FOLLOWING LANDMARK EPA DECISION TO CRACKDOWN ON DANGEROUS LEAD EXPOSURES, CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN DEMANDS VERIZON AND AT&T IMMEDIATELY DISCLOSE ALL LEAD CABLE LOCATIONS IN NEW YORK, COMMIT TO ROBUST LEAD SOIL TESTING IN WAPPINGERS FALLS AND BEYOND
Following Landmark EPA Decision to Crackdown on Dangerous Lead Exposures, Congressman Pat Ryan Demands Verizon and AT&T Immediately Disclose All Lead Cable Locations in New York, Commit to Robust Lead Soil Testing in Wappingers Falls and Beyond
Yesterday, for the first time in 30 years, the EPA updated their guidelines on the safe amount of lead in soil; 5 locations previously tested by the New York Department of Health (NYDOH) at Temple Park in Wappingers Falls are now above the recommended lead levels
Both Verizon and AT&T have refused multiple requests from Ryan to publicly disclose the locations of these dangerous cables; Verizon is currently in litigation with NYDOH as part of their effort to keep the locations hidden from the public
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, following a landmark Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to crackdown on the sources of toxic lead exposures, Congressman Pat Ryan demanded that Verizon and AT&T immediately disclose the locations of all lead cables in New York, and commit to robust lead testing at high risk sites across the state, including Temple Park in Wappingers Falls. Both Verizon and AT&T have refused multiple requests from Congressman Ryan to tell the public the location of these 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. 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. This is the first time the EPA has lowered screening levels for lead in 30 years.
“There is no safe or acceptable level of lead for our kids, whether it comes from pipes or cables. Yet Verizon and AT&T are knowingly exposing your children and mine to toxic lead cables while refusing to take any responsibility. Yesterday’s EPA decision makes it even more clear: we need urgent action now,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “This is a serious and far reaching public health matter, and we need to mobilize a robust response at all levels of government. I’m calling on Verizon and AT&T to disclose the locations of these toxic lead cables and commit to robust testing so we can fix this problem once and for all.”
“The EPA’s change in guidance is long overdue, and reflects the urgency felt by experts across the public health industry. It is indisputably in the public’s interest for the telecom giants to reveal the locations of their lead cables both in New York and across the country so fulsome soil testing can occur,” said Dr. Jack Caravanos, Clinical Professor of Environmental Public Health Sciences at the NYU School of Public Health. “I’ve personally tested lead cable sites throughout New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana, and the results are deeply troubling. We can’t ignore this crisis any longer.”
In July, The Wall Street Journal found that there are more than 2,000 lead-sheathed cables across the United States, both aerial and underwater cables, that have not been addressed by either companies or by environmental regulators. This included cables at Temple Park in Wappingers Falls, as well as other locations across New York.
The legacy lead cable networks are no longer in use and are shedding toxic lead into the surrounding environment. 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.
In response to this original bombshell report, Congressman Ryan wrote to Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg, AT&T CEO John Stankey and U.S. Telecom CEO Jonathan Spalter demanding answers as to the location of these lead cables and their plans for remediation.
US 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.
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.
Congressman Ryan has prioritized fighting for clean water, air, and soil for Hudson Valley families. In 2023, he brought EPA leadership to Poughkeepsie to assist the city in addressing its lead pipe crisis. Congressman Ryan has also taken on big corporations that have polluted the Hudson Valley and River, including demanding that GE conduct a full clean up of its PCB pollution in the Hudson River and calling on Holtec to cease its plan to dump radioactive waste into the Hudson River. Ryan led the charge to prevent the Coast Guard from allowing polluting oil barges from anchoring in the Hudson River, introducing the Hudson River Protection Act to permanently ban barges from anchoring on the River. He has repeatedly called for a PFAS clean up at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh and recently passed legislation requiring the Department of Defense to investigate PFAS contamination on military bases as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. He recently introduced the PFAS Action Act, the most comprehensive crackdown on “forever chemicals” to date.
###