"Conflicts on PCBs' Removal"

"SARATOGA SPRINGS -- General Electric Co. and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offered different lessons Wednesday on the first year of PCB Hudson River dredging -- starting with how much PCBs were removed.
     
The disagreement, presented to a panel of independent experts who will recommend possible changes to the massive cleanup, carried over into the topic of how work ought to be done for five more years when the nation's largest Superfund project resumes as expected in 2011.

EPA claims that 20,000 tons of toxic PCBs were dredged out last year near Fort Edward, while GE puts the figure significantly lower, at about 16,300 tons. It wasn't clear why the figures were so different.

Both GE and EPA agreed that more PCBs escaped into the river than had been expected, but disagreed why."

Brian Nearing reports for the Albany Times-Union February 18, 2010.