Project Updates and Looking to the Future

Hudson River PCB Forum:  January 16, 2013
Marist College Boathouse
 Click here to view the agenda
Click here for an event synopsis and to access the presentations

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Riverkeeper, The Natural Resources Defense Council and Scenic Hudson would like to thank all who attended the Hudson River PCB Public Forum and dredging project update held at Marist College on January 16, 2013.

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Photos by Julia Church

The federal and state agencies present reported on the progress, the success, and the lessons learned during the first three years of dredging in the Upper Hudson. By hearing details about the effectiveness of General Electric’s long-delayed PCB cleanup, we know that attendees also gained a greater appreciation for the necessity of being vocal and standing up to corporate polluters who can wage massive legal and media campaigns to avoid cleanup responsibility. Speaker after speaker confirmed that PCB removal is the best solution to ensure the river will recover and become a vigorous natural and economic resource for the people and communities throughout the Hudson River Valley and the state.

As a recent report from the Natural Resource Damages Trustees confirms, the entire extent of the Hudson River is “extensively contaminated” and these “high levels of PCB contamination have existed for decades, and continue to exist, in the Hudson River ecosystem” and “present a serious and long-term threat to the health of the entire Hudson River ecosystem.” From the beginning, the goal of the PCB battle has been to remove as much of the toxins as possible.

The progress of the PCB cleanup project to date underscores that goal and, even more importantly, highlights the value of community involvement in supervising the country’s largest Superfund site. Getting the cleanup started took every one of us, and getting it done right will require continued vigilance and an informed understanding of what is at stake if we do not.  Thank you for your continued support in helping us ensure a clean Hudson River.  Click here for more information about the Hudson River PCB Cleanup