GE decries EPA ruling on Hudson dredging

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut (CNN) -- The General Electric Company said it is "disappointed" with the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to proceed with a plan that would require GE to spend millions on a major dredging project of the Upper Hudson River.

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The $460 million plan "will cause more harm than good," GE said in statement. "This is a loss for the people of the area who overwhelmingly oppose this project and the decades of disruption it will bring to their communities. It appears that neither sound science nor the voices of these residents played a part in the EPA's decision."

EPA head Christie Whitman endorsed the plan, a Clinton administration proposal calling for the dredging of PCBs discharged by General Electric decades ago along a 40-mile stretch of the upper Hudson River.

Many residents and civic leaders along the river north of Albany are against the dredging plan, saying it will be detrimental to the environment.

Saying it has invested $200 million in Hudson River research, GE says its restoration projects over the past 20 years have led to "remarkable improvement" in the river.

"GE calls on the EPA to make public its draft decision so that GE, local river residents and all impacted parties can review the plan and participate in the process," GE said in a statement.