releases: https://seanmaloney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/epa-actively-preparing-to-certify-ge-pcb-cleanup-of-hudson-river-maloney
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://seanmaloney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/epa-actively-preparing-to-certify-ge-pcb-cleanup-of-hudson-river-maloney | EPA Actively Preparing to Certify GE PCB Cleanup of Hudson River: Maloney Leads NY Delegation Members in Opposition | 2018-12-19 | 2018 | 2018-12 | Democrat | House | NY | Sean Maloney | M001185 | seanmaloney.house.gov | legacy | Recent Testing Proves PCB Contamination Still Above Safe Levels, Shows Evidence of Re-Contamination of Dredged Sites WASHINGTON Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) led a coalition of New York members of Congress in a letter demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withhold its final Certificate of Completion to General Electric for its cleanup of Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in the Hudson River. The officials and relevant stakeholder groups are concerned that the EPA will soon grant GE a Certificate of Completion for the cleanup project, absolving the company of responsibility for future cleanup efforts, even though work to date fails to protect human health and the environment. A recent study found that areas that were previously dredged by GE were re-contaminated by upstream PCBs in un-dredged areas GE is not done cleaning up the mess they made and the EPA had better not let them off the hook for this, said Rep. Maloney. Issuing a Certificate of Completion at this stage would be bad for everyone except GE taxpayers would be on the line for future cleanup costs, environmental quality would continue to suffer, and economic development opportunities along the river would be in jeopardy. GE polluted the river and they have to clean it up it's that simple. We will not accept anything less than remediation to safe levels." The Hudson River PCBs cleanup has been woefully less effective than we were promised, and General Electric's cleanup of the toxic PCBs it dumped in the river must continue. Those that fish on the river and the wildlife that live in it are still in danger. New Yorkers need real action from the EPA, not a free pass for an incomplete cleanup, said Riverkeeper President Paul Gallay. Meanwhile, we thank Congressman Maloney and members of the New York congressional delegation for their leadership in urging the EPA not to issue GE a certification of completion before the job is done." Thanks to Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney and his colleagues in New York's Congressional delegation for demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency hold off on issuing General Electric a Certificate of Completion until it actually completes a PCB cleanup that makes the river safe for humans and wildlife. EPA not only has the authority to withhold the Certificate of Completion, but can order GE to take additional cleanup action. People should be able to enjoy the Hudson without fearing for their health. They should be able to eat the fish, swim, drink the water and find jobs along its banks. EPA can bring these back, if it does the right thingadmit that the cleanup has not achieved its goals and hold GE accountable. Scenic Hudson is grateful for Congressman Maloney's continuing leadership in Washington to ensure EPA works with the Cuomo Administration in achieving a healthy Hudson, said Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan. PCB contamination of the upper Hudson and its banks is a major obstacle to job creation - for marine transport and entrepreneurs trying to site 21st Century companies along the River and an endangerment to public health, safety and even drinking water supplies, said Pete Bardunias, President/CEO of the Chamber Southern Saratoga County. We are working to clean the historic Old Champlain Canal as well as the River itself. As Congressman Maloney has pointed out, issuance of a Certificate of Completion and application of a contrived will be protective standard by the EPA would likely set these goals back for generations, and ensure economic limbo persists in numerous Riverfront communities. Recent conversations with the EPA indicate that Region 2 Administrator, Peter Lopez, has discussed issuing a Certificate of Completion imminently. New York lawmakers and other local groups are concerned that the EPA is preparing to issue this certificate even though recent testing has found GE's efforts to remove PCB contamination are not protective of human health and the environment. The original Consent Decree between GE and the EPA requires remediation that meets those primary goals. Hudson Valley environmental group Scenic Hudson recently commissioned the testing of sediment samples taken by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in 2017 and found that areas which GE had already dredged had been re-contaminated by PCBs in sediment from un-dredged areas. Rep. Maloney is joined by five fellow members of Congress representing districts adjacent to the Hudson River, including: Rep. Nita Lowey (NY-17), Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY-10), Rep. Eliot Engel (NY-16), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), and Rep. Paul Tonko (NY-21). Rep. Maloney has been a leader in the fight to rid the Hudson River of PCB contamination. In 2016, he joined NYS DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos and environmental groups to encourage the EPA to ensure a remedy that results in the long-term cleanup of the Hudson River. This announcement came after a meeting Rep. Maloney helped to convene in July between Scenic Hudson and DEC Commissioner Seggos. Rep. Maloney also joined former Assemblyman Frank Skartados, Mayor Rob Rolison, and local stakeholders in Poughkeepsie to outline concerns about the effectiveness of the current cleanup strategy. Just last year, Rep. Maloney joined Senator Gillibrand and Reps. Tonko, Lowey and Engel to send a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calling on Administrator Scott Pruitt to incorporate data provided to the EPA as part of its Second Five-Year Review showing the continued presence of PCB contaminants in the Hudson River.The members cited the Second Five-Year Review as an opportunity to provide for additional cleanup of the Hudson River. The text of the letter is below and a copy of the original is available here. Dear Acting Administrator Wheeler, As your office completes its analysis of the current phase of the Hudson River PCB dredging project, we urge you to find that the project is not protective of human health and the environment, and that a Certificate of Completion for the General Electric Company's work at the site is not warranted at this time. Furthermore, we ask that the EPA work closely with New York State and other stakeholders to achieve the goals of the project's remedial program. Communities have endured the long-term effects of contamination for generations and as a result experienced the loss of many water-dependent economic and community activities. It had been expected that completing dredging operations would allow communities along the river to jump-start long delayed economic development opportunities as well as eventually resume unfettered commercial shipping and the Hudson's once-profitable fishing industry. Recent data from sediment and fish samples taken by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) clearly demonstrate that PCB levels in Hudson River fish are above the benchmarks your own agency established for the cleanup. Furthermore, the DEC data builds a convincing argument that contaminated sediments in the upper Hudson are re-contaminating areas of the river that were previously dredged. The loss of economic potential for commercial revitalization has hurt local governments for nearly 50 years, and the Hudson River remaining a Superfund Site will mean these industries will not recover for many more decades. Continuing to live with this legacy of pollution and its impact on achieving waterfront community and economic development is not an acceptable path forward. Leaving such a large amount of polluted sediment behind will delay the river's full recovery by decades, limit future restoration opportunities, restrict deep-draft shipping in the river and Champlain Canal, and prevent communities from making long-term economic redevelopment plans. We are deeply concerned that your agency may soon issue General Electric a Certificate of Completion for the dredging project. Issuance of a Certificate of Completion could release General Electric from liability for its contamination of the Upper Hudson, and make it unlikely we will ever get a complete cleanup of the river. We urge you to exercise your discretion to compel General Electric to conduct additional cleanup now, prior to issuing the Certificate. EPA is currently in possession of previously unknown information, including DEC's 2017 sediment sampling data, annual fish sampling data, NOAA's fish recovery modeling projections and fish consumption surveys that indicate the remedy is not protective of human health and the environment. Therefore, pursuant to the Consent Decree between EPA and General Electric, you may compel the company to perform additional cleanup. There is no benefit to issuing a Certificate of Completion at this time. Issuing the Certificate comes with great risk, since General Electric could escape liability for any future cleanup on the Upper Hudson. On the other hand, if EPA does not issue a Certificate until it can find the cleanup fully protective of human health and the environment, nothing is lost. General Electric is very unlikely to take any action to try to force EPA to issue the certificate. In fact, the company has been awaiting the Certificate of Completion for OU1 of the Hudson River remedy (the Remnant Deposit sites) since construction of that remedy was completed in 1992. General Electric annually requests that EPA issue it a Certificate of Completion for this remedy, but EPA has continued to deny its request for 26 years. It would be unconscionable for EPA to surrender its ability to order additional cleanup action in the face of mounting information indicating that the goals of the cleanup have not been reached and more cleanup is needed. The communities and businesses in our districts situated along the Hudson River that have endured decades of toxic pollution and suffered from the loss of water-based industries deserve better. For all of these reasons, it is critical that your agency not issue a Certificate of Completion for the Hudson River Superfund Cleanup, and state unequivocally in its Second Five Year Review that the Superfund cleanup is not protective of human health and the environment. Persistent PCB contamination in the Hudson River is a threat to public health and a significant obstacle to the economic development goals that we are working so hard to achieve. This situation must be addressed, and your decision must clearly indicate a path forward for the EPA and DEC to collaborate and address these needs. We recognize and appreciate that the decision you are preparing to make will leave a lasting impact on hundreds of municipalities and millions of people along its banks. It is of the utmost importance that your decisions recognize the recent data and analysis of New York State, and create a path forward for the communities and citizens that live and work along the river to achieve their goals. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |