Environmentalists urge Long Island's congressional reps to join Suozzi effort in reversing 'forever chemicals' rule delay

Long Island’s congressional delegation should show a unified, bipartisan front in convincing Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin against delaying enforcement of new limits to so-called "forever chemicals" in drinking water, environmentalists say.

"This is not a controversial issue. This is not a Republican or Democrat issue," said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, based in Farmingdale. "The issue of safe drinking water has always bridged the gap between political parties."

Drawing controversy is the recent decision by the agency under Zeldin to postpone a deadline by two years, to 2031, for water utilities or public water systems to comply with new federal water standards for the targeted polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

That extended a previous 2029 deadline finalized during the administration of former President Joe Biden.

All four Nassau and Suffolk U.S. House members told Newsday Wednesday they're each fully behind efforts to deliver safer, cleaner drinking water solutions for Long Islanders. Some instances were provided of funding and technical assistance already secured to help water suppliers to add the necessary filtration and other equipment.

But there was little sign of a coordinated effort to get Zeldin to reverse the decision that will give utilities another two years to meet the new standards.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) wrote a letter last week directly appealing to Zeldin, who previously represented Long Island's 1st Congressional District, on that issue.

Rob Hayes, with Environmental Advocates NY, said Nassau and Suffolk county residents have been "bearing the brunt" of a PFAS drinking water crisis in New York. He noted Zeldin was a congressman from Suffolk County, saying the Long Island congressional delegation is uniquely positioned to come together and get Zeldin to "step up" and do the right thing.

Esposito echoed that the four Long Island lawmakers should be working together to convince Zeldin.

"There is absolutely no reason to delay the public health need," she said.

Suozzi’s letter to Zeldin last week argued against the two-year compliance delay, noting studies — including from the National Institutes of Health — have found PFAS in drinking water is associated with a higher incidence of a variety of cancers.

The EPA’s press office acknowledged receipt of that letter, but on Wednesday  declined to comment further.

In a statement Wednesday, Suozzi said, "I’ve made cleaning up the water on Long Island a priority because we all must."

He ticked off several instances where he has succeeded in securing tens of millions of federal dollars for PFAS filtration projects and other efforts, and said, "We need the EPA to make this a priority, too. I’m fighting on every front to get it done."

Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), said in a statement, "Ensuring Long Islanders have access to clean drinking water is one of my top priorities in Congress." He added he will "continue working with the EPA, the Suffolk County Executive, and the Suffolk County Water Authority to make sure our federal and local partners have the resources they need."

But he did not say if he Zeldin should reverse course on the compliance deadline.

Freshman Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre), in Congress for just nine months, was more clear: "Rolling back PFAS protections puts Long Island families’ health at risk. These cancer-causing ‘forever chemicals’ are already in our water, and delaying action will only put more people in danger.

"Administrator Zeldin should put protecting the health of Long Islanders and the American people first by ensuring our communities have safe, clean drinking water now," she said.

But Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), Zeldin's successor whose office secured millions of dollars worth of drinking-water safety and cleanup project funding jabbed, "Democrats can’t have it both ways — claiming to care about clean water while voting last week to shut down the EPA and the entire government."

He was referring to the current Republican and Democratic standoff over a bill to keep government funded past next Tuesday.

"I’ve delivered real clean drinking water dollars for Long Island families, while they’ve delivered only hypocrisy," he said of the Democrats.