Albany –
This week marks the one-year anniversary since Hoosick Falls residents
were first informed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it
was unsafe to drink their water due to
Perfluorooctanoic acid
(PFOA) contamination.
Today,
residents released a
#1YrCheckup report card which grades Governor Cuomo and state government
on four key response areas that affect residents’ lives:
·
PFOA Advisory Levels (FAIL)
·
Bio and Medical Monitoring (INCOMPLETE)
·
Identification of a New Water Source (INCOMPLETE)
·
Government Accountability & Transparency (FAIL)
Residents
and advocates also released policy recommendations for Governor Cuomo
and state legislators to act on in 2017 to ensure all New Yorkers are
drinking safe and healthy water.
Michelle
O’Leary, a Hoosick Falls mother, said “I could have never imagined that
one year on, we’d still be fighting Governor Cuomo’s team for our right
to drinking water that doesn’t make me
or my family sick. The fears are as raw today as they were one year
ago, and the state’s lumbering response continues to place the people I
love in danger. New York has failed us, so our report card is our chance
to draw attention to their actions and to fail
them.”
Laura
Peabody, a mother and longtime resident of Hoosick Falls, said “My
daughter, Ashlynn, has been drinking water laced with a likely
carcinogen her entire life. None of us knew. When Governor
Cuomo says New York is doing everything it can for residents, it seems
to me that the first order of business would be ensuring my daughter’s
health, and monitoring her over the long-term, knowing it can take years
for impacts of PFOA contamination to rear
its head. Unfortunately, we’ve seen the opposite. The state stalled on
blood test results, stalled on providing us with the information to
understand the results when they arrived, and are now stalling on what
we know is necessary – bio and medical monitoring
for potentially affected residents like Ashlynn.”
Connie
Plouffe, a resident of Petersburgh for 18 years, said “Chemical
regulations stink. We get it. For years, companies like Honeywell and
Saint-Gobain were allowed to do whatever they
wanted, wherever they wanted, to whomever they wanted. But in 2016, our
government and our elected officials should know better. When a crisis
like this arises, you step up and do your best to keep it from happening
to anyone else. Instead, more than 2.5 years
after the state first learned about dangerous contamination levels, New
York is behind other states like Vermont is lowering the safety limits.
It’s not just frustrating for the residents here, it’s dangerous and
dumb.”
Report Card Grades – Overall: FAIL
PFOA Advisory Levels:Currently
the acceptable PFOA and PFOS levels, which
were determined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are 70
parts per trillion (ppt). Prior to that, the levels were 400 ppt.
Governor Cuomo has indicated the EPA’s numbers are sufficient, however,
residents feel strongly that the state can lead on
this issue and further lower the acceptable advisory levels. Grade: F
Click here to review the full report.
Source: Environmental Advocates of New York
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