Clinton Plan to Clean Up PCBs in N.Y. River OKd

The Environmental Protection Agency has endorsed a Clinton administration proposal to dredge PCBs from the Hudson River but said it would implement the plan in stages, a New York congressman said Tuesday.

The sweeping $460-million plan, one of the largest dredging operations ever, is opposed by General Electric Co., which would have to foot most of the bill for the cleanup.

GE discharged 1.3 million pounds of PCBs into the northern Hudson River from its capacitor plants in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls until 1977, when the substance was banned by the federal government. Polychlorinated biphenyls have been linked to cancer.

The company spent millions of dollars on a public relations blitz and lobbyists to defeat the plan. The company’s outspoken chief executive, Jack Welch, personally lobbied EPA Administrator Christie Whitman.

Rep. John E. Sweeney (R-N.Y.) was informed late Tuesday by EPA officials that Whitman was supporting the plan, said his spokesman, Kevin Madden.

But Whitman modified the Clinton administration plan so that it will be phased in with stops along the way to test to see how effective the dredging is in removing PCBs from the river, Madden said.

Dredging is expected to begin near Thompson Island, where the worst concentration of PCBs is located.

Chris Paulitz, an EPA spokesman, had no comment Tuesday night.

The plan will not be made public officially until late September, after officials in New York state have had a chance to review it.