[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 22, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H1323-H1324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD SECTOR LONG ISLAND SOUND

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Santos) for 30 minutes.
  Mr. SANTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the dedicated men 
and women of the United States Coast Guard Sector Long Island located 
in NY-3 that stretches from Eatons Neck and just beyond Kings Point. It 
is one of the oldest Coast Guard stations in New York and the fourth 
oldest in the United States.
  They carry out humanitarian services, such as search and rescue. They 
are maritime security, which is their top priority, along with port 
security. They are the law enforcement service branch of the United 
States Armed Forces. The United States Coast Guard is the largest and 
most powerful coast guard in the world, and it rivals most navies.
  During 9/11, these unsung heroes evacuated some 565,000 people from 
Manhattan who chose the water route to escape NYC. In addition, their 
search and rescue ops increased by 35 percent during the pandemic, with 
a 22 percent increase in fatalities.
  While keeping vigilant of our coast, they also take the fight to gun, 
drug, and human smugglers out on the high seas.
  Their mission-related activity is being carried out despite a $4 
billion backlog in infrastructure, including the old station building 
at Eatons Neck, structural issues with the U.S. Coast Guard station in 
Saugerties, as well as flooding, mold, lead, and asbestos issues at 
each of the U.S. Coast Guard stations on the South Shore. Because of 
these conditions, the Coast Guard staff must clean up the basements 
late at night instead of getting proper sleep after handling search and 
rescue operations all day.
  As you can see, these are the conditions behind me of what the men 
and women who serve our country honorably have to endure.
  All of this is being carried out with about 100 reservists from New 
York and 40,000 members nationwide, some of whom have difficulty 
receiving mental health services. Being stationed at some of these 
facilities can become a long and lonely mission due to long winters and 
very little social life.

                              {time}  2000

  Sadly, there are also pay and housing issues, some U.S. Coast Guard 
staff are utilizing food pantries and have difficulties finding 
affordable housing within enough driving distance of their station. 
This results in morale and recruiting issues.
  Lastly, there are some 3,000 offshore wind turbines that are coming 
and posing a major concern for the Coast Guard when it comes to 
performing search and rescue. Their helicopters would have to carefully 
navigate a waterway during a rescue operation without getting caught up 
in the wind turbines in addition to Coast Guard vessels having 
difficulties with their radar capabilities navigating in and around 
these windmills.
  I would also add that the construction of these turbines can take up 
to 15 to 20 years to build, resulting in an expected 1,800 transits up 
the Hudson River from the Port of New York and out to sea. This places 
a huge responsibility on the shoulders of the Coast Guard to ensure the 
safety of all those types of boaters and vessels.
  Madam Speaker, I highlight these concerns because they operate under 
a limited budget. They deserve proper pay, rest, housing, medical, as 
well as mental health, and above all, our sincere gratitude.
  These dedicated men and women are truly the unsung heroes of our 
military force who protect our coasts, protect our economic and 
security interests abroad, saving thousands of lives a year at sea, and 
providing emergency response to both manmade and natural disasters.
  The Coast Guard ethos are:

  In Service to our Nation
  With honor, respect, and devotion to duty
  We protect,
  We defend,
  We save,
  We are semper paratus.
  We are the United States Coast Guard.

  I thank the U.S. Coast Guard for their dedication to protecting other 
coastal borders and keeping those at sea safe from harm.


                          Safe Drinking Water

  Mr. SANTOS. Madam Speaker, most of us would take this for granted and 
never think twice about the water we drink. We assume it is safe and 
that the contaminants have been filtered out. I am here to address the 
water contamination concern that is affecting communities within New 
York's Third Congressional District.
  The Village of Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island 
in Nassau County. The Village is serviced by two different water 
utilities: the Village of Farmingdale Water Department that serves 
approximately 9,500 residents, and the South Farmingdale Water 
District, which serves approximately 45,000 residents. One of the water 
plants is already impacted by contaminants and the second is in danger 
of approaching contamination within 11 months.
  PFAS substances, which are commonly known as PFAS are chemicals used 
for their waterproofing and stain resistance. They typically can be 
found in a variety of products, such as fabric conditioners, 
firefighting foam, and older styles of Teflon. They are also known as 
``forever chemicals'' that never break down in water and soil, and 
accumulate and persist in the human body. Health effects from PFAS can 
vary. According to the CDC, PFAS may lead to high cholesterol, 
increased risk of kidney cancer, liver problems, and decreases in birth 
weight.
  Currently, the Village of Farmingdale is trying to address these 
emerging contaminants, including 1,4-dioxane and PFAS that are 
emanating from plumes in the aquifer from various hazardous waste sites 
outside of the boundaries of the Village. The Village is in the process 
of constructing an advanced oxidation plant, AOP, and granulated 
activated carbon filters to remove PFAS and 1,4-dioxane compounds at 
this location.
  The reality is, in 11 months 9,500 people in the Village of 
Farmingdale are at risk of having no access to clean water if we do 
nothing about it.
  Unfortunately, these contaminants have already impacted one of the 
water supply wells located at Eastern Parkway where the Village 
operates a 1.73-million-gallon per day well, also known as well 1-3. As 
a result, well 1-3 has been offline since July of 2021, and the Village 
of Farmingdale has declared an emergency.
  In December of 2019, the New York State Department of Environmental 
Conservation directed the installation of sentinel wells near the 
Village of Farmingdale's boundaries, which is a

[[Page H1324]]

short distance of approximately 1,500 feet of both water plants to 
monitor the toxic plume and the impact.
  A sentinel well is a groundwater monitoring well located between a 
known area of groundwater contamination and a drinking water supply 
well. This pending contamination necessitates that the Village of 
Farmingdale implement costly filtration systems not just for well 1 but 
also for the two remaining operational wells, 2 and 3.
  Farmingdale's most recent sample indicates a significant increase in 
contamination concentrations of the two remaining operational wells. 
Concentrations in these sentinel wells exceed the current standards. 
Concentrations of 1,4-dioxane have risen from 1.7 ppb, parts per 
billion, in June of 2021 to 3.4 parts per billion in March of 2022.
  In 2017, a nonprofit known as the Environmental Working Group 
collaborated with scientists, aggregated, and analyzed data from 50,000 
local water utilities in all 50 States. For the Village of Farmingdale, 
the group discovered six contaminants across the supply between 2012 
and 2017. The following contaminants include chromium, nitrate, nitrate 
and nitrite, radium, arsenic, and radium.
  For the Village residents and businesses to have a safe supply of 
potable water, the Village is preparing contingency plans which will 
also have a significant financial impact on the small Village. This is 
just one small community facing contaminated water and, unfortunately, 
they are not alone.
  While I am pleased that New York became the first State in the Nation 
to adopt drinking water standards, at the Federal level we should be 
doing more to invest in our water infrastructure improvement projects.

  Clean water should never be a luxury to any community. In fact, clean 
water should always be a right to every American citizen.


                Defending the Taxpayers of Nassau County

  Mr. SANTOS. Madam Speaker, today, I have to defend the taxpayers 
living in Nassau County. As Long Island becomes less affordable and 
inflation disrupts our everyday lives, Long Islanders are struggling to 
pay taxes.
  Our homeowners in Nassau County are now being required to pay an 
additional 2.06 percent in school taxes for 2023 through 2024. Nassau 
County ranks among eight counties nationwide with the highest median 
property tax, which consists of 60 percent in school tax. One of the 
more affluent school districts in New York's Third District, Jericho, 
is proposing a 2.77 percent tax increase.
  The district will pay an additional $2.6 million in health insurance, 
along with $700,000 more for public school bus transportation. This is 
why the taxpayers of Long Island would greatly benefit from my bill, 
H.R. 1360, the SALT Relief Act.
  All taxpayers need a buffer, especially during times of economic 
hardship. My bill is designed to keep money in taxpayers' wallets while 
keeping residents on Long Island.
  I am calling on my colleagues to cosponsor my bill and consider what 
is at stake for all American families.


            Congratulating Students Emily Kim and Kevin Zhu

  Mr. SANTOS. I would like to take the time to congratulate Emily Kim 
and Kevin Zhu of Jericho High School on becoming finalists in the 2023 
Regeneron Science Talent Search.
  Both Emily and Kevin had the experience of presenting their research 
for a week in the Nation's Capital and were awarded $25,000 based on 
their research skills and promise as scientists.
  Emily and Kevin were chosen to compete out of 1,949 students from 628 
high schools across 48 States, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and four 
other countries.
  Emily's project studied activated carbon and its potential to treat 
the wastewater produced by the fast-fashion and textile industries.
  Kevin Zhu's project studied change in DNA associated with 
neurological disease and how the changes can serve as a measurable 
indicator for future cancer blood tests.
  These extraordinary students, although very young, have set the bar 
for the many likely to follow in their footsteps. Now, more than ever, 
scientific research and STEM skills are vital to solving some of the 
world's most complex problems.
  Bright minds such as Kevin's and Emily's are on the cutting edge of 
breakthrough discoveries.
  Congratulations to you both, and may you have great success in the 
future and in your career.


      Congratulating the Manhasset Indians Girls' Basketball Team

  Mr. SANTOS. Madam Speaker, I congratulate the Manhasset Indians 
girls' basketball team for their outstanding performance this month. On 
March 11th, they played an impressive game and, what many may argue, 
was their most competitive game all season.
  With just 70 seconds left and what appeared to be their certain 
defeat, the girls gave it their all and scored six straight points, 
including an astonishing free throw from senior grad Caitlin Barrett.
  Their junior forward Lauren Perfetto scored 12 points and grabbed 11 
rebounds in what some have called the best game of her career. The 
girls tied the game at 45 and went into overtime, then wrapped the game 
with a three-point lead.
  With demonstrated composure, resilience, and teamwork, the Manhasset 
Indians set the bar in athleticism. I know that you work so hard and 
thank you for making this historic mark in Manhasset's history. Keep 
your chin up, ladies.
  Congratulations to the Manhasset Indians Girls' basketball team.


                            Honored to Serve

  Mr. SANTOS. Madam Speaker, it is an honor to serve in the House of 
Representatives and it is an honor to represent the constituents of the 
Third Congressional District of New York and to come here every day and 
fight for the interests of our constituents.
  I thank the Speaker and the staff for all your work and for all the 
dedication to the American people.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

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