Patrick's veto muddies waters on lower Neponset cleanup

State officials say they still support the cleanup of the lower Neponset River, despite Governor Deval Patrick's line-item veto of $12 million in funds for the project.

The earmarked funds were part of a $1.7 billion environmental bond bill signed Aug. 14 by the governor.

"We were very disappointed with the governor's veto and confused as to just why he did this," said Steve Pearlman, advocacy director for the Neponset River Watershed Association. He also serves on the Citizens' Advisory Committee, charged with evaluating options for the cleanup of PCBs from the river, the possible restoration of fish species, and the expansion of recreational usage.

State Senator Marian Walsh of West Roxbury, a cosponsor of the amendment that earmarked the money for the Neponset, could not be reached for comment, but a spokesperson for Walsh said she continues to support the project and believes it will be funded.

Senator Brian Joyce of Milton, the other cosponsor of the amendment, raised the possibility that the veto was an administrative error.

"Governor Patrick remains very committed to the restoration of the lower Neponset," said Robert Keough, spokesman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

He said there are a number of ways the project could be funded, including money from the bond bill, federal funds, or funds from the state Department of Environmental Protection. Keough said the funding issue could be revisited when the recommendations of the advisory committee become clear, probably by the end of the year.

The $12 million was expected to allow the state to remove polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs , from the waterway and the riverbed. PCBs are industrial toxins known to cause cancer.

RICH FAHEY