GE’s Housatonic River Cleanup Plan Sees Friendly First Circuit

The Environmental Protection Agency’s cleanup plan for the Housatonic River, which became heavily polluted from chemical dumping by the General Electric Co., garnered support from the First Circuit Tuesday during an unusually lopsided oral argument.

The Housatonic River Initiative and the Housatonic Environmental Action League are suing the EPA over its remedy for GE’s dumping of pollutants known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, into the environment. The chemicals can cause neurological and reproductive issues. The Housatonic River spans 150 miles of western Massachusetts and Connecticut and is home to many endangered species.

The EPA ...