In the wake of the contamination of the water supply in the upstate town of Hoosick Falls, state lawmakers tomorrow are holding their second hearing on the controversy. At times, the investigation has turned into a game of finger-pointing between state and federal officials. Statehouse Reporter Zack Fink has more.
In a rare moment in which state lawmakers could be putting Governor Cuomo on the defensive, a joint legislative hearing on Wednesday will be probing the Cuomo administration's response to the water contamination crisis in Hoosick Falls. Some believe the governor was slow to respond to the problem which came to light last year.
"They are going to be judged by public opinion," said Health Committee Chairman Sen. Kemp Hannon. "And it has been pretty tough and harsh as it goes. Will we ever find out what happened during the 12 or 18 months? No."
Late last year, Hoosick Falls resident were told by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to stop drinking and cooking with the town water supply which had elevated levels of the contaminant PFOA.
But the State Health Department, which had been notified about the discovery of PFOA at least 12 months earlier, still initially did not follow the EPA's guideline informing residents not to drink the water.
And at last week's hearing, the state health commissioner tried to blame the EPA regional administrator for any miscommunication.
"On November 15, 2015 the region had a dramatic shift in their approach and their policy," said Health Commissioner Howard Zucker. "And that caused the confusion."
Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried, who will be leading Wednesday's hearing, says the state's response has not been satisfactory.
"So far I don't understand what the health department found confusing in what they were hearing from the EPA. And I'll be asking about that," Assemblyman Gottfried said.
What's unclear is how hard legislators will go after the Cuomo administration, with the relationship between Cuomo and the two legislative leaders sometimes being a cozy one.
"The priority for us is to make sure that people in the state of New York have good and clean drinking water," said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. "So, this is not about a blame game or what happened."
The EPA was invited to the hearing but declined the invitation both Wednesday and last week. However, the region two administrator disputed the state's claims. Senate republicans will also issue subpoenas to Saint Gobain, the French plastics manufacturer believed to be the polluter.