GE to EPA: No good evidence for more Hudson River dredging

General Electric Co. says arguments for more dredging in the Hudson River to speed its recovery from PCB contamination are "unsupported by sound evidence."

Boston-based GE made the assertion to the federal Environmental Protection Agency as the agency considers the effectiveness of the six-year, $1.7 billion cleanup.

The EPA said in a review this summer that based on the data so far the cleanup will protect human health and the environment in the long term. Critics pushing for a broader cleanup argue that a large amount of PCB-contaminated sediment remains in the river.

GE told the EPA in comments released Tuesday that the cleanup is functioning as expected and that dredging advocates rely on flawed data.

GE removed 2.75 million cubic yards (2.1 million cubic meters) of polychlorinated biphenyl-contaminated sediment from the upper Hudson.