As of April 1 2001, Superfund is officially bankrupt, with an over 50 million dollar debt. This means that the hundreds of toxic waste sites in New York communities will not be cleaned up, until the Governor and legislature act to refinance the Superfund. For years, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Superfund Management Board have known that the Superfund was going to run out of money in the year 2000, and that cleanups and investigations would grind to a halt. But they did not act last year. Now Superfund is out of money!

Leaking toxic dumps are a major health threat to our communities, and cause lasting damage to the environment. As these sites are allowed to fester, children and adults are needlessly exposed to dangerous chemicals and a significant environmental hazard goes unfixed. That is why New York voters approved a bond act in 1986 to clean up these sites. Unfortunately, those funds have run out and because politicians in Albany haven't refinanced the program, there is no money clean up the mess.

The Department of Environmental Conservation has released a list of 766 known or suspected toxic sites that are "on hold" until there is more funds. That means cleanup and testing has stopped. The list of 766 doesn't even include the hundreds more sites that have yet to be discovered.

Contaminated toxic sites contain some of the most dangerous chemicals known to human kind. Pollutants that are known or suspected to cause cancer, reproductive dysfunction, and neurological problems brew in a "toxic cocktail" under the ground. And science hasn't even scratched the surface of all of the possible effects of these chemicals, especially how they affect our hormones, and how they work together to make us sick. Because of this uncertainty, we need to get these sites cleaned up now, not wait for another disaster.

Tell your state legislators and the Governor to get the Superfund back on its feet.

Because of intensive big business lobbying and campaign donations, several unacceptable Superfund proposals have been floated that would weaken the program. To be acceptable to New Yorkers, any bill passed this year must fully refinance the program, help prevent future toxic sites, and ensure that polluters pay. The bill must also include all toxic sites (especially hazardous substance sites) in the Superfund program, and ensure that citizens have ample say in the cleanup of toxic sites in their communities. To be acceptable, any proposed legislation must not let polluters off the hook and force the state to bail out toxic sites by easing liability standards. It also cannot tie up a toxic site by limiting its use instead of cleaning it up all the way.

 

Click here to tell Governor Pataki to:

Refinance the Superfund to clean up known toxic sites in ten years, without weakening cleanup standards.