William Johnson

Dear Committee Members, Coal tar–based sealants contain extremely high levels of PAHs, which are carcinogenic compounds that are toxic to aquatic life. As these sealants wear down, they create contaminated dust and runoff that can be carried into nearby streams, rivers, wetlands, and lakes, where PAHs settle into sediments and persist for years. These pollutants degrade water and sediment quality, harm aquatic insects, fish, and amphibians, and disrupt the aquatic food web. We absolutely must be more diligent in protecting our aquatic economy which represents a $1B industry in the State. It is in our economic self interest to be proactive in this. As development continues across New Hampshire, HB 1614 takes a proactive, commonsense step to reduce a preventable source of toxic pollution. Thank you, Bill Johnson