EPA submits dredging accord

Federal officials asked a judge Tuesday to sign off on their agreement with General Electric Co. to dredge PCBs from the Hudson River, and rejected criticism that the deal could allow the company to avoid doing most of the cleanup. In the accord, first announced in October, GE pledged to perform the first phase of dredging. But much to the chagrin of environmentalists and others, the pact allows GE to opt out of finishing the cleanup after the initial work is done.