Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, says a legislative package passed by the state Assembly last week will “protect New Yorkers and their families from toxic chemicals and preserve the environment for future generations.”

“This legislation shows our commitment to the preservation and protection of our natural resources, as well as to ensuring the health and safety of our families,” Russell said. She represents all St. Lawrence County communities along the St. Lawrence Seaway as well as Potsdam, Canton and Madrid.

“This issue is especially important for the North Country, where our unique environmental features drive tourism and are a key part of our local economies,” she added.

Assemblywoman Russell pointed out the impact of toxic chemicals has been seen in her assembly district. She noted hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent and work is continuing to address industrial pollutants at the Alcoa and former General Motors plants in Massena.

Polychlorinated biphenyls that were used in hydraulic fluids at the plants in the 1960s and 1970s were later found to have serious health impacts. The chemicals had been used as fire retardants.

The pollutants were found in the St. Lawrence, Grasse and Raquette Rivers, and led to the state issuing consumption advisories due to the level of PCBs found in fish.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation and federal Environmental Protection Agency also found the pollutants in wetlands and the riverbanks near the two plants along with contaminated groundwater. The former GM plant site borders Akwesasne.

The EPA has also identified a number of other Superfund sites in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties over the past three decades ranging from the Sealand Restoration site in Lisbon and a several acres at Fort Drum to the Abe Cooper Surplus Co. site on Factory Street, Watertown, and a site on the New York Air Brake property on Starbuck Avenue, Watertown. Restoration work at most of the Superfund sites in the two-county region has been completed.

"The residents of the North Country have seen first hand the impact toxic chemicals can have on our environment and the health of residents exposed to those chemicals over a long period of time. It is clear the legislation passed by the state Assembly this week is necessary to prevent these types of environmental catastrophes in the future," Assemblywoman Russell said.

Increased transparency

Historically, low-income communities and areas with existing environmental hazards are disproportionately affected by the siting of new projects that have potentially adverse environmental impacts. This often exacerbates existing hazards within communities and puts residents at undue risk, Assemblywoman Russell noted.

To combat this, the Assembly passed a bill requiring the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to publish a list of “high local environmental impact zones” and consider various factors that contribute to a locality’s environmental health.

The Assembly also passed legislation that creates an Environmental Justice Advisory Group and Environmental Justice Interagency Coordinating Council to craft statewide environmental justice policy.

“By providing greater transparency in the selection of project sites and the assessment of environmental risk in communities across the state, we can do a better job of protecting the health of our neighbors,” said Assemblywoman Russell.

Improved health standards

To ensure consumer safety, especially with regard to products designed for children, the Assembly passed legislation to restrict the use of toxic chemicals in children’s products and authorize the DEC to participate in the interstate chemicals clearinghouse.

An additional bill creates stricter standards for light bulbs containing mercury.

Research has shown that exposure to high levels of mercury is linked to severe health problems, particularly for infants and young children.

“Families should not have to worry that a children’s toy or any other household item poses a serious health risk,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “By limiting the use of dangerous and toxic chemicals in consumer products we can help keep children healthy and give New Yorkers greater peace of mind.”

Protecting wildlife

The Assembly’s legislative package also includes a moratorium on the DEC’s proposed plan to eradicate most of the mute swans in the state.

The DEC had announced in 2013 it intended to completely eradicate mute swans by 2025. The majority of the estimated 2,200 mute swans in New York state are located on Long Island and in the Lower Hudson Valley, but the DEC has reported there are approximately 200 swans on Lake Ontario.

The DEC has suggested the swans damage local ecosystems by eating large amounts of vegetation and aggressively occupying large portions of wetlands during breeding season, but public input and further research are needed before resorting to extreme measures, Assemblywoman Russell said.

The agency's initial plan released in December 2013 had called for eliminating all mute swans in the state. A revised plan in March 2014 said the swans would be allowed to live in controlled settings, such as urban parks, without allowing breeding or escape, but called for all mute swans on Lake Ontario to be eliminated.

The birds first appeared on Lake Ontario around 1980. The DEC's initial policy came under fire after a DEC crew shot a mute swan in June 2014 on Black River Bay in Sackets Harbor.