Maloney & Local Stakeholders Challenge Current EPA Remediation of PCBs in the Hudson River

Press Release

After joining the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in Albany on Monday, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) joined Assemblyman Frank Skartados, Mayor Rob Rolison, and local stakeholders in Poughkeepsie to outline concerns about the effectiveness of the current cleanup strategy to remediate PCBs in the Hudson River. Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting a five-year review to determine the status of PCBs in the Hudson River.

"The risk posed by PCBs remaining in the Hudson River is very real and I have seriously concerns about the effectiveness of the current cleanup strategy," said Rep. Maloney. "Folks in the Hudson Valley are the gatekeepers of the Hudson River - it's our home and an economic engine for our local cities -- but unfortunately the Hudson and surrounding communities here have suffered through generations of abuse. The EPA must ensure that we work to end the toxic legacy of PCB contamination -- making the Hudson clean once and for all."

On Monday August 22nd, Rep. Maloney joined NYS DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos, Scenic Hudson, and Riverkeeper in Albany to encourage the EPA to ensure a remedy that results in the long-term cleanup of the Hudson River. This announcement came after a meeting Rep. Maloney helped to convene in July between Scenic Hudson and the DEC Commissioner Seggos. At that meeting, attendees discussed ways to work together in reviewing the effectiveness of the remedy and calling on the EPA to take action. In addition, Rep. Maloney helped facilitate a meeting between Scenic Hudson and the EPA in December 2015 that resulted in the EPA's decision to move up the next 5-year review to 2016 from 2017.

"PCBs pose a serious health risk to communities along the Hudson River who use the water for drinking, fishing and recreation. I commend the efforts of the DEC, Scenic Hudson, numerous environmental organizations, and Congressman Maloney for fighting to keep the Hudson clean," said Assemblyman Frank Skartados.

"For myself, and county executive Marcus Molinaro, there is enough uncertainty surrounding the scientific evidence that this suspension is warranted. This is holds too serious of an impact as it relates to public health, environmental and economic conditions in our Hudson River valley," said Rob Rolison, Mayor of the City of Poughkeepsie.

"Congressman Maloney's leadership has already dramatically changed the course of history of the Hudson. With this week's announcement by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Seggos that GE's completed cleanup of the Hudson is deficient, we are now better positioned than ever to achieve a clean and healthy Hudson River. The Cuomo Administration has not only indicated it will lead the fight for a comprehensive cleanup; it has also committed to dredging the Champlain Canal for the first time in decades. A comprehensive cleanup will not only improve the health and economy of the upper Hudson, it will also ensure the health of communities and businesses from the Mid-Hudson Region all the way to New York Harbor. We hope that citizens and elected officials at all levels of government will join Congressman Maloney and Governor Cuomo in demanding that EPA require GE to finish the job and restore the river's resources devastated by its PCBs for the past forty years," said Ned Sullivan, President of Scenic Hudson.

"Our communities cannot wait for another half-century for a cleaner Hudson River, while our fish are contaminated and our tourism and recreational opportunities suffer from the plague of PCBs," says Riverkeeper Staff Attorney Abigail Jones. "Evidence shows the PCBs in the Hudson River are not cleaned up. Evidence shows that fish will remain contaminated for decades longer than anticipated. Evidence shows that families continue to eat the fish. The simple fact is that failure of the fish consumption advisories is the failure of the cleanup. If we knew in 2002 what we know now, the additional PCBs would have been dredged without question. EPA must act now and require GE to dredge more PCBs. Finish the job, restore our River."

"Hudson River PCBs have real, measurable health effects on people who consume fish despite the Department of Health advisories not to. These are often people of low income or immigrants who depend on this source of food for their very subsistence. People in the upper Hudson can be also exposed simply by breathing PCBs that volatilize from contaminated sediments. A partial cleanup, while better than no remediation, is just not acceptable. We applaud the NY State DEC for joining our call for a more robust clean-up of Hudson River PCBs, as US Fish and Wildlife and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have been doing, unheeded, for years," said Manna Jo Greene, Environmental Director for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

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