Largest river cleanup in history launched on Hudson.

• Position: On First Reading - Brief Article

In what could be the most ambitious river cleanup in the nation's history, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)--supported by New York Governor George Pataki and 32 members of Congress from New York and New Jersey--has ordered General Electric (GE) to spend $460 million to dredge toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the mud along a 40-mile stretch of the Hudson River, beginning in 2004.

In all, a 200-mile stretch of the river, from Hudson Falls to New York City, is contaminated with GE-generated PCBs. Under the proposed plan, 2.65 million cubic yards of Hudson river mud (enough to fill Giants Stadium to the brim), containing some 100,000 pounds of PCBs would be dredged from the river in "hot spots" along a 40-mile stretch north of Albany. The amount is more than all the mud moved in all the other Superfund cleanups combined.

GE spent an estimated $60 million fighting the proposal, alleging that it was in "reckless" disregard for the health of the river. The company also filed a lawsuit in federal court arguing that provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) violate the due process clause under the U.S...