[CPEO-MEF] PFAS: Suffolk County (NY) sues over Gabreski Airport pollution

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Suffolk sues federal government over water contamination cleanup costs
The lawsuit says federal agencies stopped negotiating the reimbursement for local government expenses for the cleanup of contaminants detected in wells around Gabreski Airport.

Authority continues to negotiate with the federal government to cover $4.8 million in costs related to groundwater contamination at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton. Photo Credit: John Roca 

By David M. Schwartz
Long Island Newsday (NY)
March 2, 2019

Suffolk County, citing stalled negotiations over cleanup costs, has sued the federal government for groundwater contamination caused by the military’s use of firefighting foam at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton.

The lawsuit, filed Feb. 14 in the U.S. District Court Eastern District, alleges federal agencies stopped negotiating the reimbursement for local government expenses, including hooking up homes with contaminated private wells to public water supplies, providing bottled water and county investigation costs.

"It’s been a real frustration," Deputy County Executive Peter Scully said. He said the federal government "is constantly changing its position with regard to reimbursement of expenses incurred by local governments in regards to the contamination. One month they’re receptive. One month they say it can’t happen. … It’s been a pattern, swinging back and forth, like a pendulum."

…

For the entire article, see
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/environment/firefighting-foam-lawsuit-suffolk-1.27924207

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Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650/961-8918 
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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