[justadandy]

From todays WSJ

"General Electric agreed to dredge PCBs from the Hudson River, ending a
long-running spat with the federal government. The project, which could cost
$500 million, is scheduled to start in spring 2007. It had been delayed for
years, as GE and the government tussled over how to proceed. GE dumped about 1.3
million pounds of PCBs, a transformer coolant believed to cause cancer, into the
river before the government banned the substance in 1977. GE will pay about $78
million of the cleanup costs and has already paid about $37 million."

GE's dumping of PCBs in the upper Hudson contributed greatly to the downfall of striper fishing years ago. Now the Federal government wants to remove them via dredging. I think that this is part of the program to deepen the Hudson River below Albany to facilitate shipping etc; and the PCB is a ploy to push the project and get GE money. I don't mind the latter but dredging will not only fail to get all toxins and, in fact, set loose in the river whatever has been deposited over a long period of time. It is why deepening of the Delaware River for commercial access grates on me. What do you think?

 

[West Ave Mike]

I'm no fan of PCB dumping, but I think one of the reasons there are so many stripers in the Hudson is because of all the restrictions on eating them. PCB's don't kill stripers, just some people that eat them (it all comes down to genetics). The ironic thing is that GE had a permit from EPA to dump the PCB's. What does that say about EPA?

 

[West Ave Mike]

"The Riverkeepers" by John Cronin and Bobby Kennedy jr is an interesting take on the whole thing.

 

[mericanwit]

EPA jsut like anyother govt department can and will continue to be bought and sold by whoever pays/contributes the most $$$$$ Sad fact of life...

 

[justadandy]

Originally posted by West Ave Mike:
I'm no fan of PCB dumping, but I think one of the reasons there are so many stripers in the Hudson is because of all the restrictions on eating them. PCB's don't kill stripers, just some people that eat them (it all comes down to genetics). The ironic thing is that GE had a permit from EPA to dump the PCB's. What does that say about EPA?

It shouts volumes about the EPA and their policies. Do you think Christie Whitman was more qualified to run the EPA than Mike Brown was for FEMA? Also, I have to believe that PCBs had significant impact on breeding and reproductive capability of striped bass that wintered in the Hudson.