Ortt Sought Superfund Expansion for Radioactive Waste
New York legislative efforts target regulatory gaps in managing radioactive contamination in Western New York.
Updated on Sept. 25, 2026 in Nuclear
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New York State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt met with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to discuss radioactive waste contamination in the Town of Niagara. The discussion focused on legislative efforts to address environmental risks in the region.
Why it matters
Current state law excludes radiation from the Superfund program, a gap that complicates cleanup and mitigation efforts for contaminated sites. This meeting signals a move to potentially align state oversight with federal capabilities for radioactive waste management.
Senate Bill S.10672 represents a proposed amendment to the New York Superfund program designed to incorporate radioactive materials into the cleanup scope. The state currently lacks this specific mandate, necessitating coordination between the EPA, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Department of Health.
The players
Rob Ortt
The New York State Senate Minority Leader advocating for legislative expansion of hazardous waste cleanup programs.
Lee Zeldin
The EPA Administrator overseeing federal coordination with state environmental and health departments.
The details
The EPA is actively surging resources into Western New York to address localized radiation levels. Senate Bill S.10672 aims to bridge existing regulatory boundaries that currently prevent the state Superfund—a program established to manage the remediation of hazardous waste sites—from addressing radioactive contaminants. This proposal requires inter-agency collaboration to manage the technical and legal complexities of radioactive site decontamination.
Timeline
September 25, 2026: Rob Ortt met with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
In the coming days: Ortt plans to contact affected residents regarding meeting details.
The Tech Race
The proposal follows a pattern set by the New York Superfund program by seeking to address previously unregulated hazardous waste categories. It marks a departure from established state protocols that have historically excluded radioactive contamination from standard remediation frameworks.
Residents in the Town of Niagara and the broader Western New York region are expected to receive direct updates regarding cleanup progress in the coming days. The potential passage of the bill would ultimately change how local authorities prioritize and fund the remediation of sites containing radioactive materials.
The takeaway
Legislators are looking to close a legal loophole that prevents state-level intervention for radioactive sites. Stakeholders should watch for future updates from the Senate regarding the movement of S.10672 through the legislative calendar.
Further reading
For more on evolving safety standards, read our coverage in Nuclear.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Niagara Frontier Publications.
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