SPEAKER HEASTIE THWARTS ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS, AGAIN

Major legislation to reduce plastic pollution, save taxpayer dollars, and protect public health from dangerous PFAS chemicals die in the Assembly, again

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 ANNOUNCES UNPRECIDENTED DELAY AND ROLLBACK OF CRITICAL DRINKING WATER PROTECTIONS FOR DANGEROUS PFAS “FOREVER CHEMICALS”

EPA’s decision threatens the health of millions of Americans

For immediate release: May 14, 2025

For more information, contact: Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, 516-390-7150, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org

Farmingdale, NY—Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a press release to announce its perilous intentions to delay implementation of critical drinking water standards for two types of PFAS chemicals—PFOA and PFOS—back an additional two years. Furthermore, EPA announced that it intends to rescind and reconsider the drinking water standards for four additional PFAS chemicals.

In April of 2024, EPA adopted the historic drinking water regulations for six PFAS chemicals, which set Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion (ppt), MCLs for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA at 10 ppt, and a combined standard known as a Hazard Index for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, and PFBS. These regulations established the first national enforceable drinking water standards for PFAS chemicals and were all set to be enforced in 2029.

In response to today’s announcement, Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), released the following statement:

“This is a broken promise, betrayal of public trust and adds a significant threat to public health. We needed a federal mandate to remove “forever chemicals” out of our drinking water quickly.  Regrettably, what we have is an EPA that allows toxic chemicals to remain in our drinking water and dragging their feet on science-based standards needed to protect public health.   Peer-reviewed science has made clear that there is no safe level of exposure to PFAS in drinking water, and delays in acting puts public health at risk to serious health impacts, including cancer and liver damage.  This is clearly a decision that prioritizes saving money over saving lives.

While we are relieved that EPA is going to continue to defend its strong drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS, the two-year delay is unnecessary and risky. Water suppliers were given five full years to comply, and billions of dollars were made available to help communities invest in the necessary drinking water treatment technology. Kicking the can down the road doesn’t make the problem go away or save any money—the longer we wait, the worse the problem will get, and the more expensive the solutions will become.

The science is abundantly clear that all PFAS chemicals put our health and drinking water at an unacceptable risk. Rescinding the standards for four additional PFAS chemicals often found in drinking water has no scientific justification and will put Americans at significant risk to serious health impacts for years to come.

As one of the first states to move ahead with drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS, New York is well positioned to move ahead with stronger drinking water standards without delay. Now, more than ever, New York State must continue to lead the nation with public health protection. We are calling on New York to implement EPA’s original standards and timeline for all six PFAS chemicals. According to recent analysis by the Environmental Working Group, these standards would provide critical protections for at least 1.3 million New Yorkers, the majority of whom are on Long Island.”

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More than 1.3M New Yorkers at risk if EPA weakens PFAS standards

Administrator Lee Zeldin will decide fate of landmark ‘forever chemicals’ standards

ALBANY, N.Y. – More than 1.3 million New Yorkers could lose critical protections from the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in their tap water if the Environmental Protection Agency rolls back its historic, science-based PFAS drinking water standards.

That’s the conclusion of a new analysis released today by the Environmental Working Group with Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

The analysis shows that at least 189 New York water systems – primarily serving residents on Long Island – have detected these chemicals above levels set in the landmark drinking water limits for six PFAS. The analysis is based on recent state and federal tests of PFAS in water. 

But these same systems’ PFAS levels are below the cap that New York set in 2020 for PFOA and PFOS, two of the most notorious and well-studied of the large group of forever chemicals.

The future of the federal limits is uncertain. 

On February 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia paused a lawsuit brought by water utilities and the chemical industry, giving the Trump administration and the EPA until April 8 to announce its intentions for the PFAS maximum contaminant levels – whether to weaken the standards significantly, continue defending them, ask for more time or scrap them altogether.

The agency finalized the standards in April 2024. They include limits of 4 parts per trillion, or ppt, for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 ppt for GenX, PFHxS, and PFNA. The EPA also set a hazard index of 1 for GenX, PFHxS, PFNA, and PFBS, which is a way to measure risks based on combined exposure. The standards aims to protect public health by reducing exposure to the toxic chemicals and their known serious health harms.

“If the EPA rolls back its PFAS drinking water standards, it would be nothing short of a betrayal of public health,” said David Andrews, Ph.D., EWG’s acting chief science officer. 

“There is no safe level of exposure to PFAS, especially to PFOA and PFOS. Even low doses of these chemicals have been linked to serious health harms. Rolling back federal protections would leave New Yorkers vulnerable to entirely preventable health risks,” he added.

New York’s standard for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water is 10 ppt. Weakening or outright eliminating the federal standards would scrap the 4 ppt safeguard, stripping any community in the state with PFAS of most or all protection from water contaminated up to 10 ppt. New York’s standard does not provide protection from the additional four PFAS covered by the federal rule.

​​“Will Lee Zeldin side with the health and well-being of fellow Long Island residents, or will he side with chemical companies that are seeking to pollute our drinking water and expose the public to toxic cancer-causing chemicals?” askedAdrienne Esposito, the executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

“I stood with Congressman Zeldin to call for strong federal PFAS drinking water standards. We’re all now counting on EPA Administrator Zeldin to follow through on his word. Every Long Islander, New Yorker and American deserves access to clean drinking water free of toxic forever chemicals that are linked to cancer and other serious health impacts,” she added.

New York water systems at risk

The new joint analysis identifies water systems in New York that have detected PFAS at levels below the state’s current drinking water standards, which are less stringent than the EPA’s limits. They’d receive critical coverage under the EPA’s more protective standards. 

Many more systems that have detected PFAS above New York state’s standard have taken or are taking action to protect their customers. Without a federal standard, these systems would not have to take any action to protect their water under the state limit.

“Eliminating the EPA’s PFAS limits would make drinking water less safe from harmful chemicals while forcing New York families to continue drinking contaminated water,” said Jared Hayes, a senior policy analyst at EWG and co-author of the report.

“Without federal PFAS standards, nearly 200 New York water systems could avoid taking protective actions, even though hazardous forever chemicals are still in their water,” he said.

Multiple locations across New York would lose these essential protections, including Mayville, Carroll Water District and Cherry Creek, in Chautauqua County, along with Countyline Mobile Home Park, in Orleans County. 

“The Defense Department has also said that only in cases where it contaminated the water will it treat the chemicals to the federal standard. So in addition to the numbers our analysis found, many service members and defense communities could also lose protections," said Hayes. 

“Rolling back or weakening the existing standards would endanger lives and undermine years of progress toward cleaner drinking water,” he added.

Health harms

PFAS are known as forever chemicals because once released into the environment they do not break down and they can build up in the body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected PFAS in the blood of 99 percent of Americans, including newborn babies. 

For decades, polluters hid the health harms of PFAS from regulators, workers and neighboring communities. PFAS have been linked to cancer, reproductive harm, immune system damage and other serious health problems, even at low levels. 

“A growing body of peer-reviewed science demonstrates unequivocally that there is no safe level of exposure to toxic PFAS in drinking water,” said Esposito.

“The decision on whether or not to move forward with EPA’s science-based, health-protective drinking water standards will have an impact on the health of New Yorkers and all Americans for decades to come,” she added.

Press Contacts: 

Adrienne Esposito, CCE, 631-384-1378, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org

Brian Smith, CCE, 716-472-4078, bsmith@citizenscampaign.org 

Monica Amarelo, EWG, 202-939-9140, monica@ewg.org

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The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action. 

Citizens Campaign for the Environment was formed in 1985 by a small group of concerned citizens recognizing the need for public involvement to advance stronger environmental policy. Today, it has grown to a 120,000-member organization with New York offices in Albany, Buffalo, Farmingdale and Syracuse. CCE works to empower the public by providing members with opportunities to participate in the political process and thereby advance a strong environmental agenda.