Hudson River groups to host program on PCB pollution

MECHANICVILLE, N.Y. » A pair of Hudson River advocacy groups will host a meeting next week to call for additional action to clean up pollution of the river caused by General Electric.

Riverkeeper and Scenic Hudson, along with the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County, will host the event from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Arts Center on the Hudson, 2 S. Main St. Organizers said in a news release that attendees will learn about the significant amount of General Electric’s toxic pollution the EPA thinks is okay to leave in the river to continue harming people, wildlife and local economies. The event also offers a chance to connect with other concerned citizens and to write and submit comments to the EPA, which is accepting public comments on its five-year review of the dredging of the river to remove PCBs dumped into the river by GE for decades.

“People deserve their Hudson River back,” the groups said in the release. “A special event on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 22, in Mechanicville creates the perfect opportunity for citizens and businesses to let the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency know it is the public’s right to have a healthy Hudson River.”

The groups said two to four times more PCBs remain in the cleanup area than the EPA expected, but that the federal agency wants the public to believe walking away from these dangerous chemicals is acceptable, even though state and federal scientists say it is not.

“Concerns over PCBs in the Hudson have destroyed a oncevibrant commercial fishing industry, hampered operations of marinas, minimized transport on the Champlain Canal and prevented economic development throughout river communities,” said Chamber of Southern Saratoga County President and CEO Pete Bardunias. “We must bring stakeholders together immediately to create environmentally and economically sustainable local economies, and now is the time to voice our concerns to [the] EPA.”

For more information on the meeting, visit www.scenichudson.org.