Suozzi Sends Letters to CEO of Northrup Grumman, Secretary of the Navy Requesting they Negotiate a Payout to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Today, Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Long Island, Queens) sent letters to the Secretary of the Navy, Richard Spencer and President and CEO of Northrop Grumman, Kathy Warden asking that they immediately begin negotiating a payout to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to streamline the management and expedite the cleanup of the Navy-Grumman plume that has plagued the Long Island community of Bethpage for more than 40 years.

In the letters, Congressman Suozzi starts by writing, “I do not wish to relitigate the past, but let us agree that:

1. the Navy and Northrop Grumman are the primarily responsible parties,
2. the cleanup has taken much too long, over 40 years,
3. no one wants to waste more funds on lawyers, engineers, additional studies and further bureaucratic delays, and
4. placing the cleanup in the hands of one accountable party (I suggest the DEC) would be most efficient.”

Suozzi went on to write, “We share the common goal of providing safe drinking water for all Americans. We must work together to ensure that the Navy-Grumman plume is remediated as quickly as possible. I look forwarding to working with you on this issue and overcoming any hurdles that would keep this approach from becoming a reality. I would be happy to facilitate negotiations if you believe that would be helpful.”

Suozzi also sent a letter to DEC Commissioner Seggos praising Governor Cuomo and DEC staff for proposing bold action and stepping up to lead the cleanup of the plume.

Since arriving to Congress, Suozzi has continued to work with the Bethpage Water District to bring all the responsible parties and stakeholders together to examine ways to expedite the cleanup of this plume that has gone on for more than 40 years and to give the community what they deserve. Clean drinking water.

Through Suozzi’s advocacy, he has:

• Increased funding by $42 million for the Navy’s Environmental Restoration account, thus increasing the funds available for cleanup in Bethpage;
• Has scheduled three annual meetings that bring together all the stakeholders to discuss ways to accelerate remediation and facilitate cooperation between stakeholders;
• Works as a liaison between Bethpage Water District and the Navy to facilitate payments, access information and examine options to accelerate/improve clean up; and
• Facilitated tours, meetings, exploration of site locations for cleanup and has made himself available to all concerned parties in order to expedite permitting and ultimate remediation of plume.