What's the Vision?
For 70 years, communities have been fighting for a comprehensive cleanup of the Hudson River. Today, Friends of a Clean Hudson — a coalition of organizations including Riverkeeper, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, the Sierra Club, Scenic Hudson, NRDC, and the Hudson Fisherman’s Association — continue to lead the fight for a clean river that enhances the quality of life for all Hudson Valley residents and visitors. Together we are working toward a future where a healthy river is the centerpiece of flourishing communities, supporting recreation, local businesses, tourism, and ecology.
What's the Issue?
The mighty Hudson River has been a bustling center of commerce and recreation as well as home to abundant fish and wildlife. It is now one of the largest Superfund sites in the United States.
From the 1940s to the 1970s, General Electric (GE) dumped toxic PCBs into the river, contaminating a 200-mile stretch from New York Harbor to Hudson Falls and causing immense harm to communities and wildlife that rely on the river. A fishing industry worth $40 million a year collapsed. People are afraid to swim in the river or fish to feed their families. And many communities faced significant health consequences that continue to this day, including increases in nervous system issues, developmental delays, and certain types of cancer.
Despite six years of dredging of contaminated “hotspots” in the upper Hudson from 2009 to 2015, significant amounts of these toxins remain in the river’s water and sediment, both in dredged and undredged areas.
The contamination also highlights longstanding environmental justice issues in the Hudson Valley. A Scenic Hudson and Sierra Club survey indicated low-income anglers in the lower Hudson who are Black, Indigenous, or other People of Color are most likely to consume fish in levels exceeding state Department of Health advisories. Many immigrant populations also rely on fish from the river as part of their diet, and there are a number of fish species that have not been investigated for PCB contamination levels. Of the species that have been surveyed, PCB levels are 10 or more times higher than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s standards for safe consumption.
The cleanup must continue because the job is not done.
What's the status?
Every five years, the EPA is required to review the PCB cleanup process and determine if it is complete or if there is more to be done. The next review is expected to be made public in 2024.
In anticipation of the release of the EPA’s review, Friends of a Clean Hudson (FOCH) released a report in November 2023 detailing how the concentration of toxic PCBs in the river’s fish and sediment remain higher than anticipated.
Read the Friends of a Clean Hudson report (or check out the executive summary).
FOCH is calling on the EPA to acknowledge in their forthcoming review that the dredging of the Upper Hudson River is “not protective of human health and the environment.”
Regional political leaders have also raised their voice to demand the EPA take additional action to clean up these “forever chemicals” in the Hudson River.
- Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued her support at a press event in February 2024, saying, “I’m calling on the EPA to acknowledge the insufficiency of the dredging remedy and to begin to investigate additional options to clean up the Hudson for good.”
- New York State Senator and chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee Pete Harckham, along with the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus (BPHA), called for a complete cleanup in March 2024.
- In a bipartisan effort in April 2024, Congressman Pat Ryan and Congressman Marc Molinaro issued a joint statement signed by 18 additional members of congress who are concerned about the health of the river and the vulnerable populations who rely on it.
We’ve made it easy for you to add your voice. Just fill out the form below to let EPA Administrators Michael Regan and Lisa Garcia know we must continue the progress we have made towards creating a clean and safe Hudson River that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike for generations to come.
ADD YOUR VOICE:
Additionally, we must also keep up the pressure to:
- Make GE fully accountable for the cleanup
A 2021 report from Natural Resource Damages (NRD) experts estimated GE could owe as much as $11.4 billion to heal the river and the ecology, and help improve quality of life for communities along its shores, in addition to $10.7 billion for dredging to prevent further harm to natural resources. - Demand the EPA assess the Lower Hudson River
They must order a “Remedial Investigation” (a cleanup investigation) of the Lower Hudson River, which will likely tell us that there is more toxic pollution from PCBs to clean up there as well.
The following key terms are important to understanding the issues around this campaign.
CERCLA
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, better known as “Superfund” (see below).
Hotspots
Areas containing higher concentrations of pollutants.
Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees
Officers and agencies designated to implement the Natural Resource Damage provisions of CERCLA on the Hudson River — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Lower Hudson River
134-mile stretch of the river from the federal dam in Troy to the Battery in Lower Manhattan.
Natural Resource Damages (NRD)
Any damages recoverable by the United States or a state on behalf of the public for injury to, destruction of, or loss or impairment of natural resources resulting from the release of hazardous substances.
Natural Resource Trustees
Officers and agencies designated by the federal or state executive to act on behalf of the public to restore natural resources.
PCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyls, human-made industrial chemicals, either oily liquids or solids, that are a known human carcinogen.
Remedial Investigation
The mechanism for collecting data to characterize site conditions, determine the nature of contamination, assess risks to human health and the environment, and conduct testing to evaluate the potential performance and cost of treatment. An initial step before designing a Superfund cleanup plan.
Superfund
The federal environmental remediation program established by CERCLA and administered by the EPA. It is designed to investigate and clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances.
Upper Hudson River
In the context of the Hudson River Superfund site, the 40-mile stretch of the river from the GE plant site at Hudson Falls to the federal dam in Troy.
HELP US HEAL THE HUDSON!
What can you do now?
SEND A LETTER TO THE EPA saying the cleanup is “not protective of human health and the environment.”
READ THE RECENT REPORT from Friends of a Clean Hudson (FOCH) that details how the concentration of toxic PCBs in the river’s fish and sediment remain higher than anticipated. (Or check out the EXECUTIVE SUMMARY)
READ THE 2021 REPORT from Natural Resource Damages experts who estimated GE could owe as much as $11.4 billion to heal the river. (Or check out the two-page summary or the 12-minute video)
WATCH the virtual premier of PCBs: A TOXIC LEGACY from acclaimed filmmaker Jon Bowermaster and Oceans8 Films, followed by a conversation with the filmmaker.
ADD YOUR VOICE! We bring the voices of the Hudson Valley directly to the decision makers and policy makers shaping our future.