WASHINGTON, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Chris Gibson (NY-19) submitted a letter to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz (UT-3) requesting the committee investigate the response by New York State and federal officials to the contamination of drinking water in Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh.
High levels of PFOA, a chemical used in manufacturing, have been detected in public and private wells in both communities. The contamination forced residents to drink bottled water and undergo health screenings in recent months as local officials have worked to install filtration systems and identify new sources of drinking water.
“This situation has continued to evolve and, in some ways, worsen over the past year,” wrote Congressman Gibson May 10. “Although there have been actions taken to address these problems, many of my constituents are deeply concerned with potential ongoing health risks to their families, delayed and confused responses by the state and federal agencies involved, and lack of accountability to find out what happened and why it was allowed to go on after the initial detection of the contamination of their water supply.
“It is this last component regarding accountability that I am referring to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee,” he continued. “Critical questions regarding the actions of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, New York State Department of Health, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation remain unanswered. Regrettably, the New York Legislature has changed course and now will not conduct oversight hearings on what went wrong and why, after stating they would be holding hearings on the matter.”
Congressman Gibson asked Chairman Chaffetz to “look into this matter immediately so that the mistakes can be identified, accountability can be achieved, and recommendations based on the lessons learned can be implemented moving forward.”
Click here for the full text of the letter:
http://gibson.house.gov/uploadedfiles/letter_to_chairman_chaffetz.pdf
Contact: Matt Sheehey 202-225-5614
Source: Congressman Chris Gibson
