SENATE GOP CAVES TO HOYLMAN DEMAND TO USE SUBPOENA TO COMPEL SAINT-GOBAIN TO TESTIFY AT WATER QUALITY HEARING

Hoylman: What did the polluter Saint-Gobain know about PFOA and when did they know it? New Yorkers need to know.”

NEW YORK – State Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan), Ranking Member of the Environmental Conservation Committee, released the following statement today in response to Senate Republicans’ decision to subpoena officials from Saint-Gobain North America to compel their appearance at the next public hearing on water quality and contamination. The announcement comes just days after Hoylman sent a letter to State Senators Thomas O’Mara (R-Big Flats), Chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee, and Kemp Hannon (R-Nassau), Chair of the Senate Health Committee, demanding they use their subpoena power to require the company to testify under oath.

“I'm gratified that the Senate Republicans have heeded my demand and relented from their previous inexplicable position not to ask Saint-Gobain the tough questions under oath. What did the polluter Saint-Gobain know about PFOA and when did they know it? New Yorkers need to know. I hope these answers come soon."

Senator Hoylman’s full letter can be found below.

September 1, 2016

Hon. Thomas F. O’Mara                                                            Hon. Kemp Hannon

Chair, Environmental Conservation Committee            Chair, Health Committee

New York State Senate                                                             New York State Senate

307 Legislative Office Building                                               Capitol, Room 420

Albany, NY 12247                                                                           Albany, NY 12247

Dear Chairmen O’Mara and Hannon:

I write to urge you to use your statutory power as chairs of legislative committees to compel the appearance of officials from Saint-Gobain North America, Taconic Plastics, and Honeywell International, Inc. at this month’s public hearings in Albany and Smithtown on water quality and contamination.

It was disappointing that Tuesday’s public hearing in Hoosick Falls failed to include in-person testimony from representatives of these companies, which bear the responsibility for significant PFOA contamination in the Towns of Hoosick and Petersburgh, and the Village of Hoosick Falls. There are many important questions about what these companies know and when they knew it, and the opportunity to ask those questions was mistakenly squandered yesterday.

There is still time to rectify that mistake. Under Section 62-A of the New York State Legislative Law, you have the power to issue a legally-binding subpoena to require an individual to appear before a public hearing and be examined under oath in reference to matters within the scope of the inquiry or investigation being conducted by your committee. This month’s hearings present a perfect opportunity to exercise those powers.

The public deserves a full accounting of the cause and scope of the pollution these companies inflicted, and we as lawmakers should be using these hearings as an opportunity to get all of the facts of these cases into the public record. Continued failure to do so would be a massive affront to our constituents.

Sincerely,

Brad Hoylman

Ranking Member, Environmental Conservation Committee

27th Senate District

cc: Hon. John Flanagan, Senate Majority Leader