General Electric Pittsfield Plant Explained

General Electric Pittsfield Plant
Built:1903
Location:Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Industry:Electrical equipment, ordnance, plastics

The General Electric Pittsfield Plant, which included Air Force Plant 69, was a plant of General Electric located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.[1] GE acquired the facilities of the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company in 1903.[2]

From circa 1932 until 1977, the Pittsfield Plant discharged PCB pollution to the Housatonic River. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the Pittsfield plant and several miles of the Housatonic as a Superfund site in 1997, and ordered GE to remediate the site. EPA and GE began a cleanup of the area in 1999.[3]

GE demolished some buildings on the 324acres site in the 1990s. Other buildings were demolished between 2001 and 2010. GE transferred some of the cleaned-up properties to the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority (PEDA). As of 2022 GE has completed remediation and restoration of the 10 manufacturing plant areas within the city, and GE and PEDA are conducting inspection, monitoring and maintenance activities.[4] Cleanup of the polluted downstream river areas has not been completed as of 2022.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Murdock . Scott D. . List of Air Force Plants . Airforcebase.net . 25 August 2013 . 10 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130810135457/http://www.airforcebase.net/usaf/afp_list.html . dead .
  2. Web site: Overview of William Stanley Business Park of the Berkshires . Pittsfield Economic Development Authority . Pittsfield, MA . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080704173531/http://www.williamstanleybusinesspark.com/history_property.asp . July 4, 2008.
  3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Boston, MA. GE/Housatonic River Site in New England: Site History and Description." 2009-11-12.
  4. Web site: GE Plant Area of the GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site . 2021-07-12 . EPA.
  5. Web site: Cleaning Up the Housatonic . 2022-02-18 . EPA.