Arbor Hill Environmental Justice Corporation
Environmental Advocates
Sierra Club

For Immediate Release:
December 6, 2000

For Information, Contact:
Sue Pezzolla: AHEJC - 518-462-2924
Jeff Jones: EA - 518-462-5526 ext. 233
Baret Pinyoun: Sierra Club - 518-587-9166

Upstate Environmentalists Respond to EPA PCB Plan

(Albany, N.Y.) - Three environmental groups that have fought for a cleanup of Hudson River PCB's today expressed cautious optimism that New York is finally moving in the right direction to get toxic PCBs out of our environment. The comments came in response to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) announcement today that they will order General Electric (GE) - the corporation responsible for this environmental disaster -- to remove, primarily by dredging, some 100,000 pounds of the suspected cancer causing chemicals from the river. The World Health Organization has identified PCBs as one of a handful of the most persistent and dangerous chemicals on earth; once they enter the environment they can remain for decades, traveling the globe and causing a host of serious ailments.

"We still don't know when the first of the PCBs will actually be removed from the river, but we are pleased that the EPA stuck to its schedule," said David Higby of Environmental Advocates. "This is the most thoroughly studied Superfund site in the nation's history. And the scientific evidence says that at the very least, these PCB concentration should come out of the river. Remember, this is barely a tenth of the total amount of PCBs GE dumped into the river over the course of this environmental nightmare."

"The EPA has listened to our concerns about the health of people living along the river, especially the poor, people of color and immigrants who are most likely to be feeding contaminated fish to their families as part of their diets," said Aaron Mair of the Environmental Hill Environmental Justice Corporation. "To reduce the health risks to people living in the Hudson Valley by reducing PCB levels in fish, the EPA has correctly concluded that the chemicals must be removed from the sediments."

Commenting on the multi-million dollar ad campaign that GE has waged in the Hudson Valley against a river cleanup, the Sierra Club's Baret Pinyoun said: "It's good to know that GE can't buy public opinion. Instead of investing more money to mislead the public, GE should begin making plans to help clean up the river." She was echoed by the Sierra Club's Chris Ballantyne who added: "GE, with its wealth of technical know-how and expertise, should accept its responsibility as a polluter, and put its efforts to work on the most thorough and efficient cleanup possible. That would go a long way to restoring GE's reputation among those who love the Hudson River."

Jeff Jones, of Environmental Advocates, called on GE to drop its lawsuit against the federal Superfund, filed in Washington, D.C. federal district court last week. "It's shameful that General Electric would rather destroy one of the nation's most important environmental laws than help restore the Hudson River. It's time for them to stop obstructing a clean Hudson and get to work on the cleanup."

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