Hoylman Applauds EPA for Heeding Calls to Fast Track Review of Hudson River Dredging

NEW YORK – Today, State Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan), ranking member of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, released the following statement in response to the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) agreement to expedite a “five-year review” to determine whether General Electric’s recently concluded dredging of the Hudson River was effective in cleaning up PCB contamination in the river caused by the company.

"I'm glad the EPA has shown the common sense to fast track its review of GE's dredging in the Hudson River before it lets the company off the hook for bringing the river to the brink of extinction. The EPA has heeded the call of advocacy groups and elected officials like me, but we'll need to keep up the pressure to make sure GE fully compensates the people of New York for one of the greatest environmental disasters of our time.”

“For the better part of a century, General Electric treated the Hudson River as its own personal dumping ground, spilling millions of pounds of toxic PCBs into the river throughout most of the last century. The pollution of the Hudson has resulted in untold costs to wildlife, threatened the health of New Yorkers, and severely damaged the state’s economy."

Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) said: "I applaud the EPA for its decision to move up its review of the Hudson River. This is a major win for all those who call the Hudson Valley home and a major step towards the long-term goal of a clean, healthy Hudson."

In July, Senator Hoylman, along with 24 other elected officials, sent letters to GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt and Gov. Cuomo urging GE to go beyond its court-mandated dredging requirement, and just this month wrote an op-ed for the Albany Times Union calling for GE to expand its dredging operations.