New York lawmakers and environmentalists are working to prevent radioactive wastewater from being dumped into the Hudson River. As part of the decommissioning of the Indian Point Energy Center, the facility's owner Holtec International is considering dumping treated but radioactive waste into the river. More than $1 billion was spent cleaning up pollution in the river with 200 miles of it still classified as a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ellen Weininger, director of education and outreach, Grassroots Environmental Education, said impacts this dumping have on communities connected to the Hudson.

"There's concerns about potential health effects of this radioactive material, not only on public health but on the ecosystem of the Hudson River. Of course the economy, up and down the Hudson, is of great concern and at risk," she said.

She added several towns in the region use the Hudson as their source of drinking water, which can lead to massive health risks. Anyone who wants to provide public comments on this can do so at a special meeting of the Indian Point Decommissioning Board. People can register to comment online or by phone at 1-800-342-3330.

Initially, Holtec planned to dump the wastewater in August, but moved its timeline up to the first week of May. Then, following public outcry, the plan has been halted for the time being.

George Latimer, George Latimer, Westchester County Executive, said there are alternative removal methods Holtec can consider.

"You could maintain it. You don't move it off site. You somehow better contain it, putting some topping or roof over it, and then you have to have a mechanism to keep it cool," he explained. "And, it would still be radioactive, and it would still be present on the property, but in theory, if you do that properly, then it won't leach out and get into the groundwater."

In early March, the Westchester County Board of Legislators passed legislation opposing Holtec's dumping plan. Along with Latimer, the county executives from Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess and Ulster counties have condemned Holtec's plan to pause dumping, but not halt it entirely.

In the state Legislature, a bill to ban radioactive waste has been introduced. The bill would fine violators $25,000 per day if caught dumping radiological agents into New York State waters. Second violation fines would increase to $50,000 a day.

State Sen. Pete Harckham, D-Peekskill, the bill's sponsor, said this bill is necessary.

"We've got to get away from this industrial-age mentality of locating polluting industries next to water bodies just because they're an expedient way to discharge industrial waste," he said.

He added there has been an outpouring of support for this bill. Since Holtec has paused the dumping, Harckham is hoping to negotiate in good faith. The bill won't be passed right away if Holtec decides not to dump the wastewater, he said. The bill is under review in the state Senate's Environmental Conservation Committee.

Environmental groups say more should be done to protect people's health from what they call toxic, radioactive sludge.

A court granted a temporary restraining order against Austin Master Services, a fracking waste-storage facility in Martin's Ferry, at the request of Ohio Attorney General David Yost.

Ohio has some of the least-restrictive rules on fracking waste, said Jill Hunkler, director of the local advocacy group Ohio Valley Allies. She said this makes communities "dumping grounds" for the byproducts of fracking, and residents are often left to educate themselves on the risks of living near fracking operations and waste sites.

"We can see firsthand how dangerous these facilities were and how poorly they were operating," she said, "and right within 500 feet of the drinking water supply for 5 million people, which is the Ohio River."

At a city council meeting, residents voiced their concerns about water-supply safety and ongoing health risks for neighboring communities.

In a legal complaint, the AG's office said the Martin's Ferry facility has exceeded the amount of waste it's permitted to store by thousands of tons.

Austin Master Services could not be reached for comment. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources maintains there's no evidence the waste has affected public health.

Hunkler said a judge ordered Austin Master Services to clean up the excess waste at a recent hearing, but the company said it didn't have the money to do so.

"It's just a very good example of the failure here to adequately regulate and enforce and protect the communities from this toxic industry," she added.

According to Food and Water Watch, fracking waste contains a mixture of heavy metals, brines, volatile organic compounds, carcinogens and naturally occurring radioactive contaminants. Yale University research has linked exposure to some of these substances to reproductive and developmental problems.


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Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, say they continue to live with health problems, including rashes, nosebleeds and respiratory issues following last year's massive train derailment and chemical spill.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 177 tons of solid waste of solid waste and 68 million gallons of water have been transported out of East Palestine for disposal.

Jess Conard, Appalachia director for the advocacy group Beyond Plastics, said vinyl chloride is a key ingredient in making PVC plastic. She argued the disaster highlighted the need to reduce production of industrial plastic and better regulate all stages of the plastic life cycle. She added residents still do not have the resources needed to stay safe.

"We are also in desperate need of residential indoor and outdoor air monitoring and air assessments for our homes," Conard contended. "There are residents within the past month that have reported detections of vinyl chloride outside of their home."

Norfolk Southern recently agreed to a $600 million settlement in an attempt to resolve a string of lawsuits involving thousands of people.

If it gets approval from all parties, it would resolve all class-action claims by people and businesses who were within a 20-mile radius of the derailment site, and personal injury claims within 10 miles. In a statement on the company's website, the company stressed the settlement does not constitute any admission of liability, wrongdoing or fault.

Conard pointed out the settlement will not prevent another train-related environmental disaster from happening. She noted the amount of money in the proposed settlement will hardly leave a dent in the pockets of a company whose profits topped $8 billion last year.

"If the court accepts this settlement, it sets the precedent that there is a corporate price tag for poisoning communities," Conard asserted. "The court must uphold justice for the people."

Congress has stalled on passage of legislation to boost regulations around inspections and fines for railroad companies violating safety standards. Earlier this month, the Biden administration passed a new rule requiring freight operators to have at least two people on board, in an attempt to increase safety.

Chemical plants in West Virginia and other states will be required to curb emissions of toxic, cancer causing pollutants - such as ethylene oxide, chloroprene and other chemicals - under a new Environmental Protection Agency rule.

Hundreds of facilities, most located near low-income or communities of color, will also have to collect air pollution data and submit it to the EPA.

The data will also be made available to communities, which Jeremy Symons - a senior advisor with the Environmental Protection Network - said is an important tool for transparency and environmental justice.

"Not only will this action by EPA reduce these dangerous toxic air pollutants by 96%," said Symons, "but they're also going to require chemical plants to install fenceline air-pollution monitors."

Research has shown that long-term exposure to ethylene oxide and chloroprene can increase the risk of certain types of cancer, such as lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer and liver cancer.

Children are particularly at risk.

The Biden administration says the rule will slash more than 6,200 tons of toxic air pollution each year in affected regions.

Symons, a former EPA advisor, said the rules come after years of work by local community members and environmental organizations that have sounded the alarm on the impact of deadly air pollution.

"There's been especially high cancer rates in these communities," said Symons. "So it's really significant that EPA has taken action and gone into the communities that have not been protected as much as they should be in the past."

A handful of companies in West Virginia - including Chemours, Koppers and Altivia - will have to comply with the new rules.

Investigative reporting published in 2021 by Mountain State Spotlight and ProPublica have revealed how toxic chemical pollution has harmed the state's majority Black communities.