CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN URGES VERIZON BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO HONOR REQUEST OF RETIRED WORKERS AND DISCLOSE LOCATIONS OF TOXIC LEAD CABLES
Congressman Pat Ryan Urges Verizon Board of Directors to Honor Request of Retired Workers and Disclose Locations of Toxic Lead Cables
At Verizon’s Annual Shareholder Meeting on Thursday, May 9th, shareholders will vote on a proposal by the Association of BellTel Retirees, an organization of 100,000+ retirees, that would require Verizon to publicly disclose their lead cable network
Proposed investigation would require public disclosure of “a comprehensive mapping of the locations impacted and conclusions on the potential cost of remediation, along with the most responsible and cost‑effective way to prioritize the remediation of sites that pose a risk to public health”
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Pat Ryan continued his work to hold Verizon accountable for its network of abandoned toxic lead-sheathed cables that line the country, including locations across the Hudson Valley. Ryan wrote to Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg and the entire Verizon Board of Directors in regards to a shareholder proposal that would require the company to publicly disclose all locations impacted by lead cables and suggest the most responsible and cost-effective way to remediate sites that pose a risk to public health. Ryan called on Verizon to reverse their recommendation to vote against the proposal, and instead finally put safety over profits and give fair consideration to the proposal. The BellTel Retirees have a long track record of acting as an integral check for better governance practices. Since 2003, they have spurred 12 changes to corporate governance, including three by majority vote (2013, 2007, 2003).
“For almost a year, I’ve pushed Verizon to publicly disclose the location of their toxic lead cable network and provide a real plan for remediation. Now, Verizon retirees, the very people exposed to these toxic cables, are echoing that call to action, and Verizon’s board is trying to silence them. It is absolutely disgraceful,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “It’s time for Verizon to finally put safety ahead of profit and give full consideration to this shareholder proposal. They’re making billions of dollars on the backs of hard-working families, the least they can do is be honest about where the toxic cables are located.”
In July 2023, The Wall Street Journal found that there are more than 2,000 lead-sheathed cables across the United States, both aerial and underwater, that have been allowed to corrode and shed toxic lead into their surrounding environment. This included cables at Temple Park in Wappingers Falls.
In response to the July report, Congressman Ryan wrote to Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg, AT&T CEO John Stankey, and U.S. Telecom CEO Jonathan Spalter demanding additional information on the cables, including their locations and the corporations’ plans to conduct a full, safe clean up of the cables and their contamination.
U.S. Telecom’s response, linked here, did not address either of these concerns. Ryan then met with representatives of Verizon at his office in Washington D.C. This meeting did not lead to any further answers. To date, Verizon has refused to disclose the locations of these dangerous lead cables. Verizon is currently in litigation with the New York Department of Health as part of their effort to keep the locations of these dangerous lead cables hidden.
Due to the lack of response, Congressman Ryan’s team took it upon themselves to work with local linesmen to locate lead cables in the Hudson Valley. Ryan’s team and lead experts found lead cables across the Hudson Valley, including in Middletown, New Windsor and Poughkeepsie.
In January, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a landmark decision to crackdown on the sources of toxic lead exposures, the first time that the EPA lowered the acceptable screening levels for lead in decades. Congressman Ryan renewed his call for Verizon and AT&T to disclose the locations of the cables and commit to robust lead soil testing in the contaminated locations.
In March, Congressman Ryan gathered local elected officials, environmental groups, and concerned constituents to highlight the increasing threat of toxic lead-sheathed cables left abandoned across the Hudson Valley. The group called on Verizon and AT&T to publicly disclose the locations of all toxic cables in New York after finding hundreds of feet of abandoned cables in Cornwall, in addition to lead sheathed cables in Kingston and Wappingers Falls.
The corrosion of aging and outdated lead infrastructure, from cables to pipes, can cause toxic lead to leach into the environment, placing humans at risk for exposure. Lead exposure can cause severe health complications in humans, including neurological damage in children and cardiovascular, kidney, and reproductive health issues in adults. No amount of lead exposure is safe and the toxin can be stored in bones and teeth and accumulate in the body over time.
Congressman Ryan is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Water Resources Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the Clean Water Act and the EPA. Congressman Ryan has prioritized fighting for clean water, air, and soil for Hudson Valley families.
A copy of Ryan’s original letter to Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg and the Verizon Board of Directors appears below:
Dear Mr. Vestberg,
I write regarding the “Study and Report to Shareholders on Lead-Sheathed Cables” proposal made by the Association of BellTel Retirees Inc., to be voted on during the meeting of Verizon shareholders on May 9, 2024.
As you well know, the proposal calls upon Verizon to “undertake a comprehensive independent study and publicly release an independent report by December 2024 that demonstrates the Company has assessed all potential sources of liability related to lead‑sheathed cables, including a comprehensive mapping of the locations impacted and conclusions on the potential cost of remediation, along with the most responsible and cost‑effective way to prioritize the remediation of sites that pose a risk to public health.” In response, the Verizon Board of Directors has recommended shareholders vote against the proposal as it would be duplicative of Verizon’s ongoing work on the lead-sheathed cables crisis. I strongly disagree with the assertion that this study is duplicative and urge the Verizon Board of Directors to give free and fair consideration to this proposal.
Despite my repeated attempts, Verizon has to-date refused to publish location information on their lead-sheathed cables. While Verizon’s excuses may vary for keeping this information confidential, the fact remains that Americans are being kept in the dark about whether their children face exposure to unsafe levels of toxic lead from Verizon’s potentially-sprawling lead-sheathed cable network. Locations in my congressional district have undergone rounds of lead-related testing by state departments of health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including a children’s park. I would hope at this point nobody needs reminding, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “no safe blood lead level in children has been identified.” Even trace amounts of lead in a child’s system can pose severe risks to physical and mental development. The proposed “Study and Report to Shareholders on Lead-Sheathed Cables” calls for a comprehensive mapping of the impacted locations, which is long overdue.
Since the public has been denied access to any location data, we can only guess what the true footprint of Verizon’s lead-sheathed cable network is across the country. The absolute lack of location transparency does nothing to reassure the public, including Verizon shareholders, that this footprint is anything but vast. This proposed study would include estimates on remediation costs and methods to prioritize clean up of sites that pose a public health risk, both of which shareholders should be made aware of.
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