To: Jonathan Schonsheck who wrote (4328 ) 4/1/2001 1:36:49 PM From: John H. Farro Respond to Between 1947 and 1977 GE dumped an estimated 1.3 million pounds of PCBs into the Hudson River. Last December, the EPA gave tentative approval of a plan that would force GE to spend over $400 million to remove the PCBs by dredging the river. The public has until April 17th to submit comments to the EPA on whether or not GE should be forced to clean up the river. There is now an intense political battle going on. GE claims, amongst other things, that "there is no evidence that PCBs cause cancer or other serious illnesses in people." They are also claiming that dredging would stir up the soil so this project would actually make things work (Despite GE's claim, new dredging techniques could be used that do not stir up the soil.) GE also claims that the river is cleansing itself of PCBs and is getting cleaner all the time, though critics dispute this. Here are two web-sites, the first sponsored by GE and the second sponsored by a citizen-based organization that wants to get GE to clean up the mess it made. You be the judge, after looking at both sites, to decide if a massive cleanup is a good idea.hudsonvoice.com cleanhudson.org paracelsian.com cleanhudson.org house.gov
