Entries by Rebecca Martin

Ulster County Environmental Management Council urge the DEC to adopt new regulations for onsite treatment and disposal of landfill leachate

The Ulster County Environmental Management Council (EMC) has formally urged the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to take immediate action to protect public health and water quality by closing the “Leachate Loophole.” The EMC is an advisory body made up of representatives from municipalities across Ulster County. Members are appointed by the […]

Bearing Witness in Brookhaven, NY: A Visit with Monique Fitzgerald of BLARG (Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group)

By Rebecca Martin This summer, a small group of advocates—including Rhonda Keyser, a talented artist, Program and Policy Director at Cafeteria Culture  and member of the Brooklyn Solid Waste Advisory Board, Natalie Russianoff, Program Assistant at Beyond Plastics; and myself—traveled to Brookhaven, NY (North Bellport) to visit Monique Fitzgerald, co-founder of BLARG (Brookhaven Landfill Action […]

Albany Times Union (Sunday): “What’s in Colonie’s drinking water?”

There was a great letter to the editor in this weekend’s Albany Times Union: What’s in Colonie’s drinking water? Albany Times Union (Sunday) 27 Jul 2025 Although it is illegal to discharge landfill leachate directly into waterways, state law allows this poisonous concoction to be piped through municipal sewer systems and then into waterbodies, including […]

Buffalo News: “As feds roll back PFAS regulations, New York needs to step up”

We’re pleased to share an op-ed published in today’s Buffalo News, co-authored with one of our key coalition partners, Yvonne Taylor of Seneca Lake Guardian.  Special thanks to Meg Fitzgerald of BerlinRosen for her support and assistance.   ANOTHER VOICE | PUBLIC HEALTH Another Voice: As feds roll back PFAS regulations, New York needs to […]

Definition of “Treatment”

      Shortly after we published our report, we needed to use different terminology to refer to the facilities that process sewage. In January, we began to use the term Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) rather than Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). We did this because “Wastewater Treatment Plant” implies that these facilities treat a broad […]

Rebecca Martin to Be Honored with Stewardship Award by Woodstock Land Conservancy

The Woodstock Land Conservancy (WLC) will honor Rebecca Martin, project manager of the Leachate Loophole and a longtime Hudson Valley environmental advocate, with the William R. Ginsberg Stewardship Award at its 13th annual Vernal Fling on May 17 at White Feather Farm in the Hudson Valley. Martin, known for her leadership with KingstonCitizens.org, Kingston Land […]

Towns in Ulster County early response to the Leachate Loophole report

  It’s encouraging to see the impact of our Leachate Loophole report. After reviewing our report, the City of Kingston, located in Ulster County, NY,  stopped accepting leachate from the Town of Hurley’s Superfund landfill—prompting important conversations and progress. We helped connect the town with engineers working on onsite treatment technologies, including one system we […]

Hudson and Mohawk Rivers Leachate Coalition Hosts Riverkeeper Attorney on Rulemaking

In April, the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers Leachate Coalition hosted Drew Gamils, Senior Attorney at Riverkeeper, for a presentation on the New York State rulemaking process. The session was timed to prepare coalition partners for an upcoming rulemaking proposed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation since 2023, which aims to address the critical issue […]

Ulster County Legislature Urges State to Regulate Landfill Leachate Treatment

In a unanimous April vote, the Ulster County Legislature passed a resolution urging the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to initiate a rulemaking process to establish new regulations under 6 NYCRR Parts 360 & 363 for the onsite treatment and disposal of landfill leachate. The resolution was sent to key state officials, […]