By Tony Farina
The radioactive slag bubbling up across Niagara County in recent weeks, triggering state and federal testing and some remedial work and family relocations, is the ongoing and seemingly never-ending legacy of the environmental desecration of the past 100-plus years by massive corporations dumping toxic waste that was the subject of Christen Civiletto’s book Thundering Waters.
“What we have again is an environmental storm,” said attorney and former Grand Island Supervisor Nate McMurray, a candidate for election to the 45th District State Assembly seat now open because of the retirement of Angelo Morinello. McMurray will run for the seat against former Niagara County Legislature Chair Rebecca Wydysh.
But McMurray seems much more actively engaged in the “environmental storm” he talked about in a recent interview, noting that he has spent time the past several weeks with families who have received notices regarding potential radioactive contamination on or near their properties.
After hearing their concerns, McMurray wrote a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul, asking for her help, saying the “we need a quarterback” for the situation, and Gov. Hochul has responded with a statement to the Niagara Reporter. Here is the statement from the governor’s office:
“The Governor understands the fears and concerns of the residents of Niagara County, which is why she has led by directing the DEC and DOH to coordinate with the federal EPA to act aggressively and proactively to get these families the answers they deserve. As a result, the state and federal agencies have been working to test, survey, and analyze hundreds of properties and provided numerous outreach opportunities to keep residents updated and informed. These efforts have also led to the agencies taking the step of offering to voluntarily relocate several families out of an abundance of caution while testing is ongoing. The Governor remains committed to ensuring that the state is doing everything in its power to expedite this process.”
McMurray was grateful to hear of the governor’s efforts to assist families as the crisis continues to cause great fear and concern. We’ll keep following these developments as they continue to unfold.