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EPA Superfund Program Director Discusses Housatonic Cleanup Plan Before Public Hearing

A wide river is flanked by banks covered in grass and trees
Josh Landes
/
WAMC
The Housatonic River, as seen from Bridge Street in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

In February, the EPA announced a major new cleanup plan for the Housatonic River – Berkshire County’s main waterway, which was polluted by General Electric at a Pittsfield, Massachusetts plant in the mid-1900s. The deal was mediated between the corporation and communities along the river. It calls for a 13 -year, over $500 million effort to remove toxic waste from the Housatonic. The plan is open for public comment until August 28th, with a virtual public hearing set for August 26th. WAMC spoke with Director of the EPA Superfund Program for New England Bryan OIson about the project as proposed.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018, following stints at WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Western Massachusetts, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. His free time is spent with his cat Harry, experimental electronic music, and exploring the woods.
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