In the week following Earth Day’s 50th anniversary, Ned Sullivan appeared as an expert guest on a couple of popular valley radio programs. In addition to providing insight on the importance of that first event in 1970, he described strides made since and threats we continue to face, including the proposed Danskammer fracked gas power plant in Newburgh, which he called “the Storm King issue of our time.”
On Radio Kingston’s “Green Radio Hour with Jon Bowermaster,” Ned noted what makes the Hudson Valley a nexus of grassroots environmentalism:
“The Hudson River is a magnet. We have a spirit of activism because of the incredible beauty we have here, the ecological diversity that is unsurpassed anywhere else in New York State, the magic of the river that flows both ways… From one end of the Hudson to the other, I think that’s what resonates with people and makes people fight for that beauty and the quality of life that flows out of that.”
And with Greg Gattine of Woodstock’s WDST, he urged people to take a stand against proposed rollbacks to the National Environmental Policy Act, a direct outgrowth of the first Earth Day, which gives Americans a voice in government decisions affecting their environment:
“Now, the federal government is gutting this act. They are saying they don’t want to see major infrastructure projects consider climate change. They’re rolling back the fuel-efficiency standards on our automobiles. This is crazy! Why would we roll back those laws that have cleaned our air, that are ensuring we’re on the right track for stemming climate change? It’s absolutely critical that people speak to both their state legislators and their Congressional representatives and let them know we want them to stand up to the White House, which is leading the charge in the wrong direction.”
Ned Sullivan, President of Scenic Hudson
Click on the links to enjoy the full interviews.
