Hoylman bills would strengthen water quality protections
ALBANY — Three bills state Sen. Brad Hoylman plans to introduce this week would provide greater water quality protections for communities across the state in the wake of the Hoosick Falls pollution crisis.
One bill would require the state Department of Health to review the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s watch list of drinking water contaminants, such as PFOA, that are not currently regulated under the federal Clean Water Safety Act. The proposal would encourage state officials to go beyond federal guidelines in regulating certain chemicals and allow for a quicker reaction to chemicals that are discovered in New York water sources but not regulated by the EPA.
Another bill would require the health department to establish a database of lead pipes to better determine contamination in drinking water supplies. And a third bill would require the department to test water from private wells to ensure it meets state drinking water standards.
“One of the basic duties of government is to ensure that our constituents have a water supply that is safe and clean,” Hoylman, a Democrat from Manhattan, said in a statement. “But between an aging infrastructure and an ever-growing list of unregulated chemicals infiltrating our water systems, New Yorkers are justifiably concerned about the quality of their drinking water. What happened in Hoosick Falls is a stark indication that the Legislature can and must do more to proactively address water safety in a comprehensive way.”
The fate of the bills could depend largely on which party controls the state Senate after the November elections. Republicans have traditionally been resistant to environmental regulations, though the Senate did unanimously pass a bill in the final days of the legislative session that make it easier for residents of Hoosick Falls to sue polluters.
State legislative hearings on Hoosick Falls begin this week, and are expected to focus attention on how state, federal and local regulators handled the water pollution issues in Hoosick Falls, Petersburgh, Newburgh and elsewhere.
