I'm Pete du Pont with the National Center for Policy Analysis. Well, the Environmental Protection Agency is at it again, this time trying to fine business hundreds of millions of dollars and damaging the environment in the process. Even for this bunch, that's pretty impressive.
The EPA wants to force General Electric to spend half a billion dollars to dredge the hudson river where GE dumped PCBs – legally – for many years.
The EPA is now worried about "the health of the river" and the increased risk to humans from eating river fish.
Two thoughts: First, the National Cancer Institute says there's no evidence anything bad is happening. The American Council on Science and Health unanimously reached the same conclusion two years ago.
What's more, experts familiar with the situation point out that the PCBs are now embedded deep in the mud at the bottom of the hudson where they're not doing any harm. But dredging them up will disperse them in the water – just the thing EPA is seemingly so concerned about.
It all seems backwards, doesn't it?
Those are my ideas, and at the NCPA we know ideas can change the world. I'm Pete du Pont. Next time, the tax cut.