VIDEO: Gillen Demands Clean Water for Hempstead Residents; Highlights Local Hero at Transportation and Infrastructure Hearing
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) delivered remarks before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Development hearing entitled: Water Infrastructure and Financing. Below is a video of her full speech and a transcript of her remarks:
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am honored to represent the South Shore of Long Island in New York’s Fourth Congressional District. My district suffers from legacy water contamination, aging infrastructure, and unacceptable water quality issues that for too long have been neglected by the Federal government.
“The village of Hempstead relies on a plant that’s more than a hundred years old – one of the oldest in our region. Last year, Hempstead officials found alarming levels of toxic, cancer-causing PFAS chemicals in their drinking water. They called for desperately needed federal help to fund the construction of a new water system.
“Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to enter this May 2024 article, titled, “Hempstead drinking water said to contain high levels of cancer-causing chemicals,” into the record.
“Thank you. Mr. Chairman, I’d like to ask every member of the Committee to look at the amazing woman you see behind me. This incredible woman, Ms. Mary Florence Purdie, is a lifelong resident of Hempstead, and a great-grandmother, who I am so honored to represent in Congress.
“For many years, Ms. Purdie noticed that many of her friends and neighbors were developing many different kinds of cancer. She noticed that the water quality she saw in her home was troubling looking. This is a view of the water that comes into her home. She realized that the cause may be carcinogens that were in the water supply in Hempstead.
“PFAS contamination causes serious health problems, including links to cancer, liver damage, and immune system disorders. My constituents, and Americans across the country, should not be subjected to these cancer-causing chemicals in their water supply and every time they turn on a faucet in their home.
“So, knowledge of these carcinogens activated the activist in Ms. Purdie and decided she was going to do something about it. She said she never ever had gone to any government hearing before in her life, but she went before the Nassau County Legislature and begged for their help to clean up the water in Hempstead.
“She said, ‘If no one is going to help me, I’ll do it myself. I’m an old lady and I have no business walking all over the Village of Hempstead, but I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure the residents here get clean water’ and so she did. She went to barbershops, she went to supermarkets, she went to gas stations, she recruited friends from her senior living club to go walk around the Village of Hempstead and making sure she had someone fluent in Spanish so everybody could understand what was going on with the water there. She said, 'no one said no.'
“I met Ms. Purdie at a meet and greet in my district during the summer and she gave me hundreds and hundreds of signatures on a petition she carried herself. A 74-year-old lady asking for help to get clean water in Hempstead. I promised her that if I got to Congress, I would advocate to make sure that every resident of Hempstead and our country has access to clean water. It shouldn’t matter where you live, whether or not you get cancer-free water.
“Mr. Chairman, I am here today, as a member of this Subcommittee, because of Ms. Mary Purdie, and every single resident of my district who deserves access to clean water and has been neglected by our government. Thanks to their hard work, in September, the town of Hempstead received $1.75 million in federal aid to help break ground on a new water treatment facility. And in November, the State of New York provided $37 million to help the village remove these harmful contaminants. While this money is critical, it does not go far enough. The project will cost up to $55 million to complete. Communities like Hempstead need Federal funding so the water my constituents use to bathe, clean, and drink is safe.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included $11.7 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund including $1 billion specifically dedicated to addressing emerging contaminants like PFAS. But it is not enough.”
“Thank you. I’m proud to represent people like Ms. Purdie, and I’m so grateful for her efforts to make Long Island a healthier, safer place to live. While she could not join us today, I look forward to continuing my work with her, and with all of you, to ensure that we do just that. And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.”