Is Taconic Industries a “Victim?”
To the Editor:
For the communities nestled alongside the Little Hoosick River Valley, our rural, peaceful lifestyle was shattered beginning in early 2016 with the public declaration of PFOA chemical contamination found throughout the water aquifer across the Petersburgh area. This is the same aquifer our municipal water district pumps its water from and the same aquifer that many private wells depend on. The culprit was Taconic Industries, a mid sized manufacturer based in the Valley. Based on public records, we know PFOA was used by Taconic in their manufacturing processes, and was effectively leaching into our air, water and soil resources for decades. Recent medical surveys suggest a correlation between ongoing exposure to low levels of PFOA found in drinking water can substantially increase total exposure in humans which can lead to concentrations in the body high enough to potentially increase health risks including: high cholesterol, thyroid disease, weight gain, decreased fertility, liver and immune deficiencies, and neurobehavioral effects such as attention deficit disorder. In short, PFOA contamination is bad for humans. Governments were slow at the start to recognize the adverse health impact, but are now realizing a more aggressive response is required both against the polluters and for the well being of the communities impacted.
Taconic Industries signed a Consent Order with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in late 2016 recognizing they have a financial responsibility to remedy the PFOA contamination they so caused.
For the Town of Petersburgh, we have been in “negotiations” with Taconic for some time seeking to establish their financial obligations with regards to their paying for certain required upgrades and operating expenses of the municipal water district infrastructure and for the clean-up of the landfill. Very recently, a meeting was held between senior management representatives of Taconic, and two representatives of the Town Board, the Water District Operator and some consultants. Astonishingly, we found out that Taconic views themselves as the victim in all of these negotiations by suffering from adverse comments made at public hearings, and in the local newspaper. We also learned that Taconic suggested they were going beyond their responsibilities to help the water district including spending a few thousand dollars on a well cap, pipe expansion and some filters. Let that sink in: Taconic, who is the known PFOA polluter, believes they are victims, and that we should be ever so thankful for their largess in voluntarily fixing some minor equipment.
Taconic has a financial obligation, a moral obligation and a community obligation to the citizens of the Little Hoosick River Valley to do the right thing, even if it means costing a few extra bucks. Let’s all remember who was actually victimized over several decades by the PFOA chemical contamination in our air, water and soil.
Heinz Noeding
Petersburgh resident