LEE, MA -- "I've read the report, and we're very disappointed at how weak on the side of the pendulum it is for cleaning up the Housatonic River," said Housatonic River Initiative Executive Director Timothy Gray.

That report is General Electric's long-awaited proposal for cleaning up PCBs from the Housatonic River. The nearly 800 page report calls for ten years of dredging, a new landfill and acres of capping along the river. GE said these measures will reduce levels of PCBs by 94 percent downstream, but critics said that number is simply water under the bridge.

"What we have in our future again is another big landfill. And we all know that the first landfill in Pittsfield got sited right next to an elementary school, so we can expect to have some very bad decisions coming up if history proves itself again," said Gray.

GE's plan is subject to review by the Environmental Protection Agency. They said the report is the first step of the cleanup process. Soon, the public can comment, followed by an appeals process, then a final cleanup decision. It'll be a long time before that happens, which is keeping optimism guarded.

"[I'm] long-term optimistic. I think we've got a long ways to go to get to the actual cleanup work and that'll take multiple years to complete," said Lenox Town Manager Gregory Federspiel.

Part of that cleanup process could involve GE laying down six inches of clean soil on portions of the river floor. That would theoretically trap the contaminated material underneath. But that's an idea that not everybody's sold on.

"We think there needs to be more dredging. We think there needs to be, not landfills, but using technology to destroy PCBs. Let's get rid of the problem instead of just scooping them up and making landfills all over the place," said Gray.

GE will present their plan to the public on Thursday night at the Lee Middle and High School.