US House Probes Response to Toxic Chemical in Drinking Water
Source: Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. — Jul 7, 2016, 6:54 PM ET
A congressional committee is asking state officials and federal environmental regulators for information about their responses to drinking water contaminated with the toxic chemical PFOA in an upstate New York village.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said in letters Wednesday to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy it is concerned about the time it took New York officials to take action on the findings in Hoosick Falls and a possible communication breakdown at EPA.
"The Committee is concerned that a sluggish response to the crisis in Hoosick Falls at the state and county levels caused residents to remain exposed to dangerous levels of PFOA for longer than was necessary," according to the Cuomo Administration letter. "The Committee is looking into whether residents received misleading information that indicated the water posed no health risks, which exacerbated the crisis."
The letter to EPA said the agency was aware of the contamination "in December 2014, but did not take any action until nearly one year later, in November 2015." That was when Regional Director Judith Enck sent village officials a letter saying they should seek an alternate source of drinking water. Enck followed up with a December advisory that said the water wasn't safe for drinking or cooking. Until then, state and village officials had told residents the water was unlikely to cause health problems.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-house-probes-response-toxic-chemical-drinking-water-40420034
