Legislators Call for More Hudson River Dredging

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and U.S. Representatives Sean Patrick Maloney, Paul Tonko, Nita Lowey, Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler and Eliot Engel wrote to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week calling on Administrator Scott Pruitt to initiate further dredging to clean up PCBs in the Upper Hudson and investigate the contamination in the Lower Hudson.

“As the EPA report states, it will likely take ‘several decades at least’ for natural attenuation to gradually achieve a long-term remediation goal.” the members wrote in their joint letter to the EPA Administrator.

“EPA’s draft report also states that PCB levels in fish and sediment are higher than the original remedy expected, and the final review report must outline specific steps EPA intends to take to investigate and remediate downriver contamination….” 

“We call on you to conclude that the remedy for the entire Hudson River Superfund site is “not protective,” and remove the finding that it “will be protective,” paving the way for the Hudson to receive the cleanup it deserves,” the letter said.

The full text of the letter is available here.