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Site of the GE Building 68 PCB spill into the Housatonic River: Photo from EPAThe U-S Environmental Protection Agency is expected to respond to General Electric’s proposal for cleaning up the Housatonic River by mid-June. But Connecticut’s environmental agency isn’t satisfied with the company’s proposal.

Back before the mid-1970s when Congress banned polychlorinated biphenals or PCBs, they were used in the manufacturing of electrical transformers. General Electric used them at its plant in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and released the toxin into the Housatonic River. As part of a clean up agreement G.E. submitted a proposal to the E.P.A. this spring for removing PCBs from the river south of Pittsfield. The company is not proposing removing PCBs from the Connecticut section of the river, where the PCB levels are considered low.

On WNPR’s Where We Live Connecticut’s Environmental Commissioner Gina McCarthy said more needs to be done.

“We don’t think that the proposal that they’ve put on the table will really reduce the PCB levels significantly that we can have a full restoration of the resource in this state and at some point in time hopefully allow people to fish and take home their fish.”

After the E.P.A. evaluates G.E.’s proposal the company has sixty days to respond. Then the public has a chance to weigh in.