Washington, DC - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today released the following statement hailing the completion of the third and most successful season of Hudson River dredging. A total of more than 1.3 million cubic yards of sediment contaminated with PCBs have now been removed from the Hudson River. With the third season of dredging nearly complete, the Environmental Protection Agency is almost half way toward its goal of removing 2.65 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment from a 40-mile stretch of the upper Hudson River. The dredging project also created 500 jobs and additional economic benefits for the area.

As Chair of the New York State Assembly's Environmental Conservation Committee and later as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Hinchey has worked for over 30 years to ensure a proper cleanup and removal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the Hudson River.

"The progress made this season toward the goal achieving a cleaner Hudson River cannot be overstated. With 1.3 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment now removed from the river, we are halfway to our goal. The Environmental Protection Agency has done an outstanding job of monitoring this project closely, minimizing the use of capping, and limiting the amount of sediment drifting down river. Generations of Hudson Valley residents will benefit from this diligent work.

"The three-decade long fight I waged to ensure that the Hudson River cleanup would move forward in the right way is paying dividends today. I commend those who continue to be involved with this important work, and I continue looking forward to the complete restoration of this historically significant, economically important and naturally beautiful waterway."