Clean Air, Soil, and Water for All
Everyone in the Hudson Valley deserves clean air, water, and soil. But time and time again, we’ve seen big corporations come into our communities, dump their toxic waste, and put their profits over the health and safety of our families. Enough. Every Hudson Valley family should be able to turn on the faucet and have the peace of mind knowing the water is clean and safe; they should be able to let their children run around on the playground without worrying about toxins or contaminants. That’s what I’m fighting for.
In 2023, I introduced the historic PFAS Action Act, the most comprehensive legislation to combat “forever chemicals” in our drinking water and household goods to date.
I brought the Environmental Protection Agency to Poughkeepsie to address the lead pipe crisis and help the city secure federal funds to remove them. Just after taking office, I was proud to deliver over $9 million in federal funding for Orange County water infrastructure projects and prioritized water infrastructure projects for my nominations for federal Community Project Funding - including project funding for Middletown, Cornwall-on-Hudson, Millerton, and Warwick.
I was proud to stand alongside you at the Save the River rally to call for Holtec to stop its planned release of radioactive waste into the Hudson River, resulting in Governor Holchul passing legislation to prevent it from doing so. I joined with Rep. Marc Molinaro to demand that General Electric conduct a full clean up of its PCB toxic waste in the Hudson River.
When bombshell reporting revealed that major telecommunications companies are allowing legacy cable networks to leach toxic lead into the environment, I immediately called for the companies to clean up the cables - including ones hanging over a playground in Wappingers Falls - and to pay for it. I followed this up by pressing EPA administrators on how we can hold the companies accountable for the clean up.
Following the catastrophic Norfolk-Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I called for commonsense rail safety regulations that would protect our communities from the dangers of catastrophic derailments.
I also sit on the Congressional PFAS Task Force to stay on top of the growing hazards that PFAS are posing to our communities and military bases. I proposed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to require reporting on PFAS contamination on military bases, including Stewart Air National Guard Base. When the far-right’s first bill of the 118th Congress - H.R. 1 - included an amendment that would have allowed more PFAS and toxic contaminants to enter our waterways, I did not hesitate to take to the House floor to condemn it as an insult to our communities.
Last summer, the Hudson Valley saw devastating flooding, record heat, and the haze of wildfire smoke. I’m committed to delivering federal funding for climate resilient infrastructure projects that will ensure the safety of our communities and families for generations to come.
To learn more about opportunities to bring these federal funds to your community, business, or home, contact my office! We’ve already helped Port Jervis employ teens to create a Tree Corps, Kingston line its streets with trees, Dutchess begin to plan for clean buses, and businesses like Sheely’s Walden Car Wash in Orange County go green by installing a solar array.
I will keep fighting for the clean air, water, and soil that Hudson Valley families deserve and to protect our environment for our children’s futures.