The recent documentary "America's First River: Bill Moyers on the Hudson" depicted the Hudson River as a place "where poets and painters found God in the wilderness...where ideas about nature and landscape shaped America's vision."
This nationally televised program featured Scenic Hudson board members Frederick Osborn III and David H. Mortimer, whose families have supported valley conservation for generations, and Mrs. Willis L.M. "Franny" Reese, who helped lead the fight to save Storm King Mountain. This legendary battle established the landmark legal precedent of citizen standing, which has empowered people throughout the country to defend the environment.
Rights Under Fire
But even as we celebrate these early victories, the rights we gained from them have come under fire. Two court rulings have denied standing to the Save Our Main Street Buildings Committee, a citizens group seeking to prevent Greene County from unleashing the wrecking ball on 10 historic buildings in the Village of Catskill. One of the structures was designed by Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School of Art. To bolster the group's case, Scenic Hudson has filed an "amicus curiae," or friend-of-the-court brief.
Similarly St. Lawrence Cement Co. filed a 280-page legal brief aimed at challenging our ability to raise significant issues during permit hearings for its massive, coal-fired cement plant proposed for Columbia County. As a member of the Hudson Valley Preservation Coalition, we are battling intensely to bring the facility's environmental, economic and quality-of-life risks before New York State Department of Environmental Conservation judges.
Governor Honored
Scenic Hudson recently celebrated its 10th Annual Spirit of the River Gala by honoring Gov. George E. Pataki for his extraordinary contributions to the future of our region. A leading advocate of a comprehensive PCB cleanup, Gov. Pataki continued his environmental leadership when he stopped the Millennium Pipeline from crossing the Hudson River at Haverstraw Bay, stating that the plan was, "inconsistent with what we have done to clean up the Hudson."
His decision was heartening to those of us working to increase public enjoyment of our great river.
Moving Downtown
We took another step in the right direction this spring and relocated from our former Vassar Street location to Main Street in the heart of downtown Poughkeepsie. Moving to One Civic Center Plaza will help revitalize this Dutchess County city's core, which for a decade was a failed pedestrian mall marked by crime, drugs and empty storefronts. With federal funding championed by Rep. Sue W. Kelly, Poughkeepsie Mayor Colette Lafuente last year reopened the thoroughfare to vehicular traffic to give the area a fresh start.
In Yonkers, Haverstraw and other places, we are working to make urban areas vital centers of economic health. We are pleased to do our part and live this smart growth principle.
Ned Sullivan,
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| Ned Sullivan and Gov. George Pataki discuss Scenic Hudson's new headquarters and the proposed St. Lawrence Cement Plant. |
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