Years of independent ground and surface water testing by Suffolk County shows that a far more extensive plume of industrial chemicals is spreading beyond the former Grumman site in Calverton than the U.S. Navy has acknowledged.
EPA cannot backtrack on PFAS drinking water standards
This guest essay reflects the views of Adrienne Esposito, the executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, an advocacy organization based on Long Island.
I've spent decades fighting water contamination on Long Island. I've sat with families who found PFAS in their well water and helped communities and water districts scramble to obtain funding for expensive treatment systems. I've testified for congressional hearings to increase the understanding that PFAS, commonly called "forever chemicals," aren't a hypothetical threat — they are a daily, sickening reality for millions of Americans.
SEQRA reform splits New York lawmakers, snagging budget talks
Efforts to revamp New York State environmental laws to lower barriers to building housing more quickly threw the state’s annual budget process into limbo.
Negotiations blew past an April 1 budget deliberation deadline, with a proposed overhaul of the State Environmental Quality Review Act emerging as a point of impasse.
Point Lookout wind turbine exceeds energy expectations
In Dec. 2011, a wind turbine standing more than 120-feet tall was installed at the Point Lookout Department of Conservation and Waterways building. The turbine was one of the town’s first steps in a clean energy initiative, which would also include the installation of solar panel arrays at town facilities, a transition to roughly 50,000 LED streetlights and more.
Community meeting planned on Calverton plume as frustration with Navy boils over
Flesh-eating bacteria concerns in Long Island waters are growing. Here's why.
'Toxic tides' of flesh-eating bacteria, cesspool runoff threaten Long Island's waters: Stony Brook report
Long Island waters are threatened by runoff from hundreds of thousands of cesspools, harmful algae and even flesh-eating bacteria, but opportunities for cleanup are "unprecedented," a prominent ecologist will tell residents, advocates and elected officials in an address Friday.
Stony Brook University Professor Christopher Gobler, whose laboratory monitors water quality across the region, will host the annual State of the Bays symposium at the Stony Brook Southampton Avram Theater on Friday at 7 p.m. He gave a preview at a news conference Tuesday in Riverhead.
Protect New Yorkers from Dangerous PFAS Chemicals
With just days left in the NYS legislative session, tell NYS Assembly leadership to pass two critical bills that would remove PFAS from drinking water and ban PFAS in many consumer products
Due to widespread use of PFAS “forever chemicals” in numerous products and industries, PFAS has become ubiquitous in our environment, including our drinking water. As a result, PFAS is now detected in the blood of 98% of Americans. That’s a major concern, since PFAS exposure is linked to serious health conditions, including cancer and adverse developmental impacts in children.
The NYS Senate has passed two bills, with strong bipartisan support, that would move toward a comprehensive solution. Now we need the NYS Assembly to pass both bills before session ends on June 4th. The two bills would:
✔ Protect our drinking water from the contamination that’s already occurred: Scientific studies have made clear that there is no safe level of PFAS in drinking water, but yet, it is being detected in the drinking water of millions of New Yorkers. Legislation would require water suppliers to strictly limit 5 PFAS chemicals often found in drinking water. While the EPA had adopted regulations in 2024 to limit these chemicals in drinking water nationwide, the Trump EPA recently announced rules to delay and roll them back. New York State must step up to protect our health just as Maine, Vermont, and Wisconsin have already done.
✔ Prevent further PFAS contamination by banning it in consumer products: We’ll never truly address the PFAS crisis if we continue to use these chemicals in new consumer products. Legislation will turn off the tap to more PFAS in our environment by banning it in products we use every day, including cookware, dental floss, textiles, rugs, cleaning products, and more.
Email the Speaker of the NYS Assembly today and urge him to allow both bills to receive a floor vote before the end of session. If you have an extra minute, call his office at 518-455-3791 and urge the Assembly to pass the Ban on PFAS in Consumer Products (A.7738A) and PFAS Drinking Water Protection bill (A.8634B).
Thank you for taking action!
Sincerely,
All of Us at CCE
As climate deniers score, Earth Day’s down – but not out
Unnatural selection: As scientific ignorance infects the nation, it's not easy being green -- even on Earth Day.
Earth Day is not what it used to be, in amazing and terrible ways.
LIPA, labor and environmental groups highlight strong first year for South Fork wind
Officials say that reliability proved especially important during this winter’s cold snaps, when energy demand surged and fossil‑fuel prices spiked.
The South Fork Wind project is marking its first full year of operation, and new data released this week shows the nation’s first utility‑scale offshore wind farm is performing even better than expected. Leaders from LIPA, labor unions, environmental groups and the offshore wind industry gathered on Long Island to highlight the results, which show the 12‑turbine project generated electricity on 99% of days last year and reached a 50% capacity factor—a level comparable to traditional power plants during key demand periods.
Brookhaven officials defend long-term plan for landfill as residents demand immediate action
Discussing climate initiatives for Earth Day
Brookhaven Presents Cleanup Plan for Landfill Plume, but Some Say Measures are Inadequate
The Town of Brookhaven held a public meeting on March 27 to present its corrective measures plan for a toxic plume emanating from the town landfill in Yaphank, but community advocates say the proposal falls far short of what’s needed.
In 2023, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ordered the town to investigate and plan to remediate the plume, which now extends 1.7 miles from the portions of the landfill constructed between 1971 and 1989 south toward Bellport Bay. Groundwater testing detected PFAS (so-called “forever chemicals”) and 1,4-dioxane in the plume. Both contaminants have been linked to a range of health issues, including cancer.
Toxic forever chemicals raise concerns about garden, farm products on Long Island
It was the first week of spring and Deborah Harris, of Riverhead, was visiting her local garden center, where she picked up two bags of fertilizer that she was told worked like a charm to keep deer off her hosta plants.
But after being advised to read the label for the product, Harris discovered the origins of the product were a sewage treatment facility in the Midwest, including the disclosure that it contained biosolids, one of the byproducts of waste treatment.
Brookhaven sues state DEC over requirement to clean up toxic plumes at landfill, airport
'It’s poisoning us all.' Residents voice concerns about Brookhaven landfill
Long Island coalition seeks $1B from Albany for region’s needs
The Blueprint:
The Long Island Lobby Coalition requested over $1 billion in funding from Albany to address regional needs.
The coalition includes small business owners, civic leaders, labor, environmental groups, and transportation advocates.
Funding requests include support for chambers of commerce, wastewater, solar power, affordable housing, and transportation improvements.
The coalition met with bipartisan state senators, assembly members, and Governor Hochul’s policy team.
Offshore Wind Is Already Working for Long Island — and the Opportunity Is Just Beginning
Off the coast of Long Island, a new chapter in the region’s energy future is already spinning.
The South Fork Wind project — the first utility-scale offshore wind farm serving New York — is now delivering electricity to the East End, demonstrating that offshore wind is no longer theoretical. It’s operating infrastructure.
Iran war brings questions on Trump's focus on fossil fuels
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran and ensuing oil price increases are reigniting a debate over the wisdom of ramping up domestic oil drilling while deemphasizing renewable energy sources.
Clean energy advocates say the conflict in Iran — which has increased oil prices by 40% globally since the United States and Israel launched a joint strike on Feb. 28, according to industry monitor GasBuddy — underscores the need to reduce the country’s reliance on oil and gas by investing in renewable energy sources. But Trump and Department of Energy officials maintain that the strikes on Iran will be short-lived and energy prices will quickly stabilize.
Environmentalists raise alarm on PFAS in produce
In a virtual presentation on March 6, environmental scientists and advocates broke down how long-lasting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have infiltrated Long Island produce. Citizens Campaign for the Environment Executive Director Adrienne Esposito along with other experts arranged a study focusing on how these “forever chemicals” impact Long Island farmland.