State Senate decides to hold its own Hoosick Falls hearings

Two days after the state Assembly overcame its reluctance to hold hearings touching on the toxic contamination crisis in Rensselaer County, the state Senate has decided to conduct them — including one session in Hoosick Falls.

In a statement, Republican Majority Leader John Flanagan said the hearings would allow the Senate “to explore the sources of water contamination, examine state and federal oversight issues, and determine how we can prevent this from happening in the future. … It goes without saying that we welcome the opportunity to partner with the Assembly to maximize the focus on this important issue.”

The news represented a reversal by Flanagan and Sen. Kathy Marchione, R-Halfmoon, who have faced considerable pressure to hold hearings — especially after this week’s news that the U.S. Congress had asked Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to produce materials related to the state and federal response to the PFOA crisis.

Without ruling out the possibility of conducting them, Marchione as recently as a month ago expressed concern that they could create friction between state officials and the people in the affected communities.

Read more: http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/265077/state-senate-decides-to-hold-its-own-hoosick-falls-hearings/