Lunch and Learn: Plastic Free July

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Join this virtual presentation for the latest info on how plastic pollution impacts our ocean and participate in Q & A with the experts

New science will be presented by Dr. Luis Medina from Stony Brook University on microplastics being detected in our ocean and waterways  

Plastic pollution is ubiquitous and poses a serious threat to our waterways, marine life, and human health. If we do not reduce our plastic use globally, plastic will outweigh fish in our oceans by 2050. Microplastics can be found in our drinking water, food, soil, air, and bodies. 

Join Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Operation SPLASH, and Atlantic Marine Conservation Society for our Plastic Free July Lunch and Learn to learn the latest science how plastic pollution is building up in our ocean and threatens our water, marine life, and health. 

Lunch and Learn: Plastic Free July

When: Wednesday, July 8, from 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Register for the virtual event here

Speakers:

• Keynote Speaker Dr. Luis Medina, Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences

• Cynthia Seibold, Executive Director, Balloon Mission

• Rob DiGiovanni, Founder and Chief Scientist, Atlantic Marine Conservation Society

• Rob Weltner, President, Operation SPLASH

• Moderator: Adrienne Esposito, CCE Executive Director

Thank you for joining us!

Sincerely, 
All of us at CCE

Citizens Campaign for the Environment Calls on East Hampton Energy Storage Center to Clean Up PFAS Contamination

Battery energy storage is a crucial clean energy technology, but it must be developed responsibly. 

Battery Storage must be designed to protect Long Island’s aquifer. 

For immediate release: June 22, 2026
For more information, contact:
Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, 516-390-7150, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org

Farmingdale, NY – Suffolk County Water Authority has closed two wells in East Hampton after finding contamination from toxic PFAS chemicals and has filed a lawsuit alleging a 2023 fire at the East Hampton Energy Storage Center is responsible for the contamination. This Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) was one of the first to be built in New York and is of an older, first-generation model that was put in place before New York implemented strict fire codes. New BESS facilities will be built with state-of-the-art fire mitigation systems that do not require water to be used, this older facility used over 2 million gallons of water to fight the fire and had no containment system to prevent contamination from seeping into Long Island’s groundwater.

Citizens Campaign for the Environment is urging East Hampton Energy Storage Center to take responsibility and clean up the contamination. CCE is also urging New York State and municipalities to require that new facilities implement stormwater management to prevent PFAS or other contaminates from entering groundwater. While the situation in the East Hampton fire would be prevented by the New York State fire codes, developers should still be implementing a system to ensure there is no potential PFAS in stormwater runoff from rain.

Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, issued the following statement:

“Battery Energy Storage Systems are a critical piece of our renewable energy mix and necessary to diversify our energy sources. They stabilize our energy grid in the face of more extreme weather events and provide capacity that will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, leading to cleaner air for New Yorkers. Every large-scale energy project has impacts, but especially with newer technology such as BESS, it is crucial that we build them responsibly and in a way that is protective of our environment.  

The East Hampton Energy Storage Center was one of the first BESS projects in the state.  The fire helped spur New York to create a stringent, protective fire code to ensure these systems are built safely with no risk to the community. PFAS contamination was a result of using the sprinkler system designed to fight such a fire if one occurred, therefore, the company is at fault and we are calling on the developer to fully clean up that contamination. Moving forward, we need to ensure that no toxic contamination results from stormwater runoff at BESS facilities. We must protect drinking water and communities. We must also transition off fossil fuels by building renewable energy and energy storage. This can absolutely be done safely and responsibly.”

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Federal Clean Water Programs Facing 90% Cut

Tell Congress to Stand Up for Clean Water and Oppose Proposed Cuts!

New York and Connecticut’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure is aging and failing, putting our economy, health, and environment at risk. Regrettably, the President has proposed to slash critical clean water infrastructure programs by nearly 90%, which if adopted, would severely worsen NY and CT’s clean water challenges. Significant funding cuts would hamper our ability to stop sewage overflows, treat drinking water for toxic emerging contaminants, make drinking water affordable to all, and create good-paying jobs. 

While the administration has proposed massive cuts, Congress has the power to fully fund these programs in the federal budget. We need NY and CT’s Congressional Delegations to reject these draconian cuts and protect clean water funding! Contact your two U.S. Senators and Representative in the U.S. House today and urge them to support full clean water funding in the FY2027 federal budget! 

BACKGROUND

A look at New York and Connecticut’s clean water challenges:

• It is estimated that there are at least 555,696 lead drinking water service lines in New York and over 52,774 in CT. Lead is a toxic heavy metal—there is no safe level of exposure to lead in drinking water, especially for infants and children. All lead pipes must be replaced.

• According to reports generated by New York’s Sewage Pollution Right to Know law, there are 5 overflows of raw or partially treated sewage into New York waters every day. According to reports generated by Connecticut’s Sewage Right-to-Know law, approximately 2.8 billion gallons of raw or partially treated sewage were discharged into waterways in a single year.

• Across the nation, there is a water main break every two minutes, and an estimated six billion gallons of treated water is lost each day. Water main breaks not only threaten access to clean drinking water, but also close schools and businesses, cause sink holes that damage roads, and hurt local economies.

• The American Society of Civil Engineers gave New York and Connecticut’s drinking water infrastructure and wastewater infrastructure grades of C- and D+, and C and C-, respectively. 

• While repairing and replacing New York and Connecticut’s clean water infrastructure is imperative, it is also costly. The EPA conservatively estimates that it will cost nearly $90 billion and $12 billion to upgrade NY and CT’s wastewater and drinking infrastructure over 20 years, respectively. 
  

Federal Clean Water Infrastructure Programs are Essential to Protecting Clean Water  
Congress created the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) in 1990 for the construction and repair of sewage infrastructure, and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) in 1996 to upgrade drinking water infrastructure and ensure safe water at the tap. Since the inception of each program, New York State has financed $37.1 billion in CWSRF projects and $10.1 billion in DWSRF projects. Connecticut has financed approximately $4.6 billion in CWSRF projects and $488 million in DWSRF projects. These programs have helped to support the construction of thousands of projects across NY and CT that have reduced harmful sewage overflows, protected drinking water from toxic contaminants, created thousands of good-paying jobs, and more! 

President Proposes Massive Cuts to both Clean Water Programs
The President issued his budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. He has proposed draconian cuts to both programs, which would nearly eliminate them. His budget request includes a:

• 90.5% cut to the CWSRF ($1,483,861,000 cut)

• 86.7% cut to the DWSRF ($976,101,000 cut)

The President proposed similar drastic cuts last year—due to pushback from the public and members of Congress, the cuts were rejected and funding for both programs remained flat in the final FY26 budget. It is critical that we push back and fight for clean water once again!

Thank you for taking action!

Sincerely, 
All of Us at CCE

PROTECT NEW YORK’S DRINKING WATER FROM PFAS CHEMICALS!

Governor Hochul must sign legislation to implement stronger drinking water standards for toxic PFAS “forever chemicals”

In recent years, communities across NY and the nation have discovered their drinking water sources are contaminated with harmful PFAS chemicals. PFAS are referred to as “forever chemicals” because they are very persistent, meaning they build up in our bodies and don’t break down in the environment. New science indicates there is no safe level of exposure to PFAS in drinking water and we must do more to protect public health from this growing threat. 

In 2024, the U.S. EPA adopted strong standards to limit PFAS in drinking water to the lowest level that is technically feasible in order to protect public health nationwide. Under the Trump administration, the EPA is now working to delay and rollback these critical drinking water protections—putting the safety of at least 1.3 million New Yorkers at risk. To protect New Yorkers from this federal rollback, the NYS Legislature unanimously passed bipartisan legislation to strengthen the state's PFAS drinking water standards—now we need the Governor to sign the bill into law! Email Governor Hochul today!

BACKGROUND

What is PFAS and Where Does it Come From? 
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products for many decades, due to their non-stick, grease-resistant and waterproof properties. PFAS is used in cookware, packaging, textiles, furniture, adhesives, paint, and numerous other products. According to the U.S. EPA, there are 3,500 industrial sites across New York State that may be handling or using PFAS chemicals.

PFAS Threatens Our Health
Studies show that human exposure to PFAS is widespread—it’s estimated that 98% of people in the U.S. have PFAS compounds in their blood. Exposure to PFAS can lead to higher rates of kidney and testicular cancer, higher cholesterol levels, thyroid problems, adverse developmental effects and decreased immune response in children, and other adverse health impacts. EPA has issued health advisories for certain PFAS chemicals, indicating that there is no safe level of exposure to these chemicals in drinking water.

PFAS Pollutes our Environment and Drinking Water
Due to widespread use of PFAS chemicals in numerous products and industries, PFAS chemicals have become ubiquitous in the environment, including drinking water. Testing has revealed some levels of PFAS in approximately 50% of public water systems across NYS, with about 250 water systems exceeding NY’s drinking water standards for two PFAS chemicals—PFOA and PFOS. 

EPA’s Drinking Water Standards: 
In 2024, after establishing that there is no safe level of exposure to certain PFAS chemicals in drinking water, the U.S. EPA finalized a rule to establish the first nationwide enforceable limits on toxic PFAS chemicals allowed in drinking water. For PFOA and PFOS, EPA adopted individual drinking water limits of 4 parts per trillion (ppt) per chemical. This is much stronger than New York’s current standards for PFOA and PFOS, which were set at 10 ppt in 2020. The EPA also established limits of 10 ppt for three additional PFAS chemicals (PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX). EPA’s standards represent the strongest standards that are currently technically feasible.

Map of Communities with PFAS above EPA, but below NY drinking water standards (representing 1.3 million New Yorkers)
SOURCE: ewg.org

Under the Trump administration, the EPA is now rolling back its PFAS drinking water standards. They are delaying implementation of drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS by an additional two years and rescinding the drinking water standards for the additional PFAS chemicals. Rolling back these standards puts at least 1.3 million New Yorkers, the majority of whom are on Long Island, at risk to higher levels of dangerous PFAS chemicals in their drinking water.

New York State Needs More Protective Drinking Water Standards
The New York State Senate and Assembly passed legislation to codify EPA’s original 2024 drinking water standards for PFAS—protecting New Yorkers from recent Trump rollbacks. The bill would establish drinking water standards of 4 ppt each for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt each for PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX, and maintain the EPA’s original 2029 compliance deadline. Maine, Vermont, and Wisconsin have already taken similar action. Now we need Governor Hochul to sign the legislation codifying stronger drinking water standards for PFAS chemicals into law!

Thank you for taking action!

Sincerely, 
All of us at CCE