Recent news reports suggest Al Qaeda terrorists obtained information on United States water supply systems and identified those systems for terrorist attacks. The Senate and Assembly passed legislation that I wrote which would help to keep our water supply systems safer.

As chairman of the Senate Committee on Water Resources, I knew we had to identify weaknesses in the state's water infrastructure and to develop contingency plans in the event of a water emergency caused by a terrorist act.

The "Water Infrastructure Security Act" (S6594-B) would assess the vulnerability of New York State's water supply systems to terrorist attacks and strengthen the state's response in emergency situations. There are more than 11,000 public water systems in New York State that serve nearly 90 percent of the state's population. The 20 largest systems provide water for 12 million New Yorkers.

New York's water infrastructure includes water reservoirs, water treatment facilities, distribution channels and hydroelectric power plants, which provide much of the energy to upstate counties.

We must take every precaution to ensure the quality of our drinking water, the integrity of water delivery systems and the security of New York's hydroelectric power plants.

If we can find out why our pets get cancer, we might figure out why we're getting cancer. How? With the help of the pet cancer registry. Researchers at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine are going to use a $20,000 state grant that I secured to create the registry. Nassau Legislator Lisanne Altmann suggested the project and I was happy to do all that I could to see that it happened.

Pets are a worthwhile study group because they reside in the same environment as humans but do not engage in risky lifestyles or behaviors such as smoking and alcohol consumption, both known to contribute to cancer development in their human caregivers.

The pet registry will give researchers the opportunity to monitor pet cancer rates and to study the contributing causes of these cancers. The data yielded from this project could potentially help researchers identify specific environmental factors that cause cancers not only in pets, but in human population as well.

According to Dr. Rodney L. Page, director of the Department of Clinical Sciences at Cornell University, cancer is the number one cause of death in pets. In New York State, it is estimated that approximately 80,000 humans, 15,000 dogs and 9,000 cats develop cancer each year.

If the two pilots recently caught under the influence of alcohol in Miami were at a New York airport they might not have been arrested. Why? Because under current New York law, flying while intoxicated is not illegal. Current Federal guidelines provide for the revocation of a pilot's license, but impose no criminal penalty. Each state is left to impose a criminal sanction. Airline passengers have enough concerns about flying these days. Wondering whether a pilot is under the influence should never have to cross their minds.

The Senate approved my bill that would make flying an aircraft while intoxicated illegal. In 1998, state laws on snowmobiling while intoxicated were updated to be consistent with DWI laws. However, laws relating to flying while intoxicated were never updated.

The Miami incident is not the only example of why flying while intoxicated laws need updating. In April 2000, a pilot took off from Long Island's North Fork in Mattituck and landed on a highway in Maryland, thinking it was a runway. He narrowly missed traffic. He pushed the plane to the side of the road and tried to take off again. Investigators found three open whiskey bottles in the plane.

In May 2000, a 21-year-old intoxicated pilot hit the tower at Miami International Airport in a private aircraft, forcing the airport to temporarily shut down.

My bill (S4015) expands the current definition of operating an aircraft to include taxiing or operating flight controls, assisting in the operation of the aircraft and boarding an aircraft with intent to operate. This legislation will make it easier to enforce the prohibitions against FWI and reinforce the seriousness of the offense.

The bill is now under consideration in the Assembly, where Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin sponsored it.

I hope all of you are enjoying your summer! Time certainly seems to fly and before we know it, schools will be open again. I encourage you to take advantage of the time you have with your families.

Please call me at my district office in Mineola at 873-0736 if I can ever be of assistance to you. Log on to my website at www.senatorbalboni.com or email your thoughts and concerns to me at balboni@senate.state.ny.us.