Legislature passes bill prohibiting incineration of AFFF
ALBANY, N.Y. » The state Legislature passed legislation Wednesday which prohibits incineration of AFFF firefighting foam materials containing PFAS.
The issue of burning these chemicals came to light in February. when Norlite officials confirmed a contract with the Department of Defense and revealed that they incinerated AFFF containing PFAS materials for two years in Cohoes.
When news of the burning came to light last winter, Sen. Neil Breslin and Assemblyman John McDonald III brought forth legislation to prohibit the incineration of firefighting foam containing PFAS.
In part of a joint statement, the two commented on the importance of passing this legislation toward greater public health.
“As we have seen in Hoosick Falls and other communities, the risks associated with PFAS contamination are of great concern to human health. Swift action was necessary to keep our communities’ air clean and to protect our residents of Cohoes and the surrounding communities,” Breslin and McDonald stated.
“[ Wednesday], we are proud to say this bill has passed both houses of the State Legislature. We appreciate the support from all our federal, state, and local colleagues, along with our environmental partners’ strong advocacy on this issue. We look forward to the executive’s support for this measure,” both added.
Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler thanked Breslin and McDonald on their efforts toward resolving the issue.
“Clearly the Norlite contracts with the Department of Defense and others to incinerate AFFF containing dangerous PFAS chemicals got ahead of the science determining if it was safe to do so,” Keeler said. “We applaud the New York State legislature for passing the bill prohibiting incineration of materials containing these so-called forever chemicals in Cohoes, and we are thankful to Assemblymember John McDonald and Senator Neil Breslin for their tireless leadership on this issue on behalf of our community and the surrounding area.”
The state legislation would solidify the one-year moratorium on incineration unanimously adopted by the Cohoes Common Council on April 28.
In March, across the river, it was the aforementioned environmental crisis in Hoosick Falls, along with airflow from Cohoes into Rensselaer County which prompted members of the Rensselaer County Legislature to call on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to reinstall air monitors to protect the Tomhannock water supply.
Troy City Council President Carmella Mantello heaped praise on the legislation as well.
“I want to thank Senator Breslin and Assemblyman McDonald for spearheading legislation, which passed the Senate and Assembly, prohibiting the incineration of firefighting foam containing PFAS in certain cities, such as our neighboring city of Cohoes,” Mantello stated.
“Troy is within a close distance to Cohoes and may have been impacted by emissions of PFAS at the Norlite Plant due to the prevailing winds. This activity has a potential public health and public safety impact on the City of Troy and the Capital Region, and I’m pleased Senator Breslin and Assemblyman McDonald worked to protect the health and wellbeing of all Capital Region residents,” Mantello added.
The legislation now goes to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk for signature.