JCAA

      

 

PCB Update Report

by Tom Siciliano

(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association June 2001 Newsletter)

How the PCB’s got into the Hudson River is not under contention. How to best remove them and protect the environment is a very hot issue.  The fact is that PCB’s are dangerous and ubiquitous.  Even GE cannot argue with these points.  In spite of strong opposition from GE, the federal government banned PCB use in 1977.  In addition PCB’s are not just a problem in the Hudson River; they are a Global problem. The Delaware River Basin Commission is addressing the PCB problem also.  They do not have the same level of PCB’s as the Hudson but they recognize the importance of making sure that no more PCB’s are released into the environment.  The Delaware River Basin Commission has done a great job in cleaning the river.  They have accomplished much since 1961 when the river was so polluted that the shad were practically non-existent.  By 1987 over 56,000 shad made the migration to Hancock, NY.  This has generated $1.6 million in recreational dollars.

More information on the success that the Delaware River has had can be found at http://www.state.nj.us/drbc .

PCB’s are very stable compounds and are not flammable.  These properties led to their widespread use in electrical equipment.  This equipment is still in use in all parts of this country and the world.    The chemical properties that made them so useful are now part of the problem.  They do not break down and are very persistent in the environment.  They are not degrading into less toxic compounds. If that were not bad enough when PCB’s are consumed directly or through eating fish, they are not excreted but bioaccumulate in fatty tissue.   The EPA continues to rank them among the chemicals most toxic to human health. The fish advisories on the Hudson have ruined a once-thriving commercial fishing industry and a sport fishing is mostly catch-and-release.

They are and are slowly migrating down the Hudson.  They have settled in parts of the river, which need to be dredged to allow for the port to remain navigable.  This material as much as 200 miles downstream from the problem areas is so contaminated that it cannot be used as remediation material at the mud dump.  This means it is more contaminated than the area in the ocean that has been designated for cleanup.

The EPA public comment ended April 17, 2001.  However, the fight is not over. . The battle of the Hudson will reach the critical stage in the next few months.  In August the Federal EPA and Christie Whitman are scheduled to hand down a Record of decision (ROD) on the Hudson that, after sixteen years of studies and GE stalling, may finally require dredging.  GE will do all they can to prevent the clean up from proceeding.  They have advertised heavily in the Albany area using scare tactics that the clean up will disturb the PCB’s and it is better to leave them alone.  A recent full-page ad in the Albany Legislative Gazette shows a clamshell dredge overflowing and oozing muck.  The image is clear even though it is incorrect and clamshell dredging is not the recommended method in the EPA clean up proposal.  This type of advertising has convinced the people along the river that their lives will be irreparably damaged while the clean up is underway.  GE recognizes that the fight is on and has started to sponsor radio ads in New Jersey.  Don’t be swayed by the ads. We must bring a lot of political pressure to bear during the next few months if we are going to beat GE.  Get the facts.   Demand that GE provide accurate information!   Read the EPA proposal.

To assist in this fight a coalition of concerned citizen’s has been formed.  It consists of Clean Ocean Action (they are with us on this one), the Sierra Club, NJ PIRG, American Littoral Society, JCAA, HRFA, and the NJ Federation of Sportsmen.  The EPA has conducted public hearings along the river, including one in Saddle Brook, NJ.  Since this is not only a Hudson River issue this group will endeavor to show the EPA and GE that this is a coast wide issue.  To kick things off a Press Conference was held on April 2 and a citizen’s hearing on April 9th at Twin Lights, Highlands, NJ.  Additional press conferences have been held in Jersey City and the Palisades and we should soon start to see increased coverage on this issue.  A small protest was held outside of Radio City Music Hall on Monday, May 14th.  This is the only way we can fight GE.  They will spend millions of dollars on advertising.  We will fight them with facts at every opportunity.  Get the Facts and Get Involved!!!