A YES Vote for Safety in White Plains, NY!

Something positive to report! Groups like ours are making a difference in other communities throughout the country.

Press release from SafeTech Westchester:

On Monday 4.3.23 at the April White Plains Common Council meeting, 6 out of 7 Council Members, under the leadership of Mayor Thomas Roach, amended the White Plains telecommunications ordinance with regard to small wireless facilities.

New common-sense protections were added, the result of 3-½ years of advocacy by a team of White Plains residents. This effort was led by Ruth F. Moss, Director of SafeTech Westchester, and Ellen Weininger of the national non-profit Grassroots Environmental Education, an award-winning
environmental health organization known for its groundbreaking achievements, from prohibiting the use of pesticides at NYS schools to playing a prominent role in banning fracking in New York State.

The newly amended ordinance aims to enable wireless infrastructure in White Plains, while simultaneously protecting the public from any adverse impacts. White Plains Common Council President Justin Brasch commented, “Public health and safety are top priorities. These new regulations provide reasonable protections against the potential dangers linked with small cell wireless antennas.” Councilman Richard Payne expressed his gratitude to the many local residents who educated the
Council on this issue.

New provisions include setbacks from homes and schools, “in order to ensure and maintain the safety, property values, and aesthetic qualities of White Plains streets and neighborhoods.” “We all love technology,” says Nick Wolff, a long-time White Plains resident and popular realtor, “but above all, it has to be safe.”

Post from Environmental Health Trust:

White Plains, NY Passes Wireless Ordinance Code to Restrict 5G 4G Near Homes and Schools

White Plains New York passed a wireless ordinance to control 5G and “small” cell towers near homes. The ordinance has a 250 foot setback for residential areas, requires liability insurance and ensures regular testing for radio-frequency radiation paid for by the company. The ordinance also prefers that wireless facilities be in industrial areas rather than residential and “to the extent technically feasible, no small wireless facilities shall be located in the Front Facade Area of a residential structure, any public, private and/or state-chartered preschool, elementary school, or secondary school, daycare center or nursing home…”