© 2024
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

GE Could Appeal Decision Upholding EPA Housatonic Cleanup Plan

A stretch of the Housatonic River under remediation.
Berkshire Environmental Action Team
A stretch of the Housatonic River under remediation.

General Electric says it's "disappointed" by a decision upholding the Environmental Protection Agency's plan that requires the company to clean chemicals from a western Massachusetts river.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that General Electric issued a statement Wednesday indicating that it may appeal Tuesday's decision upholding the $613 million proposal. It would have a 30-day window after the EPA issues its final cleanup permit.

The EPA proposes cleaning PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, from more than 400 acres along a 10.5-mile stretch of the Housatonic River in Pittsfield and Lenox. It includes dredging and trucking contaminated soil and sediment to an out-of-state facility.

The decision by the EPA's Boston office says GE's argument that the removal requirements are "arbitrary" and "unlawful" fails to present sufficient information to dispute the agency's plan.

Related Content