Niagara, N.Y. (WBEN) - In an effort to break red tape-like log jams that are impacting Niagara County families who homes were discovered to house long-buried radioactive waste, State Sen. Rob Ortt has a face-to-face meeting with top level federal Environmental Protection Agency leaders including its administrator Lee Zeldin.
Ortt will be meeting with Zeldin on Thursday on behalf of Niagara County families impacted by radioactive waste, some of which dates back to the 1940s and the Manhattan Project era.
"We so appreciate him (Ortt) doing this," said Lexi Hawk, one of four Town of Niagara residents who are being relocated because of high levels of buried radioactive waste found in her backyard. "Someone is thinking of us."
Ortt was one of the early political advocates for the Niagara County families and has been pushing for the New York State leaders to adjust its own Superfund program to include radioactive waste victims for total benefits.
A close friend of Zeldin dating back to their days in the State Senate and their respective military backgrounds, Ortt has been pushing for a meeting since the radioactive waste issue emerged in July.
"The fact of the matter is that these people need our help," Ortt said, "I want this handled properly but also in a timely matter."
That is what Ortt will be pushing for during his 40-minute Sept. 24 meeting with Zeldin.
"I want to hear what their time frame is and what else is on the table," Ortt said.
The entire radioactive waste issue is a relatively new one for Niagara County and the region. It adds another chapter to the county's environmental legacy dating back to the Love Canal days on the 1970s and early 1980s.
State and federal issues have run tests on more than 1,020 Niagara County homes and 730 have been cleared.
More detailed tests are set for 39 Niagara County homes.
In the Town of Niagara four homes in the Military Park neighborhood recorded astronomic levels of radioactive contamination.
All four families have either been relocated or will soon be relocated.
"This is a big issue and I want to remind Lee of that," Ortt said. "I know this was not on his 2026 Bingo card, but here it is."
The State Senate Minority Leader is meeting about radioactive waste buried in Niagara County
The State Senate Minority Leader is meeting about radioactive waste buried in Niagara County
