Text of Senator Charles Schumer's Letter to Adminisitrator Christine Todd Whitman, US Environmental Protection Agency
Dear Administrator Whitman:
I am writing today to urge you to do everything in your power to ensure that local labor will be given preference, whenever possible, as part of the Hudson River PCB clean-up.
As you know, prior to the EPA's issuance of the Record of Decision (ROD) in February 2002, the issue of whether to remove the PCBs or not was quite controversial, especially along the northern reaches of the Hudson River. However, since the ROD was issued, much of the attention has turned to how the project might affect citizens and communities, both positively and negatively. One issue, which has united virtually all citizens, regardless of ideology, political stripe, or position on dredging, has been the sincere hope that this project would help bolster the local economy, by hiring local people.
I want to commend your office for the level of respect that's been shown to the river communities who will be affected by the dredging project. Taking steps such as the appointment of N.G. Kaul to head the EPA field office in Hudson Falls go a long way towards maintaining strong relations with the local communities.
At this point, I would respectfully ask that the EPA take the next logical step and offer preference, wherever possible, to local upstate New York laborers to work on the project. This has been a controversial undertaking for many, but providing a source of jobs and a boost to the local economy could be nothing but an unqualified positive for all parties.
I urge you to do all that you can to see that local folks given an opportunity. Clearly, EPA will have to be respective of competitive bidding procedures and many jobs might require specifically skilled candidates, but whenever possible, special consideration ought to be given to the people of Upstate New York.
Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to your comments on this matter.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senate