Join us in demanding the EPA hold General Electric accountable for PCB pollution in the Hudson River

RESOURCES

Beginning in 1947 and continuing for decades, General Electric dumped its toxic PCB waste directly into the Hudson River. PCBs are known carcinogens that have also been linked to neurological damage, asthma, and diabetes. General Electric’s waste turned a 200-mile stretch of the Hudson River into one of the nation’s largest Superfund sites.

In 2002, the EPA issued a Record of Decision to address the ongoing environmental and human health risks posed by the discharge of General Electric’s PCBs. The cleanup plan selected called for targeted environmental dredging in the Upper Hudson River from Hudson Falls, NY to the Federal Dam at Troy, followed by a period of monitored natural recovery. The selected cleanup remedy was designed to rapidly reduce the dangerous health risks from PCBs to humans and wildlife living in and near the Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site, and to quickly restore the ecological and economic health of the Hudson River. However, despite six years of dredging (2009-2015), unacceptable amounts of PCBs remain in the river.

EPA is required to review the cleanup every five years, to evaluate whether the selected remedy is achieving the goals of the original cleanup plan and whether such remedy is protective of human health and the environment. In its latest review, EPA concluded that a “protectiveness determination” cannot be made for the Upper Hudson River remedy until further information is obtained. Since sediment dredging activities were completed in 2015, EPA has gathered and evaluated fish data through 2022. Based on the trends observed in EPA’s data, PCB concentrations in Upper Hudson River fish and sediment are not decreasing as anticipated by the EPA at the time it selected the PCB cleanup remedy 2002. The human health and ecological risks are well in excess of EPA’s acceptable risk ranges, and based on current trends in fish and sediment, PCB levels will not be in the acceptable range for the foreseeable future.

EPA must take steps to reevaluate the Upper Hudson River cleanup remedy to protect human health and the environment. Without additional actions, the health risks and generational impacts of living, working, and playing within a heavily polluted Superfund site along a nearly 200-mile stretch of the Hudson River will exist for generations to come. EPA must use the best available science and analysis to acknowledge in the upcoming report that the cleanup is “not protective of human health and the environment.”

Join us in demanding that the EPA acknowledge that the Upper Hudson River cleanup has failed to meet the goals and objectives of the original cleanup plan, and urge EPA to adopt a “not protective determination” in the third five-year review.

Instructions:

Read the sample letter (below) and edit it as you see fit. Personalized comments have a greater impact!

Recipients

Mr. Gary Klawinski, Director EPA, Region 2

Contact

*Required fields

* First Name:

* Last Name:

* Your Email:

City:

State / Province:

* ZIP / Postal Code:

Phone Number:

Yes, I would like to receive news updates from Riverkeeper. (If you're already on our email list, unchecking this box will unsubscribe you.)

Remember me. What's this?

Message

* Subject:

Dear [Decision Maker],

* Personalize your message

General Electric's legacy of toxic PCB pollution in the Hudson River persists, despite cleanup of highly contaminated areas of sediment in the Upper Hudson River. As data trends clearly show, the cleanup efforts to date have not succeeded in reducing PCB concentrations in sediment and fish to levels that are safe for human and environmental health.

The Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site Draft Third Five-Year Review (FYR) report released by the EPA on July 10 irresponsibly concludes that a "protectiveness determination" cannot be made for the Upper Hudson River remedy until further information is obtained. Since sediment dredging activities were completed in 2015, EPA has gathered and evaluated fish data through 2022. Based on the trends observed in EPA's own data, PCB concentrations in Upper Hudson River fish and sediment are not decreasing as anticipated by the EPA at the time it selected the cleanup remedy 2002. EPA has already missed its first remediation target, to achieve an average concentration of 0.4 mg/kg of PCBs in fish filet within five years after the completion of dredging (i.e., by 2020), and is not on track to meet this target anytime in the near future.

The health of our communities and environment is at stake, especially communities that are disproportionately affected by this pollution. The EPA is inappropriately moving the goalposts. Without modifications to the remedy, the current risks to human health and the environment from PCB contamination will remain at unacceptable levels.

The EPA does not need more data -- it needs to take immediate action. I urge the EPA to adopt a "not protective determination" in the final third five-year review to ensure steps are taken to reassess the remedy and place the Hudson River on a true path to recovery. The EPA must acknowledge that the limited actions taken so far to reduce toxic PCB contamination to clearly defined cleanup targets has not worked. The job is not done, and we must hold General Electric accountable for the health of the river.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]