Disturbing the mud could churn up more damage than leaving it. Once dredged it would still have to be put somewhere. But the EPA has a point too. A storm or flood could stir up old sediment, and meanwhile it slowly percolates down to the sea. The problem for GE is that, though it may or may not be credible now, its past behavior has destroyed its credibility in this matter.
Negative legacies can last a long time.
So here's a better story. Ford, of course, makes the biggest road hog of all, the Excursion, which weighs twice as much as a Grand Cherokee and gets 10 miles to the gallon. SUVs, said Ford, are three times more likely than regular cars to kill occupants of other cars in a crash. And their own occupants are not safe either. Death rates in SUVs are as high as in cars, because SUVs tend to roll over and to crumple.