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.
After the discovery of chemical drums at Bethpage Community Park last year, Oyster Bay officials worried about the presence of hexavalent chromium, a cancer-causing toxin, in the soil near the drums, federal court records show.
They were concerned by what they saw: yellow and green sludge, a sign of chromium contamination, according to a filing in the town's lawsuit against Northrop Grumman, which seeks to accelerate and widen the scope of the plan to clean up the 18-acre property Grumman Aerospace used as a toxic dumping grounds for decades.
A first-in-the-nation study hopes to answer questions about an emerging contaminant in Long Island water - and whether it can cause cancer.
Adrienne Esposito is executive director and a cofounder of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, a nonprofit organization fighting for stronger environmental policies.
Herald: Tell me about yourself.
Esposito: I grew up in Copiague, and I literally grew up with one foot in the water and one foot on the land. As a kid, we went crabbing and fishing and to the beach, and my mom would bring us blueberry-picking in the Pine Barrens. And my dad was a really tremendous fisherman and outdoorsmen, so we grew up on the water. So I think that that really connects you to the natural world and impresses upon you the beauty of it and the need to protect it.
New York State Senator Peter Harckham and State Assemblymember Steve Otis joined labor unions, local leaders, and environmental organizations at the Ossining Water Treatment Plan today to urge Governor Hochul to continue New York’s commitment to clean water programs in the upcoming state budget. Attendees, including members of the New York Clean Water Coalition, called on the Governor to invest $600 million in the Clean Water Infrastructure Act in her executive budget proposal for FY2025-2026.
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that more than $435 million is being awarded to 102 critical water infrastructure projects across New York State through the Water Infrastructure Improvement and Intermunicipal Grant programs. The grants awarded by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) deliver on Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2024 State of the State to help small, rural and disadvantaged communities with their water infrastructure needs. With critical financial support for local governments across New York, Governor Hochul is laying the foundation for a healthier, more resilient future, ensuring every New Yorker has access to safe and clean water, while creating jobs and boosting the economy.
Measure Protects Public Health and Environment by Reducing Harmful Emerging Contaminant in Cleaning, Personal Care, and Cosmetic Products
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar today announced the adoption of new regulations to reduce the presence of 1,4-dioxane in household cleansing, personal care, and cosmetic products. New York is the first state in the nation to adopt regulations that reduce 1,4-dioxane in these product categories to help protect consumers and natural resources and create healthier communities.
Environmental Facilities Corporation's Financial Assistance is Making Projects Affordable for New Yorkers, Safeguarding Drinking Water, and Improving Water Quality in Support of Nation-Leading Clean Water Goals
EFC Investments Highlighted in the Corporation’s Annual Program Metrics Report
New Project Impact Dashboard Enables the Public to Track Project Investments Statewide
As communities across the country decide how they will remove perfluorinated compounds from drinking water and contaminated soils, a cleanup surrounding the Hampton Bays Fire Department headquarters on Montauk Highway highlights the complex layers of bureaucracy underlying the removal of so-called “forever chemicals.”
ALBANY, NY (May 15, 2024) — Today state legislators and advocates called for the immediate passage of a set of bills to reduce human exposure to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and limit environmental contamination from PFAS in New York, including:
a bill to eliminate PFAS in key consumer and household products (A3556C/S5648C),
a bill to eliminate PFAS and other toxic chemicals in personal care and cosmetic products (A6969/S4265),
a bill to eliminate PFAS and other toxic products in menstrual products (A5990/S3529),
and a bill to require testing for the presence of PFAS released into waterways (A3296A/S227B).
Watch the video here: https://longisland.news12.com/meeting-held-over-next-steps-for-cleanup-at-bethpage-community-park
WEST ISLIP, NY — New York State has again detected high levels of cadmium, a carcinogenic heavy metal, at a Superfund site in West Islip four years after the waste was initially cleaned up, according to a report from Newsday.
