Tell the EPA not to let GE forgo its responsibility to get its toxic PCBs out of the Hudson River
December 9, 2010
Riverkeeper Team
Currently, it appears that the EPA will reject GE’s request to delay its day of reckoning. But right now another critical decision looms for the EPA, and the success of the cleanup hangs in the balance.
On Monday, December 13th, the EPA is expected to announce the cleanup standards for the remainder of the project. We cannot lose this opportunity to finally clean up the PCB contamination and help return a healthier and economically productive Hudson River to communities that live along its banks. But GE hasn’t been shy about telling the EPA what it wants to see: standards that protect the company’s bottom line, at the expense of the Hudson and those who depend upon it.
From the 1940s to 1970's, GE dumped more than a million pounds of PCBs into the river. That toxic pollution decimated commercial fishing in the Hudson, and health advisories still recommend strict limits on eating fish from the river. Yet for decades GE has fought against cleaning up its PCB contamination. Finally, last year the company undertook the first phase of a cleanup, roughly 10 percent of the job.
In the last several weeks, GE has offered to conduct the final phase of the cleanup -- but only if the EPA sets standards allowing the company to knowingly leave behind huge amounts of toxic waste that can be safely removed. And, alarmingly, we have indications that GE may be making headway with its intense lobbying pressure.
What to do:
Send a message right away urging EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to ensure that GE conducts a full cleanup of its toxic PCBs from the Hudson River.
You can send a message to EPA Administrator Jackson directly by clicking on "Take Action."
Or use the contact information and sample letter below to send your own message.
Contact information:
Administrator Lisa Jackson
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Mail Code 1101A
Washington, DC 20460
