and PFOS contamination from another of its wells.
The grant will help the water district, which serves about 9,400 households, provide “water that meets or exceeds any standard out there” for removing PFOA and PFOS chemicals, district superintendent Paul Prignano said in an interview.
For immediate release: Wednesday, June 18, 2025
For more information, contact:
Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org, 516-390-7150
Brian Smith, Associate Executive Director, bsmith@citizenscampaign.org,716-472-4078
Albany, NY—The New York State Assembly wrapped up their 2025 legislative session late last night, with Speaker Carl Heastie failing to allow major environmental bills the opportunity for a floor vote. After passing in the NYS Senate for the second year in a row, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (A.1749) and a Ban on PFAS in Household Products (A.7738) both died in the Assembly without a vote.
In response to the Assembly inaction, Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), issued the following statement:
“Tragically, once again, Speaker Heastie failed to allow votes on critical environmental legislation, despite having strong support from the public and from within the legislature. We had the votes to pass both bills in the Assembly, what we lack is the political will from its leadership. When it comes to transformative environmental legislation, time and time again, Speaker Heastie has shown that he will crumble in the face of industry pressure.
The time to act on the state’s solid waste and PFAS “forever chemical” crises is yesterday. The longer we wait, the worse the problems will get, and the more expensive the solutions will become. Our environment, health, and economy will needlessly suffer due to this inaction. Excessive plastic waste will continue to pollute our communities and overwhelm municipal budgets. Toxic PFAS chemicals will continue to contaminate our drinking water, requiring more communities to install expensive drinking water treatment technology.
At a time when the federal government is abdicating its responsibility to protect public health and the environment, New York State’s leadership is needed more than ever. Regrettably, Speaker Heastie’s inaction is failing to meet the moment. New York is not only failing to lead, it is falling behind several other states that have already passed similar legislation.
We are grateful to Assemblymember Glick’s steadfast advocacy and unwavering commitment to advancing these bills in the Assembly. We look forward to working with Assemblywoman Glick, along with our champion in the Senate, Senator Pete Harckham, to advance these critical issues in the future.”
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EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, a former Shirley congressman who spoke on Long Island last month, said the delayed deadline offers “common-sense flexibility in the form of additional time for compliance.” Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
The Trump administration plans to rescind the federal limits on four "forever chemicals" in drinking water and delay the deadline for compliance for two others, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced Wednesday, weakening regulations of toxic contaminants that have been found in Long Island's water.
