Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling for increased transparency and the infrastructure needed to provide the people of New York with clean drinking water. With issues in Hoosick Falls, Ithaca city schools, Binghamton city schools, and potential issues in Orleans and Bethlehem, the need for a revamped infrastructure has never been more apparent. Albany has known of one of these issues since 2005, yet only started to act after a private citizen submitted a water test after a family member died from cancer and the test revealed elevated levels of a potential carcinogen.

“These water reports should be made available online for the people of our communities. The Department of Health is doing the people’s business and the people should get to see the reports,” Friend said. “We must invest in infrastructure to ensure people have access to clean water. Over the next month our state is going to craft its budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and at the very front and center of these discussions we have to include the funds to revamp our infrastructure. New York is too great a state to have whole communities without access to clean water. This is a necessity that I will fight for every day in Albany.”

Friend is the Ranking Minority Member on the Assembly Committee on Local Government.