Speak up to the EPA to save Hudson River

Dear Editor, Many people don’t realize that millions of pounds of sediment contaminated with carcinogenic PCBs continue to harm the Hudson River.

After the dredging by polluter General Electric, 200 miles of the river — from the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains to New York Harbor — still are one of the country’s largest toxic waste sites.

It’s time to get back our Hudson River and a quick email or call by readers can help make it happen. The EPA is saying GE doesn’t have to finish cleaning up its mess. Before a final decision, the EPA is taking public comments until Sept. 1.

Tell the EPA the following. Its own five-year review report states that GE’s cleanup doesn’t currently protect the health of the public or the river. That should be the report’s finding. The EPA should remove statements that the cleanup will be protective in five decades — experts say time and nature won’t fix the project’s shortcomings. For an online link to the EPA and background to help write a comment or make a call, visit www.scenichudson.org/ pcbs.

Two to four times more PCBs remain in the cleanup area than the EPA expected. The agency wants us to believe leaving behind these dangerous chemicals is a good enough fix. Leading state and federal scientists say it’s not. Stopping the cleanup means the poisonous chemicals will spread down the Hudson, continuing to blight our air, water and wildlife. Our local economies depend on the river, and we can’t let corporate neglect damage us further.

Ned Sullivan President, Scenic Hudson

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.