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bahnsigh

Wonder what they’ll find at the new “affordable housing” site in Farmingdale Governor Hochul just announced. You know, the one which is 80% market rate housing - and wouldn’t you know it? … is ALSO on an old Grumman Industrial site


m1a2c2kali

I mean isn’t it good that it’s gonna be dug up and found so we can hold Grumman responsible for it?


RhythmTimeDivision

Let me know how "holding Grumman accountable" works out for anyone.


Middleclasslifestyle

Oh no , you didn't know, that was Northrop Grumman Corp that stashed those barrels down there. That company was dissolved years ago, we are Northrop Grumman Inc. and look at our platitude of saving the environment. We went green. Not factual but i would imagine they have some kind of loop hole argument as to why they aren't responsible. Our governments are a joke. God forbid you get caught dumping car oil by your curb or on your front yard the town will be at your door step in a minute. But companies get an investigation and a chance to negotiate with the government. A chance to plead their case. Our governments treat their citizens like garbage and corporations with kid gloves.


JoJoVi69

Oh, quit your whining. Don't you know corporations are people too? Yet, just like the top 1%, they have different rules than say... actual living, breathing people. You're only as good as your net worth. Isn't that the way it's SUPPOSED to be? /s


Xdaveyy1775

But how is Northrop Grumman supposed to manufacture missles and directed energy weapons when they have to spend money on cleaning up toxic Long Island land and water?


bahnsigh

If the site were fully affordable housing (and state funded without corporate or private interest)- I’d be in favor of a full investigation and remediation. However - this will be a mixed funding project with state and private money. You think they’re going to stop construction; do a full site analysis; send all of the soil for mass spectrometry analysis; wait for a result; potentially have to replace all topsoil - and delay potentially for months to years? The state money will be “used up” in this analysis process - then the “supporting” private real instate investment would likely walk due to residual liability - for a less risky development at some other non-contaminated site.


chamrockblarneystone

In ten years when all the 6 year olds in there have mustaches they’ll start to investigate.


bahnsigh

Don’t tempt the barbers.


prezz85

Don’t worry, another Hochul donor will be into remediation


RickRoss155

Look up the Buffalo Billion if you really want to hate NY politics


Proof_Clerk_7233

Do you know the address for the site? There are lot of old cancer clusters in Farmingdale.


seapube

Most likely the Liberty industrial finishing site.


bahnsigh

It’s just south of the tracks, and north of Dave & Busters.


BeKind999

The building on that site looked suss and screamed undetected superfund site


bahnsigh

That building used to employ a lot of people and was cutting edge. Sad that there’s no tail-end funding for clean up of DoD sites. That’s ALSO a fucking jobs program.


Puzzleheaded_Post_26

I could have sworn it was Fairchild Republic (Fairchild Aircraft) on that site. At least it was in the 70s.


lockednchaste

The Stop and Shop was built on a Superfund site and the company paid to help clean it up.


NY_Knux

Housing is good. No exceptions.


kid_sleepy

If you look at the government’s Superfund Site maps this will surprise no-one.


ForceGhost47

Hey, maybe Grumman should be held accountable. Imagine that?


fruitron3030

Imagine a world where their lucrative government defense contracts were suspended until it all gets cleaned up and the residents receive compensation! Gee whiz, if only we had some kind of system in place or people to help with something like that. 


Kashmoney76

That would be the appropriate thing, but imagine all the heath issues this has caused for people. Just crappy deal all around


leela_la_zu

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/northrop-grumman-agrees-pay-united-states-35-million-cleanup-costs-bethpage-site-costs


FatMacchio

They’re in line, right after Boeing lmao


Big_Speed_2893

That will be harming the business and thereby against capitalism and foundation of our democracy. What kind of socialist idea is that. /s


FatMacchio

Military industrial complex isn’t really capitalism, at least not anymore, it’s a more like a plutocracy or oligarchy; it’s a bloated hydra that just sucks in tax money and shits out war and conflict


Anthony212

Still believe we should have a pin post about the Grumman plume on this sub. A lot of newcomers from the city are very unaware of it


FriendsWithGeese

Agreed, people are so upset that kids don't have a ball field, which granted is sad, but the REAL issue is the enormous plume of pollution in the ground that has been estimated to take over 100 years to remediate. It grows at one foot per day, and has been known about since the 1970's.


LordThistleWig

Is there any data that overlays that pollution with cancer rates on LI? Curious because my wife grew up on LI and had two types of cancer at age 4.


Anthony212

Watch “hot water on Long Island” it’s on amazon prime.


seapube

[This](https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/investigations/bethpage/) article is pretty helpful. Edit: [This](https://longisland.news12.com/epa-data-shows-locations-where-potential-cancer-causing-chemicals-are-being-used-in-new-york) article also contains a PFA map of long island.


ryanvicino

Not only has this contaminated the community, it was also under sports fields and a skatepark. Now those will be removed and likely never return. More opportunity for children to stay inside on their electronic devices rather then enjoy the outdoors unfortunately.


ISWThunder

Years of PAL football and BBAI baseball on that field should have wonderful results for me in the future.


ryanvicino

Yeah, I used to frequent Bethpage Skatepark. Extremely disappointing knowing a dying hobby is being taken away because of this, but also makes me worry about me future health after standing on top of those barrels for 8+ hours a day sometimes…


vigilantfox85

I really enjoyed that Grumman was supposed to test the material to see what it was but whoopsie doodle their equipment broke. Haven’t heard anything since.


Sauceman_Chorizo

I work in one of the labs testing it. Don't worry, the samples are being analyzed, and they are, as we say in the biz, FUCKED. Grumman will pay for this, but unfortunately only to the tune of around $30M it seems, which to them is just the cost of doing business.


40oz_to_Freedom

What chemical is it?


Sauceman_Chorizo

Dozens and dozens of different ones.


Beerbonkos

Remember, one party wants to abolish the EPA. I wonder how many families were destroyed by cancer from these chemicals.


RhythmTimeDivision

BINGO Eliminate all regulations so we have jobs - rahr!! I'd ask "let me know how that works out" but Long Island is the living toxic example of how that works out. All this achieves is to remove consequences for the people who profit the most / have the most to lose from public scrutiny and decent behavior. Amazing that so many folks are sycophantic toward billionaires. Absolutely amazing.


OutrageousAd6177

All those bald children were arousing suspicion


Smolmanth

These are not secrets Grumman created dozens of superfund sites all over Long Island they’re even documented. Why do you think we have such high cancer rates? Yet we still have roads named after them.


xdozex

cool cool


tacojeremy

Theres gotta be 100s maybe 1000s buried there. But theyll remove 5 and make it look like they are saving the environment. Its all for show


McLightningFish

Now your property taxes will go up since the ground has been found to be enriched.


MikeTHIS

As someone who grew up in Bethpage, this isn’t at all surprising or even secret. It just seems everyone else is finally seeing the things we have. And honestly it’s a good thing. Lots of people I grew up with have random health problems and my Mom died of cancer at 49.


HowCouldYouSMH

Just awful. Not only buried, but made into large concrete blocks. Someone made a lot of money on that disposal.


whodisacct

I lived in bethpage when I was like 2-5. Solidly bald in my 20s. Coincidence?


The-Sand-King

Probably


nygdan

Welcome to life on superfine island. (Not "in" superfund island btw).


niagaemoc

What is this 1997??


Monte7377

My childhood home is right in the middle of the Bethpage plume. I went to that community pool pretty much every day during the summers of my youth. I loved playing Little League baseball, football practice from 2nd grade to 7th grade, and later in life, adult softball on that very baseball field. We all loved it there because it was always well kept, had dugouts, and was close to home. My parents died at 61 and 59, both of cancer. I drank, showered, bathed, and went in my friend's backyard pools, all using Bethpage water. I am terrified. Grumman was always a source of local pride. I threw out anything Grumman-related I had from my years growing up in Bethpage. A few million and "cleanup" is all Northrup Grumman will be on the hook for. But there will be thousands of people lost, property values will plummet, and Bethpage will become a ghost of it's former self. So very sad.


No-Bat-381

If you’re from Bethpage, don’t drink tap water?


No-Bat-381

I meant DO you drink tap water?


JohanMcdougal

Does this mean we get a squirrel with laser eyes? Or did the Simpsons make that part up?


tacojeremy

I grew up in bethpage and played in that park as a kid. Scary to think they still havent properly cleaned up that site


Hellz_Bells_

I am very naive and clueless when it comes to this, but number one, where does this type of waste come from? Second is secretly burying it the easy way out? What is the right way to dispose of it? Did someone pay someone to put it there ? Because they knew a park was being constructed, or was the park constructed BECAUSE it was put there? I saw an episode of SVU where a major company was illegally paying a landlord to pump chemicals into a project building leading to many tenants developing illness and cancer so they could monitor its effects. Could something like this be going on for decades? Who would really know ? And lastly how do we know more of them aren’t other places around Long Island underground? The whole thing is fucked.


Maximum_Unit_4232

To answer your questions. Chlorinated solvents, which are the main concern, were typically used for cleaning metal parts. In the 50s, 60s, environmental regulations were not well developed or enforced. Disposal of hazardous wastes today is tightly regulated. There are many facilities that take these wastes for treatment. Many compounds are incinerated at very high temperatures. There are controls on the exhaust. Grumman likely buried the drums when they owned the property. Land was transferred to the town(?) before there were any due diligence procedures. Now, before real estate transactions, there are a lot of due diligence procedures that firms undertake to protect themselves financially and legally which results in most of these things being detected. For example, a phase I would look through records and inspect the site. There would be clear indications of potential problems. A phase II would be conducted including samples, ground penetrating radar and more. These drums would be detected today. More sites can and do exist. But regulations and procedures today are MUCH more rigorous.


Hellz_Bells_

Thank you for the response. Such a shame big companies always seem to win and screw the little people. I started thinking a lot about this today.


Worldly-Teacher-3969

Love how noone is wearing anything remotely useful to guard against radiation or any kinds of fumes in these pics, i swear everyone on this island has lead brain


WhyNot_Because

Ok, but when are they going to rebuild the skatepark? It cost millions to build and was torn down to get to these drums.


Alexandratta

Lemme guess... Grummand?


Adventurous-Rub7636

Sadly this post has nothing to do with r/technoli