Heather Bellow reports for The Berkshire Eagle about how the various elements of GE's proposed Upland Disposal Facility for PCB contaminated sludge will affect the health of residents in Lee, Mass., and is now under consideration by the Lee Board of Health. GE is looking to dispose of the sediment in the Berkshires to avoid the $200 million cost to ship it out of state to a facility licensed to accept toxins such as PCBs. The board held an adjudicatory hearing on November 19, in the Lee Middle and High School auditorium. The board's involvement was prompted by the Housatonic River Initiative's appeal of the current cleanup in federal court. If the board decides the dump will be a health threat, other questions arise. The board says state law gives them the ability to stop the dump project if it is found to violate local laws, while the federal Environmental Protection Agency says it cannot. The board of health has collected technical and other expert documentation to help it decide, and will allow 30 days for the submission of more testimony and other pertinent information that relates specifically to the threat to human health posed by the dump. Neither GE representatives nor EPA officials were present at the hearing, though the EPA has referred the board to its record, GE is another story. The board stated that GE’s lack of participation will be taken to infer it “has no evidence” that the dump will not be a hazard to the community. At the hearing, residents of Lee and other communities brought up a host of unknown risks, including the lack of proper data that could forecast problems, the potential impact on the drinking water reservoir and possible airborne contamination after the sludge is deposited in the dump before it is capped. The management and transport of the contaminated mud have not been addressed by GE, but are of great concern to residents and experts alike. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.