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GE: Still Stalling After FIVE Years
Exactly five years ago -- on Feb. 1, 2002 -- the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a landmark decision requiring the removal of PCBs from the Hudson River and recognizing General Electric as the responsible polluter. It was a joyous moment in our 25-year fight to rid the river of these poisons and to continue the Hudson's revival.
Stop the stall!
Cleanup was expected to begin in 2005, yet today the Hudson remains one of the largest federal toxic waste sites in the nation -- and PCBs still pose a grave health risk -- because of delays by GE. Since the 1970s, the company has spent millions of dollars arguing against cleaning up the river and millions more on public relations distorting facts about PCBs in an effort to convince the public that no action is necessary.
Environmental award and PCB failing don't align
To add insult to injury, GE Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt will be honored Tuesday, Feb. 13, by the World Resources Institute. This environmental think tank will acknowledge the company's "commitment to sustainable development" via its highly publicized Ecomagination campaign. The theme of the gala event is "The Courage to Lead."
GE can be commended for its dedication to curbing global warming, but it should have the courage to accept responsibility for the environmental nightmare it caused on the Hudson and stop stalling cleanup plans. It takes no imagination to remove the cancer-causing PCBs from the river. The work just has to begin.
Help us keep up the pressure
Scenic Hudson and tenacious supporters like you led the way in pressuring the EPA to reach its 2002 decision, and we've been in the forefront of efforts to get the cleanup underway. Today, we are urging you to keep the heat on by writing EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson to let him know that further delays are simply not acceptable.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: No More Delays on Hudson River PCB Cleanup
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
On Feb. 1, 2002, the Environmental Protection Agency signed a landmark decision requiring the removal of toxic PCBs from the Hudson River. The joy of that day has been tempered by the ongoing stall tactics of the polluter, General Electric. A cleanup that was supposed to begin in 2005 now won't start until 2008 at the earliest.
To add insult to injury, GE Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt will be honored Feb. 13 by the World Resources Institute, an environmental think tank, for the company's "commitment to sustainable development" via its highly publicized Ecomagination campaign. The theme of the gala event is "The Courage to Lead."
The EPA should see to it that GE has the courage to accept responsibility for the environmental nightmare it caused on the Hudson and stop stalling cleanup plans. It takes no imagination to remove cancer-causing PCBs from the river. The work just has to begin.
Further delays are simply not acceptable.
Sincerely,
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