NEWBURGH – New York State Assemblyman Frank Skartados issued the following statement:
“For the past year and a half, Newburgh families and businesses have wondered if the federal government would take responsibility for its actions on Stewart Air National Guard Base (ANGB). With the funding amendment secured in the defense bill by Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, families and businesses would have the peace of mind knowing that the federal government will be paying for many of the costs related to cleaning up PFOS spilled at Stewart ANGB. The bill has already passed the House, and I urge the Senate to take it up quickly so it can be signed into law.
“Clean, safe drinking water is a human right. No mother or father should ever have to question the safety of the water that they are giving to their children. This funding is a major step forward, and I will continue fighting until all threats to Newburgh’s drinking water are removed, our families and businesses are protected and local taxpayers are made whole for contamination that is the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Defense.”