FRIENDS of a
CLEAN HUDSON
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 2, 2001
CONTACTS:
Jeff Jones, Environmental Advocates (518) 462-5526 ext 233.
Marion Trieste, Scenic Hudson (518) 796-9241
Chris White, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater (845) 454-7673 ext. 117.
ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION RELEASES LIST OF MUNICIPAL RESOLUTIONS IN SUPPORT OF HUDSON RIVER CLEANUP
Friends of a Clean Hudson, a coalition of environmental groups, today released a list of 52 Hudson Valley municipalities that have passed resolutions supporting cleanup of PCB contaminated sediments in the Hudson River. These communities have voiced their support for removing PCBs from the river since the EPA released its recommendation to use environmental dredging to clean up PCB contamination in the upper Hudson and began accepting public comment on the issue.
Andy Mele, executive director of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, released the list at a press conference in Albany. Clearwater, along with Scenic Hudson, sent representatives to municipal meetings throughout the Hudson Valley to provide information on the EPA’s Proposed Remedy and ask them to pass resolutions.
Mele said, “Local governments and residents wanted to learn the facts about the proposed cleanup. They felt that only one side of the story was being heard from General Electric’s unprecedented advertising campaign. Many of them were supportive of removing PCB’s from the Hudson once they learned more on the health effects of PCBs and the costs of not removing the contamination from the upper river.” Mele also noted that General Electric, on its website, has listed municipalities which have opposed the dredging and that since December, more communities have come out in favor of a clean up than oppose it.
Robert Elliott, Mayor of Croton-on-Hudson, joined Mele at the announcement. Mayor Elliott, a strong proponent of the PCB cleanup, wrote a letter to municipal leaders throughout the Hudson Valley asking them to pass a resolution supporting the clean up. Elliott stated, “It’s important for municipalities to speak up. The EPA needs to hear from the public on this critical issue, and local government is a good voice for them. We have seen an enormous amount of interest from communities who are concerned about the future of our river.”
[more – see back]
Marion Trieste, a resident of Schuylerville and consultant for Scenic Hudson,
has been reaching out to communities in the upper Hudson Valley. She stressed that, as communities hear more
about the benefits of environmental dredging, as well as more facts about the
proposed clean up, they begin to make more reasoned positions. “Scenic Hudson conducted a poll in the Fall
of 2000 and found that more than 90% of residents North of Albany had seen
General Electric’s advertising. It also
found that 49% of these same residents still supported cleaning up the
river. We believe that there is support
for the clean up in the upper River and that they are overshadowed by a very
vocal minority.”
Trieste also noted that some of the upriver communities that orignally opposed the cleanup have decided to take a neutral stand on the issue once they heard more information. She also noted that the Village of Fort Edward had recognized the economic need to dredge and had passed a resolution supporting navigational dredging of the area surrounding their boat basin and Lock 7.
The coalition noted that in addition to the resolutions released today, two of the most populated cities within the Hudson River Superfund site – Albany and New York City – have pro-cleanup resolutions pending before their councils. In addition to the municipal resolutions, over 140 organizations, representing thousands of members, have also signed on. David Higby, a long-time resident of Washington County, where the PCB discharges took place, and a project director with Environmentall Advocates, said: “When the final tally comes in, the number of people represented by pro-cleanup resolutions will dwarf the figure GE spent millions to acquire.”
FRIENDS OF A CLEAN HUDSON is a coalition of national, state and regional organizations including the Appalachian Mountain Club, Arbor Hill Environmental Justice Corporation, Coast Alliance, Environmental Advocates, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Natural Resources Defense Council, New York Public Interest Research Group, New York Rivers United, Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, and Sierra Club. The coalition is working to restore the Hudson River by supporting cleanup of PCB contamination in the river.
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