All Long Islanders agree about the need for clean water [“Clean-water funding is crucial in state budget,” Opinion, March 24]. Nitrogen pollution from sewage is causing water quality impairments, fish kills and harmful algal blooms. Contaminants poses a significant threat to our drinking water and health. The good news is that we know how to solve these problems, but we need money.
Highlights
· The final rule announced today by the EPA is stricter than the proposed rule published last year and stricter than the standard adopted by New York State in 2020.
· PFAS, known as “forever chemicals” are harmful substances linked to deadly cancers and other health impacts. They are prevalent in the environment from many sources.
· The federal agency also announced nearly $1 billion in newly available funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help communities comply with the rule.
· Public water suppliers will have five years to comply with the rule if they detect PFAS in their systems.
Under Gov. Kathy Hochul’s leadership, New York has been a national leader in funding the protection of clean water, but now is not the time to rest on our laurels. Given the massive clean water needs that exist throughout New York, it’s perplexing that the governor proposed to slash clean water funding by 50%, from $500 million down to $250 million, in this year’s budget.
Karen Notaro can now drink water from the faucets of her Manorville home without worry.
Notaro had turned to filters and bottled water because her home’s private well had tested positive for PFAS, chemicals the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said are potentially carcinogenic.
More information contact: Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director 631-384-1378 aesposito@citizenscampaign.org
Farmingdale, NY - 1,4-Dioxane is an emerging contaminant of concern found in drinking water throughout the nation. The EPA designates 1,4-dioxane as a likely carcinogen to humans. In 2019,
1,4-dioxane, called the “hidden carcinogen” is lurking in everyday products and has been contaminating drinking water and putting public health at risk for decades. This chemical is a biproduct of manufacturing and therefore is not listed on the label. The public is not aware we are washing our hair, bodies, and clothes with products containing this harmful chemical.
Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) successfully advocated for a first-in-the-nation law mandating manufacturers remove 1,4-dioxane from products down to trace levels to protect our drinking water and public health. The NY legislation was driven by a CCE report which revealed independent testing results for several common household products, including shampoos, body washes, soaps and detergents. We found that 80% of the products tested contained 1,4-dioxane, some at levels over 10,000 ppb. As of January 1st, 2024, manufacturers are mandated to reduce 1,4-dioxane down to 1,000 ppb or lower for products sold in NY.
The good news is that our latest 1,4-dioxane report, including a new round of independent testing for laundry detergents, shows that NY’s law is working. The better news is that, thanks to the NY law, Proctor & Gamble has confirmed that these reformulated products with greatly reduced 1,4-dioxane levels are being sold throughout North America.
Citizens Campaign for the Environment’s Executive Director, Adrienne Esposito, issued the following statement:
“CCE could not be more thrilled to report that NY’s first-of-its-kind law limiting 1,4-dioxane in household products is a huge success and has spurred manufacturers to reformulate products being sold through North America. Every American and Canadian using Proctor & Gamble products, from Tide or Dreft laundry detergent to Pantene shampoo to Dawn dish soap, is now getting significantly less exposure to this toxic chemical. Thanks to NY’s law, we now have less contamination in our drinking water and less toxic products in our homes throughout North America. If Proctor & Gamble could do it, so should every other manufacturer. The public deserves to finally be rid of the hidden carcinogen.”
ALBANY, NY — Today legislators and the PFAS-Free New York coalition gathered in Albany to call for urgent action to pass package of bills for the 2024 legislative session that would curb PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination in New York State. The bills call for eliminating PFAS in key consumer and household products (A3556A/S5648-A), in personal care and cosmetic products (A6969/S4265), and in menstrual products (A5990/S3529); as well as a bill to track the levels of PFAS in effluent released into waterways (A3296A/S227-B).
ALBANY, New York, January 30, 2024 (ENS) – New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed into law first-in-the-nation legislation to protect birds and bees from toxic neonicotinoid pesticides used on outdoor ornamental plants and turfs, and the seeds of corn, soybeans and wheat. This law is the first in the United States to limit neonicotinoid coating on seeds.
A state Supreme Court Judge has dismissed a lawsuit to block construction of a solid waste transfer station in Yaphank to haul trash off Long Island.
A state Supreme Court judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by the state NAACP and an environmental nonprofit that aimed to block a proposed Yaphank solid waste transfer station that would ship construction trash off Long Island by rail.
An NAACP spokesman and Farmingdale nonprofit Citizens Campaign for the Environment said they would appeal.
To help safeguard pollinators, New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed the “Birds and Bees Protection Act.”
Signed into law last week, the legislation prohibits the use of specific neonicotinoid pesticide-treated corn, soybean and wheat seeds and neonicotinoid pesticides for outdoor ornamental plants and turfs. The ban goes into effect in 2027, according to published reports.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $479 million in grants for critical water infrastructure projects, including the first funding awarded through the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022, which was passed by voters after Hochul pushed to increase the total amount by $1 billion upon taking office.
ALBANY, NY — A coalition of farmers, health professionals, and environmental groups are celebrating today after Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Birds and Bees Protection Act (S1856-A/A7640). The bill will limit the use of neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics), and, when fully implemented, would eliminate up to 80-90% of the neonics entering New York’s environment annually by prohibiting only unneeded neonic coatings on corn, soybean, and wheat seeds and non-agricultural lawn and garden uses.
