State and federal agencies are expanding radiological testing to nine Southtowns communities after earlier surveys identified areas needing closer ground-level evaluation. Officials stress that does not mean contamination has been found.
Assemblymember Patrick Burke represents the 142nd District, which includes several of the Southtowns communities part of the expanded radiological surveys. He said no contamination has been confirmed there, but acknowledged the announcement hit close to home when officials from the state Department of Environmental Conservation contacted his office.
“Frankly, as someone who lives down here, it's concerning to me," he said. "My immediate thoughts were: My kids playing in the backyard."
Aerial surveys identified rock formations and other structures that could be associated with contaminated material and now require ground-level testing, according to Burke. He cautioned that those findings alone are not evidence of a broader contamination problem but said state environmental officials need to keep residents informed as the investigation continues.
“I think they just need to go through the process and be very intentional and be very communicative and be as transparent as possible, though," he said.
Burke said he is seeking more information from the state DEC about roughly 15 areas of interest and wants the agency to publicly share what it can about why those locations were flagged. When asked whether Buffalo should also be included in the testing, Burke told BTPM News he supports a broad investigation while cautioning against unnecessarily alarming residents. He said transparency is particularly important because of what residents have already experienced with radioactive contamination in Niagara Falls.
“The ball was dropped in Niagara Falls for a very long time, and then recently, I think these folks are just now being relocated. More needs to be done,” Burke said.
The assemblymember also argued the federal government should take a larger role in investigating the region’s radioactive legacy. Burke said tracking where potentially contaminated material might have ended up decades ago can be difficult and a more comprehensive investigation would require federal resources and expertise if contamination is confirmed.
“If there are findings, the federal government has to come in and take over and take control. They're the ones with the resources, with the expertise, and frankly, it's their contamination, if that’s the case," he said.
Burke said he is also pressing the state DEC for greater transparency about the areas now being investigated and wants residents to have a clear process for getting answers about environmental concerns in their communities.
