Final Hearing Tuesday On EPA’s Planned River Clean-Up

Area residents who would like to express their concerns to the Environmental Protection Agency, about its latest plan to remove toxins from the Housatonic River, will have one more opportunity to do so Tuesday evening.

The EPA's final hearing will take place at 6:30 PM on Tuesday. There will be an explanation of the new cleanup plan, reached through secret mediation among the EPA, the General Electric Co., municipalities, and a few private groups.

Tuesday's hearing is the last time the agency will accept live, oral comment. People will then have until Friday to submit written comments. To speak Tuesday, people must register Monday. You can find information about registering to comment at the session over the phone or computer by visiting this website: epa.gov/ge-housatonic and clicking in the section labeled "Virtual Public Hearing Schedule."

When the agency released its plans to dispose of PCB’s at a site in the town of Lee, area residents immediately became vocal about their opposition to the plan.

As a follow up to the three public informational meetings held in February and March in Lee, Great Barrington, and Pittsfield the EPA, in August, held a formal Public Hearing to allow an opportunity to provide oral comments for the record.

The Berkshire Eagle reported on Monday that in order to help ensure that people comment at the EPA's final hearing Tuesday, opponents of a planned PCB dump in Lee mailed 15,000 notices to residents of five Berkshire County towns – Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Sheffield and Stockbridge — the county towns that border the river on its run south from Pittsfield to the Connecticut line.

The cards read "Stop GE from poisoning our Berkshires!... Here is how your action and voice can help. This is our LAST chance!"

Once again, the EPA's final hearing opens at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Registration Information Here: epa.gov/ge-housatonic