Entries by Rebecca Martin

Senator Michelle Hinchey Urges NYS DEC to Adopt Urgent Leachate Regulations

Senator Michelle Hinchey (District 41)  sent a strong letter to the NYS DEC in January, urging the agency to adopt new regulations requiring the onsite treatment and disposal of landfill leachate as soon as possible. “As the Senator for New York’s 41st District, I was deeply concerned to learn of the harmful release of leachate […]

Join our coalition of partners to take action today

Join our expanding coalition of partners advocating for stronger leachate management in New York State and beyond.  Take action with us to urge the NYSDEC to implement new regulations for the onsite treatment and disposal of leachate at landfills. #leachateloophole

Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger Sends Request for Rulemaking to NYSDEC

On February 18, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger sent a letter to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) urging the state to begin rulemaking for new regulations aimed at improving the management, treatment, and disposal of landfill leachate. This letter is the result of action encouraged by the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers […]

Leachate & Petrochemicals

To stop landfill leachate from polluting our water, we need to stop the practice of passing leachate through sewer treatment plants (STPs), which are not equipped to treat it. This is why we are urging DEC to open a rule-making to change leachate disposal practices. Reconfiguring our infrastructure to handle this leachate responsibly is no […]

The Leachate Loophole: A Closer Look at Testing and Regulation Gaps

As more municipalities respond to the concerns raised in the Leachate Loophole report, there’s growing interest to test effluent from sewage plants. To better understand how to approach this testing, we looked at two key guidelines in New York State: the EPA Method 1633A and the NYS State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit Strategy. […]

NYS Legislators and Advocates Press DEC Acting Commissioner on Leachate Loophole During 2025 Budget Hearings

On Tuesday, January 28, a Joint Legislative Public Hearing of the New York State Assembly and Senate gathered during the 2025 Executive Budget Proposal related to Environmental Conservation and Energy.  During the hearings, Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick (District 66), Senator Michelle Hinchey (District 41), and Hudson Riverkeeper all raised critical questions to Acting Commissioner of […]

Grant Funding is Available in NYS for Emerging Contaminant Treatment at Landfills 

UPDATE:  The status of the federal funding described in this blog post is uncertain. President Trump’s White House froze all federal grant and loan payments on January 27, 2025. As of February 5, 2025, the order has been rescinded by the Federal Government and blocked by two federal​ judges, but funding is not being paid out. While […]