Making continued progress in this David vs. Goliath battle to restore the health and full economic potential of the valley’s most important natural resource depends on sustained citizen action.

What’s the plan?

For 40 years, Scenic Hudson has been leading the fight for a comprehensive cleanup of cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that polluter General Electric dumped in the Hudson River from the 1940s to the 1970s. Despite achieving an early victory when GE completed six years of dredging of contaminated “hotspots” in the upper Hudson (2009-2015), significant amounts of these toxins remain in the river’s water and sediment, both in dredged and undredged areas. 

In April 2019, we achieved another partial victory when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it lacked the data to determine if the cleanup had achieved its goal of being “protective of human health and the environment,” reversing its long-standing, but unsubstantiated, claim it was a success. However, the EPA simultaneously issued polluter GE a certificate of completion for the project, creating a legal hurdle to compel the company to continue the cleanup. 

In August 2019, New York State sued the EPA for issuing the certificate.

Scenic Hudson will continue our longstanding battle until the Hudson River — along with the residents of waterfront communities and the millions of people who enjoy boating and fishing on it — get the cleanup they deserve. Mobilizing citizens and communities to join our campaign is essential for achieving progress.

What’s at stake?

• A 200-mile stretch of the river — from the foothills of the Adirondacks to New York Harbor — remains one of America’s largest Superfund sites
• PCBs have accumulated in the land, sediment and food web all along the river, harming wildlife as well as humans who come in contact with these toxins through the water and air
• It is unsafe to eat fish from the river, and particularly dangerous to children and women of child-bearing age 
• PCB contamination postpones significant economic opportunities along the riverfront, as well as resumption of a once-lucrative commercial fishing industry and deep-draft shipping on the Champlain Canal
• It also prevents the river’s fullest potential for being an engine of the valley’s tourism economy

Scenic Hudson and our partners have long fought to get GE to take responsibility for this toxic disaster. Supported by community partners and our dedicated members, we remain present at every stage of this historic remediation and continue to press for the most comprehensive cleanup possible. We will continue the fight, as long as it takes, to reclaim the Hudson’s full potential.  

How can I get involved?

Do everything possible — speak with state and local officials, draft letters to the editor—to hold GE accountable for completing a cleanup the Hudson River and all New Yorkers deserve.

Soon, designated Hudson River trustee agencies (New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, NOAA and the U.S. Dept. of the Interior) will move forward with a Natural Resource Damages Assessment (NRDA). The Superfund Law requires GE to pay to restore the Hudson River and compensate the public for the harm to natural resources its pollution caused. Through the NRDA process, the funds obtained from GE will be used to restore wildlife habitats and riverfront communities. There will be opportunities for the public to weigh in on the NRDA in the future.

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Success Stories

Hudson River Barge Anchorages

Preserving water quality and habitats, the U.S. Coast Guard abandoned plans for 10 new “parking lots” for vessels carrying hazardous substances. We mobilized thousands of community members to fight the proposal. 2018

Expanded Crude Oil Operations (Albany)

Decreasing the likelihood of hazardous spills and health threats in local neighborhoods, Global Partners decided not to build new crude oil facilities. We partnered in opposing the expanded operations. 2018

Pilgrim Pipelines (Hudson Valley)

We engaged citizens and communities to oppose this proposal to construct two crude oil pipelines through the valley. The outcry against the project led to its abandonment, halting potential environmental, public health and safety threats. 2017

Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant (Buchanan)

Ending the harm it causes aquatic wildlife and public safety, New York State and plant owner Entergy agreed to close this outdated facility by 2021 — ending our decades-long campaign to shut it down. 2017

Desalination Plant (Haverstraw)

Our six-year campaign to halt construction of an environmentally harmful desalination plant on Haverstraw Bay — site of some of the river’s most important aquatic habitats — ended in victory when plans to build the facility were dropped. 2015

LG Headquarters (Englewood, New Jersey)

In a “win-win” for the environment and the economy, LG Electronics reached an agreement with us and partners to reduce the height of its proposed corporate tower atop the Palisades, preserving magnificent views and keeping jobs in the region. 2015

St. Lawrence Cement Plant (Hudson)

Preserving air quality and iconic views from Olana, NYS rejected plans to erect this 20-building manufacturing complex resulting from our grassroots campaign to stop its construction. 2005

Riverfront Towers (Yonkers)

Securing public riverfront access and preserved downtown Palisades views resulted from a settlement we brokered to stop construction of a wall of 38-story towers along the city’s waterfront. 1989

Sloop Hill (New Windsor)

Preserving a prominently visible river promontory and prime bald eagle habitat, NYS acquired 100 acres slated for a 530-unit condominium. Scenic Hudson played a lead role in securing the land’s protection. 1988

Storm King Mountain (Cornwall)

Conserving the iconic northern gateway to the Hudson Highlands, Con Edison agreed not to build a destructive hydroelectric plant. Scenic Hudson was established to protect the mountain and led the successful 17-year campaign. 1980

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