Skip to main content

Thiele Bills Target Water Pollution

Wed, 06/08/2022 - 18:30

Legislation to increase and protect access to water supply, sponsored by State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., has been approved by both the Assembly and the Senate, and is awaiting the governor’s signature.

Included in the package of bills is one ensuring that polluters do not benefit from either state assistance payments or grants made by the State Environmental Facilities Corporation. Such funding helps pay for projects that restore sources of water supply that have been contaminated.

This law guarantees that the compensation required from polluters is not reduced by the amount of state assistance paid to a municipality. Another law allows property owners on private roads to obtain water from a public water system without the approval of other landowners.

A third law gives remedy in the courts to public water suppliers, such as the Suffolk County Water Authority, by ensuring that they can intervene against polluters responsible for contaminating sources of water supply.

“Ratepayers should not face higher costs due to the inappropriate behaviors of polluters, who should instead be held responsible and pay for the damages they create to the environment, including sources of water supply,” Mr. Thiele said in a statement on Monday. “These bills give needed remedies to public water suppliers and prevent polluters from benefiting from state assistance and grants. This will ensure that the polluter pays, not the taxpayer, in addressing pollution of our drinking water. I am proud this common-sense legislation passed the Senate and the Assembly, and I urge Governor Hochul to sign them into law.”

Villages

Christmas Birds: By the Numbers

Cold, still, quiet, and clear conditions marked the morning of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Montauk on Dec. 14. The cold proved challenging, if not for the groups of birders in search of birds, then certainly for the birds.

Dec 19, 2024

Shelter Islander’s Game Is a Tribute to His Home

For Serge Pierro of Shelter Island, a teacher of guitar lessons and designer of original tabletop games, his latest project speaks to his appreciation for his home of 19 years and counting. Called Shelter Island Experience, it’s a card game that showcases the “nuances of what makes life on Shelter Island so special and unique.”

Dec 19, 2024

Tackling Parking Problems in Sag Harbor

“It’s an issue that we continually have to manage and rethink,” Sag Harbor Village Mayor Thomas Gardella said at a parking workshop on Dec. 16. “We also have to consider the overall character of our village as we move forward with this.”

Dec 19, 2024

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.