Document g29qNLZwd7Mq0Z8XeM1n8JLgQ

SARATOGA SPRiNGS. N. Y. SARATOiilAH (AtBANY MARIiCl ARF.`) I) 11000 SEP 9 1975 ' GE says 1,300 jobs may go with PCB ByCHATBLAKEMAN is the first federal official to moke such AND CANDACE HOLLAR s request publicly. I HUDSON FALLS - About 1.300 1 Richel said the possibility the plants workers at General Electric's Hudson Would actually be shut down is small, Falls and Fort Edward plants could knd General Electric will protest be put out of work if the company is Reid's order at a hearing Oct. in forced to comply with a state direc {Albany. tive ordering elimination of PCJL. 1 "The implication by the Depart discharges at the plants, officials said ment of Environmental Conservation today. that there has been inactivity (efforts Stuart Richel, counsel to GE's `to prevent *PCB pollution) is environmental protection office, local erroneous and unfair." Richel Mid. plant manager Lucas Hart Jr., and In a staement released Monday, James Herger, personnel director for Hart Mid G.E. had achieved "con the plants, all said that if En siderable progress" toward reducing vironmental Conservation Com the amount of PCB, a polychlorinatad missioner Ogden R. Reid's efforts to biphenyl, which it discharges. At one halt all release of PCB's into the time the company was discharging up to Hudson Rivet from the two plants 30 pounds a day, but this has been cut to were succeufu), both plants could be about five, Hart Mid. forced to shut down. In addition, he Mid the type of PCB We are faced with the possibility of found in fish samples was not the type complying with an order, the terms of currently being used at the two plants. which are not achievable," Richel said. He Mid it was an older, mere stable 1 Asked Friday what the company compound that the company would do if the state ordered a "sere discontinued using In 1971. He said the discharge," Hart threw up his hands present type used has not been found and said, "We'll shut down and 1,909 In fish, although It has been found in people will be out of work." water and vegetation Mmpies. He could not be reached for com ment today, but Herger confirmed the plants might be closed if the order stands. "General Electric will continue its efforts to reduce discharges to the lowest feasible level as rapidly as possible," Hart bald. "The company The order, made public Sunday by feels it would be a breach of faith to Reid, would force the company to mako a commitment to achieve "iero reduce its discharge of PCB to two dicharge'' by a certain data because pounds by Dec. 31, 1979 and to there simply Is no known technically eliminate it entirely by Sept. 30,1970. feasible method to achieve this goal at 'In addition, the company would be this time." 'required to take steps to repair Technical fessiblity is likely to bo a damage to the river caused by pest central question at the October {practices. hearing. Currently, the chemicel is ' [In a related development, Dr. not treated at the plant, but finds it's Xheodore Cooper, aesistant secretary In way into the river through spillage the U.S. Department of Health, and other "poor housekeeping'', , Education end Welfare, called Monday lor "immediate action" to and according to Dr. Ernest Regna of the (U.S. ' Environmental Protection I discharges of PCB into the Hudson. Ha .Agency. ______ MOWS 032815