Month: November 2021

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG URGES SWIFT SENATE ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST TOXIC “FOREVER” CHEMICALS

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general from around the nation in urging the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee to strengthen public health and environmental protections against “forever chemicals.”  These chemicals — a class of highly toxic chemical compounds known as poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — are widespread, persistent contaminants in the environment, including in drinking water, in Connecticut and in many other states.   

In a letter addressed to EPW leadership, the coalition argues that the serious dangers posed by PFAS, combined with the tens of millions of taxpayer dollars that coalition states are currently spending to protect residents from these dangers, call for swift congressional action.   

“PFAS is a serious public health threat, and we need comprehensive testing and reporting to target aid to impacted communities.  The federal government must strengthen its protections against these “forever chemicals,” set national drinking water standards for PFAS, and commit funding to states to respond to PFAS contamination. States cannot take on this task alone without strong commitment from our federal partners,” Attorney General Tong said. 

Expanded PFAS testing is vital to ensure the safety of our drinking water and to protect public health. This EPA proposal is a powerful first step, and with some additional measures can be made even stronger. Once we have comprehensive testing and reporting, that information must be used to target remediation and aid to communities most impacted by these dangerous forever chemicals,

In their letter today, the coalition is urging the EPW Committee to “pass or build on” the bipartisan PFAS Action Act of 2021, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in July. Specifically, the letter identifies several legislative priorities of the coalition states, including: 

·         Promoting the prompt and effective cleanup of PFAS by designating the chemicals as “hazardous substances” under the federal Superfund law, 

·         Protecting public health by designating PFAS as “hazardous air pollutants” under the federal Clean Air Act and prohibiting the unsafe incineration of the chemicals, 

·         Protecting public health by establishing national drinking water standards for PFAS and controlling PFAS discharges, 

·         Providing funding for drinking water suppliers to cleanup PFAS in their drinking water, 

·         Providing funding to states to protect against and respond to PFAS contamination, 

·         Making medical screening available to all U.S. Department of Defense personnel and members of the public who may have been exposed to elevated levels of PFAS, and 

·         Prohibiting the use and limiting the storage of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at federal facilities. 

PFAS are man-made chemicals that have been used to produce countless consumer products since the 1940s, including textiles with Scotchgard; Teflon products, including non-stick cookware; food packaging; and waterproof clothing. Firefighting foam containing PFAS has also been used for decades by the U.S. military, airports, industrial facilities, and local fire departments. PFAS are estimated to be detectable in the blood stream of 99 percent of the U.S. population.   

PFAS generally appear to be highly toxic to humans and animals, and they are extremely resistant to degradation in the environment — that is why PFAS are known as “forever chemicals.” Although scientific knowledge regarding PFAS is still developing, some PFAS are linked to serious adverse health effects in humans and animals. Exposure to the two most studied types of PFAS are associated with kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, liver damage, immune system effects, and other conditions. 

This press release was made possible by:

https://www.bmwofbridgeport.com/sell-us-your-car-event/

Bank Robber Taken Into Custody

2021-11-17 #Stratford CT– #Bridgeport CT– Today around 14:20 Hours, an robbery that took place on the 4800th block of Main Street (TD Bank) in Bridgeport. The 911 center received a bank teller alarm at TD Bank.  Initial reports indicated that the suspect did not display a gun but made the “gun motion” within his jacket according to one caller. The responsible party fled in an older model vehicle.  The suspect engaged several officers in a brief pursuit and was apprehended in Stratford by I-95 close to West Broad Street and Linden.  At this time there have been no injuries reported in this incident.  The Bridgeport Police Department is current processing the incident/person and have yet to release the name and mugshots of the suspect.  No further information at time.

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG URGES EFFORTS TO STOP ROBOCALLERS FROM MISUSING LEGITIMATE PHONE NUMBERS

Hartford, CT — Attorney General William Tong wrote the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in support of its efforts to reduce illegal robocallers’ access to legitimate phone numbers.

“Caller ID technology has successfully blocked billions of spam robocalls, but billions more are still making it through undetected. We need to make sure our technology and our efforts keep pace with the ever-evolving tactics of scammers. I fully support the FCC’s proposals to crack down on phone number purchases, and stand ready to work alongside the FCC and attorneys general nationwide to protect American families from these malicious intrusions,” said Attorney General Tong.

Help bolster investigations in Connecticut by reporting your robocalls to https://www.dir.ct.gov/ag/complaint/. Connecticut’s website complaint intake has been recently revamped to gather robocall-specific complaint data.

Earlier this year, phone companies were required to implement STIR/SHAKEN – caller ID authentication technology to combat spoofing by ensuring that telephone calls originate from verified numbers. Because the technology prevents robocallers from spoofing phone numbers, scam robocalls have dropped by 29 percent since June as the phone industry continues to put STIR/SHAKEN into effect.

Robocallers are now successfully evading caller ID authentication by purchasing access to legitimate phone numbers to conceal their identities. They typically do this by providing false identifying information to, or otherwise shielding their identities from, the companies that have access to legitimate numbers.

The attorneys general support the FCC’s proposals to implement a more thorough application, review, and monitoring process for phone companies that request direct access to phone numbers and to require these companies to verify their customers’ identities to help keep the numbers from being sold, leased, or rented to illegal robocallers. This includes limiting the use of both temporary phone numbers for trial customers and untraceable payment mechanisms.

This press release was made possible by:

https://www.bmwofbridgeport.com/sell-us-your-car-event/
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