MONTICELLO — Legislators held off on raising the tobacco purchasing age from 18 to 21 on Thursday, with County Attorney Cheryl McCausland advising them to wait until April's full Legislature meeting.

“We didn't define ‘school' and ‘retail establishment,'” McCausland explained, indicating comments made by Grahamsville resident Ken Walter about potential lawsuits gave officials pause. “We're just saying it needs to be tweaked.”

Nevertheless, the public hearing on the law was held as scheduled on Thursday, and all but one speaker urged its passage. No one voiced opposition, though Bloomingburg resident Chris Leser, an ex-smoker for the past year, said he was neither for nor against, and that 18-year-olds should be listened to.

No teenagers spoke, but one nine-year-old did.

“I was six years old when my grandfather died from esophageal cancer caused by cigarettes,” Chase Elementary student Finn Speer told the crowd. “He was only a few years older than me when he started smoking. He tried to quit many times, but because he started so young, it was hard for him.”

The son of Catskill Regional Medical Center Community Health Director Amanda Langseder (who also spoke), Speer said he misses his grandpa but has another one who is living - County Coroner Michael Speer, who “has seen many people who've died from tobacco.”

Fellow speaker Lynn Baron minced few words.

“When we talk about the drug epidemic,” she said, “tobacco is our worst epidemic - 400,000 people per year! ... We need to throw our efforts into prevention.”

“This is our time, Sullivan County,” remarked Langseder, “and we have a lot to fight for.”

The public will again have a chance to comment, as another hearing will be held on April 20 at 1:50 p.m. at the Government Center in Monticello. The 2 p.m. full Legislature meeting which follows is where the measure is expected to come to a vote.

Compressor comment

One public speaker didn't focus on tobacco.

Bethel resident Karen London, speaking on behalf of SACRED (Sullivan Area Citizens for Responsible Energy Development), asked legislators to go beyond a potential health study on the proposed compressor station along the Millennium Pipeline in the Town of Highland.

“On or about April 7th, we anticipate that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [FERC] will release its Environmental Assessment on the Eastern System Upgrade project, of which the Highland compressor station is one part,” she told the Legislature. “There will likely be only 30 days to comment. As there has been no Health Impact Assessment done by the DOH [Dept. of Health] or as a result of the RFP [Request For Proposal issued by the county], residents remain as concerned as they were one year ago.

“So despite these best ef-forts, given the inability to secure an independent health assessment and considering the Legislature's responsibilities with regard to preserving the health and well-being of its residents, we ask that the Legislature adopt a resolution in opposition to this proposed compressor station that can be submitted to FERC during the comment period as well as to DOH, DEC [Dept. of Environmental Conservation] and federal and state representatives.”

The county has sent a letter to those two state agencies about jointly undertaking a health study but has not yet received a response, said London.

Legislators took no action on her opposition resolution idea, but County Manager Josh Potosek said at least one company did respond to the county's latest request for quotes on a health study. That company is being vetted, and legislators may take action next month.