As your state senator, the most important priority I have is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people of our district and of New York. I want to discuss two steps that I am taking and to ask for your support to help make them a reality.

The first deals with our most precious resource, our drinking water.

The decision whether to allow high-volume hydraulic fracturing is coming — and it rests squarely on the shoulders of Gov. Cuomo. The deadline for his decision is scheduled for later this month. As have other senators, I have pressed the governor to strongly consider the long-term negative effects that allowing this practice would bring to our communities.

A popular “solution” to the toxic fracking wastewater problem is to sell it for the manufacture of road de-icing products. I have submitted a bill, the NY Clean Streets Act, which will ban these products from being used on New York roads, thus preventing toxic runoff from coming into direct contact with our children, leaching into our water supply and infesting the crops raised on roadside farms.

The health of the people of our region is also threatened by the acceleration of tick-borne illness, such as Lyme disease. We must respond to these complex and debilitating diseases with every resource at our disposal. My bill, TickBITE (Tick Borne-Illness Treatment and Education Act), provides funding for tick-borne illness prevention and education programs. It will also hold insurance companies accountable for covering treatment costs.

Protecting our health, safety and environment is a key to economic development in our region, a priority all of us share. Healthy and clean communities are the bedrock of prosperous communities. My two bills will help lay a foundation for strong, economic growth.

Sen. Terry Gipson, Albany

Gipson’s district includes Dutchess and Putnam counties.

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Type: Opinion

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