Hinchey-Clinton Statement On National Research Council Report On Sediment Dredging At Superfund Megasites

Statement

Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) today issued the following joint statement regarding the release of the National Research Council's report entitled, "Sediment Dredging at Superfund Megasites: Assessing the Effectiveness." The provision requiring the study was originally written by strong supporters of GE. Hinchey and Clinton have long been leaders of the effort to cleanup PCBs from the Hudson River, and worked together to modify that provision and include language stating that the study "should not delay in any way the progress of the Hudson River PCB dredging project or any other Superfund dredging project."

"With each passing day, more and more PCBs make their way down the Hudson River, further contaminating one of the most majestic bodies of water in the country. The dumping of PCBs into the Hudson River was a tragedy that continues to poison and kill fish and other aquatic species and remains a serious hazard to the health of local residents. An equally great tragedy is the sustained attempt by GE and others to stall or prevent the dredging of the Hudson River, which would help permanently remove significant quantities of the toxic substance.

"There is no perfect way of dealing with the PCB contamination of the Hudson River, but the NAS report reinforces that the EPA's 2002 decision to require General Electric to cleanup PCB-contaminated sediments from hot spots in the Hudson River was appropriate. The report concludes that dredging can be effective, that environmental monitoring is critical, and that dredging decisions are highly site-specific. The EPA's decision was grounded in an extensive review of the conditions in the Hudson, and reflected the agency's scientific conclusion that dredging hotspots was the best way to eliminate the continuing health and environmental impacts caused by the estimated 1.3 million pounds of PCBs that General Electric released into the Hudson.

"The only way to ensure that large quantities of PCBs are permanently removed from the river is to dredge the chemicals out of the water. We reiterate our call on GE and the EPA to move the cleanup forward as quickly as possible."

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