Washington, DC – U.S. Rep. John Hall (D-NY19) announced today that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment, which Hall serves on, will hold a special Field Hearing in East Fishkill to examine water pollution and cleanup in New York's Hudson Valley.  The Field Hearing, entitled "Water Resources Contamination and Environmental Cleanup in the Hudson Valley," will be held April 11, 2008 at 9:30am in the East Fishkill Town Hall.

 

"The Hudson Valley has serious and ongoing water contamination issues," explained Congressman Hall.  "The area has been significantly affected by pollution that presents a real threat to drinking water, public health and the environment.  The impact of this pollution has been felt by too many communities.  As the Hudson Valley grows, we must be sure to protect our water resources."

 

The Hopewell Precision Superfund site, located in East Fishkill, is one of seven sites in New York's 19th Congressional District on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund National Priority List, a designation of the nation's most severely polluted locations.  A large stretch of the Hudson River has also been designated a Superfund site as a result of the GE Company dumping PCBs directly into the river, and this resulted in serious downriver impacts in New York's 19th Congressional District. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has spearheaded the PCB cleanup project.

 

"Water pollution in the Hudson Valley is a serious challenge and the cleanup is going to require strong and organized cooperation," said Congressman Hall.  "I've asked the Water Resources Subcommittee to hold a field hearing here so that we can examine how the EPA is currently working with New York's Department of Environmental Conservation, local governments, and private groups.  I want this hearing to spur the federal government to redouble its commitment to remediation in the Hudson Valley."

 

The Hopewell Junction community has been hit particularly hard by groundwater contamination and vapor intrusion by the carcinogenic chemical trichloroethylene (TCE) that was dumped directly into the ground by the Hopewell Precision company.  People in Hopewell Junction have suffered from cancer and other health problems due to TCE.  Last month Congressman Hall and Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY22) introduced the TCE Reduction Act, legislation which would require the EPA to set stricter regulations to protect the public from exposure to TCE.

 

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