Gov. Cuomo needs to sign Norlite bill

I am publicly and urgently calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign the Norlite bill as soon as possible. This bill stems from Norlite in Cohoes burning aqueous film forming foam for the Department of Defense unbeknownst to just about anyone. If it wasn’t for Jane Williams, chair of Sierra Club’s National Clean Air Team, requesting data from the DOD, the burning of these “forever chemicals” might still be happening.

Norlite has said it is no longer burning the foam, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation will test soil and water around Norlite. These tests will check for the prevalence of the harmful chemicals, which are known as PFAS chemicals that are incredibly detrimental to human health and are known to be linked to cancers in human beings.

The Norlite bill (S7880B/ A9952) would ban the burning of these forever chemicals, something that would be necessary to preserve human health and well-being and put an end to the long lineage of environmental justice issues that we have seen in other places. The community around the Norlite plant is also a designated “potential environmental justice area,” which is categorized as a place where both polluting industry operates and marginalized communities live.

This bill would begin to address and validate the health concerns that this community has spoken of for years. Cuomo has shared bold and imaginative plans for renewable energy and climate/environmental justice. Now he needs to color in the lines of his own rhetoric and sign this bill.

Gabriel Feldman

Schwartz Saratoga Springs