Editor, The Spotlight;
Despite the opposition of the Bethlehem Town Board, on May 11th the Albany County Legislature passed significant environmental legislation that will ensure the availability of safe drinking water for all Albany County residents. The new “Drinking Water Protection Law” prohibits blasting in areas where damage to drinking supplies may occur and it provides well owners with the right to both “pre” and “post” blast water supply analyses. The law also authorizes the County Health Department to impose fines and provide remediation where blasting causes damage to water supplies.
The bill, co-sponsored by Bethlehem area legislators L. Michael Mackey (District. 38), Herbert W. Reilly, Jr. (33), Thomas J. Cotrofeld, Jr. (34), Frank J. Commisso (11), and Justin O. Corcoran (9), was drafted in response to plans for the “Kinder-Morgan” gas pipeline which, when completed, will transport gas through the towns of Bethlehem, New Scotland, Berne, and Knox. The bill garnered supporting resolutions from town boards in New Scotland, Berne, and Knox and passed by a unanimous vote by the Legislature. Only Bethlehem stood in opposition with Town Board member and County Legislature candidate Bill Reinhardt speaking publicly against the measure.
While clearly out-of-step with the rest of Albany County, the Bethlehem Town Board has continued its time honored tradition of marching in lockstep to the cadence called by the town’s Democrat machine. In this instance it subordinated legitimate environmental concerns to the interests of “Big Oil”, coincidently, the type of firms represented by Party Boss Jeff Kuhn’s law firm, DLA Piper.
And while we now know our drinking water will be protected we may never know the why Bethlehem officials stood shoulder to shoulder in opposition to the Drinking Water Protection Law. We are also left with the knowledge that our Town government, hog-tied by political allegiances and suffering from apparent conflicts of interest, is ill suited to provide the kind of open and transparent government we have been promised. It’s time for the Board to change its ways or for residents to change the Town Board.
Dan Cunningham
Delmar
Editor’s Note: The Bethlehem Town Board had not voted on the subject. When Spotlight News approached town trustee Bill Reinhardt, he said he was in favor of the measure.
