Increasing amount of Congress members calling for dump clean-up

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17,000 truckloads of Dioxin waste -- cancer-causing pollution which scientists say will remain toxic for seven entire centuries. The facts surrounding the San Jacinto River waste pits are ominous and drawing a slew of powerful voices calling for a complete cleanup.

Republican Congressman Ted Poe spoke plainly, telling FOX 26 News, "I support the EPA's efforts for a full removal of the waste. Action is long overdue. In addition, the people who polluted the water should pay for the cleanup of the damage that they created."

As the EPA prepares its final recommendation for the dump, Republican Congressman Pete Olson has also jumped into the fray saying, "The communities directly impacted by this Superfund site have assessed and requested full removal of the contamination. I support our local leaders charged with protecting their residents and my fellow Houston colleagues who are advocating for this effort at the federal level."

"We need those loud voices," said Scott Jones of the highly-regarded Galveston Bay Foundation. "We need those persistent voices telling the EPA and calling for full removal and that it's the only reasonable solution to this site."

Jones added that the bipartisan call for complete removal delivered by six Houston-area members of Congress can't help but have a persuasive impact.

"That the containment won't work for 750 years and that this is too risky to keep in place," said Jones. "To have bipartisan agreement on that, that is extremely powerful in today's climate."  

With their statements, Representatives Poe and Olson join fellow Republicans Brian Babin and Randy Weber, along with Democrats Gene Green and Sheila Jackson Lee, in a united call for full removal.

A seventh member of Congress is expected to demand a complete cleanup early next week, FOX 26 has learned.