Dan Freedman is reporting for the Times Union U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado has signed on to a new congressional task force focused on addressing the chemical contamination of drinking water in places such as Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh. At the same time, the Rhinebeck Democrat acknowledged it will be difficult to prompt the federal government to act as long as the shutdown continues, thereby impacting the Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees water pollution detection and mitigation. “One of the things I’ve heard from a lot of folks back home is ‘I’m all for your priorities — health care, water contamination — but none of that is going to matter if you don’t get the government  open,’” Delgado said after a news conference to launch the bipartisan House PFAS Task Force. “So that’s priority number one.” Delgado is one of 20 House members from both major parties whose districts have been impacted by PFAS contamination. Delgado also announced he is co-sponsoring the bipartisan PFAS Action Act. That measure would designate all PFAS chemicals as risks to human health and the environment and thus make them eligible for the federal Superfund clean-up program. Read the full story in the Times Union.