Documents

correspondence 2 pages

Dear Mayor Pugh, I am writing on behalf of the Friends of a Clean Hudson Coalition to provide an update and make an urgent request for Croton-on-Hudson to join us in advocating for the Hudson River. In the new year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to release its draft third five-year review (FYR) for the Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site for public comment. Through these reviews, required under the federal Superfund law, EPA reports on the status of the cleanup, whether it is working as intended, and whether it is protective of human health and the environment. As part of its upcoming FYR, EPA must review the protectiveness of the cleanup remedy adopted in the 2002 Record of Decision, which includes dredging of sediments in the Upper Hudson River, as well as monitored natural attenuation (MNA) of PCB contamination that remains in the river after dredging. The Friends of a Clean Hudson (FOCH) coalition worked with technical experts to conduct an independent analysis of the remedy’s protectiveness. The conclusion: the remedy has missed key targets deemed necessary to protect human and ecological health, as such EPA must acknowledge the cleanup is not protective of human health and the environment. EPA must take action to improve the protectiveness and effectiveness of the remedy to achieve the goals and objectives set forth in the 2002 Record of Decision. However, before EPA can reevaluate the remedy and take additional steps to clean up PCBs in the Hudson River, the EPA must first issue a determination that the remedy is not protective of human health and the environment. The upcoming third FYR must acknowledge that the remedy has failed to meet the goals and objectives set forth in the 2002 Record of Decision, and as a result, the public and the environment remain in jeopardy. Now is an important opportunity for Hudson River watershed municipal partners to join the FOCH and urge EPA Regional Administrator Lisa Garcia to render a determination in the third FYR that the remedy is not-protective of human health and the environment. In addition, the attached sign-on letter provides municipalities with an opportunity to call upon EPA to issue a clear schedule and commitment to order an RI/FS for the Lower Hudson, and complete the RI/FS for the Upper Hudson River floodplains. Please sign on by Friday, December 15, 2023. If you have any questions, please contact Drew Gamils, Staff Attorney at Riverkeeper, at dgamils@riverkeeper.org. The FOCH coalition will send all signed letters to Lisa Garcia on Monday, December 18, 2023. For more information: 1. Webinar: “Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site – Where are we now, what’s next, and how you can help” 2. Executive Summary (English / Spanish) 3. Technical Review: “The Friends of a Clean Hudson: An Independent Review of EPA’s Upper Hudson River PCB Dredging Remedy” 4. FAQ sheet (English / Spanish) Thank you for your consideration, and we hope the Village of Croton-on-Hudson will sign onto the letter. Jen Benson, Environmental Action Director, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Rebecca Martin, Advocacy Consultant, Hudson Riverkeeper Althea Mullarkey, Scenic Hudson PCBs Project Consultant