To the Editor

I am hopeful that I am not the only resident that is alarmed by the front-page article in the Dec. 28 edition of "North Country This Week" entitled "Dealer Indicted For Improper Waste Disposal.”

This local businessman and his employee, Andrew Fuller, are charged with knowingly putting other local resident's health at risk. To think a fellow community member and businessman would knowingly build a trench to drain hazardous waste into our soil and water system, along with burying many gallons of hazardous waste. This included benzene (a well-known cancer-causing substance), toluene, ethyl-benzene and xylene along with oil products and tires.

Clean water is priceless. Being able to drink clean, safe tap water is one of the benefits of being American that we often overlook. Wars are fought over water. Having to buy bottled water for all drinking/cooking purposes would cost households thousands of dollars yearly that we don't currently have to spend.

We must remember during this presidency that deregulation can make things more unsafe for us and our children. Government agencies like the state Department of Environmental Conservation (who discovered this hazardous dumping) will likely not be as well funded or have jurisdiction to find and charge people/companies with endangering our health.

Government is not always bad, it is there to keep Americans safe. Unfortunately many businesses and businessmen more often overlook safety (especially if unregulated) for a bigger bottom line. Our country should not be run as though it is a business.

We may not be able to prove later in life that the cancer we get is because of tainted water we drank from this dumping that occurred in 2014, but we can fight back by never buying a vehicle from Mahoney’s Auto Mall. Spread the word to others. Let us send a message that we do not appreciate our health being knowingly put at risk.

Terri Joyce

Potsdam

Editor’s note: Prior to publication of the story, Mahoney’s Auto Mall owner Con Mahoney failed to respond to requests from North Country This Week for comment.