Preserve River Ecology - Press Releases

Re-posted from Rensselaer Environmental Coalition. For immediate release: August 12, 2020 Contact: David Ellis, Chairman, Rensselaer Environmental Coalition [email protected] On November 26, 2019, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent a letter to outgoing Rensselaer Mayor, Rich Mooney stating that the DEC “has grave concerns regarding what appears from a review of the SEQRA record for this Project to be a wrongfully abbreviated environmental impact assessment that the City of Rensselaer undertook.” In March 2018, Rensselaer Resource Recovery LLC, applied to the Rensselaer City Planning Commission for approval […]

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Albany NY – Today, the New York Senate took a historic vote to protect clean water across New York.It voted to add 41,000 miles of at risk streams to the protected class of waters within the DEC’s Protection of Waters Program. The legislation protects streams within the Class C designation and will require a permit for disturbing a stream already required for Class AA, A, B and trout waters. This legislation passed the New York Assembly in February. Now, New York has taken the significant step of ensuring clean water […]

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Riverkeeper joins organizations across New York State urging Gov. Cuomo and Legislature to support a “once in a generation” opportunity to restore habitats and prepare for climate change. Albany, N.Y. — More than 100 organizations and advocacy groups from across New York State today announced their support for an Environmental Bond Act, proposed in the Executive Budget, and are urging the Governor and legislation to take advantage of this “once in a generation opportunity” by passing legislation giving voters the chance to approve such a measure on the November 2020 […]

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The following is a statement from Riverkeeper’s Director of Legal Programs, Richard Webster, regarding the abandonment of the Constitution Pipeline project by Williams Partners: “Riverkeeper is gratified that it has been announced that the Constitution Pipeline project has been scrapped. This pipeline would have carried fracked natural gas across 251 waterbodies — including 89 trout spawning streams — and through many unique and sensitive ecological areas such as old-growth forest and undisturbed springs, which provide vital habitat and are key to local ecosystems. Over many years, Riverkeeper and our partners […]

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During the annual Riverkeeper Sweep shoreline cleanup event on May 4, 2,400 volunteers cleaned up 32 tons of trash & debris from 122 locations in NYC & the Hudson Valley. Plastic bottles were the most pervasive item noted in the trash, fueling new efforts to expand NYS ‘bottle bill.’ Add your voice here. Ossining, N.Y. – Riverkeeper today announced the results of the 8th Annual “Riverkeeper Sweep” May 4, when 2,400 volunteers cleaned the shorelines of New York City and the Hudson Valley and removed a total of 32 tons […]

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8th Annual Riverkeeper Sweep happening at 123 locations, Adirondacks to NYC: More than 2,000 volunteers will clean shorelines, foster native plants Ossining, N.Y. – Thousands of volunteers will return to the shorelines in the Hudson Valley and New York City for the 8th Annual Riverkeeper Sweep on Saturday, May 4 – a day of service for the Hudson River. Riverkeeper Sweep is the largest one-day cleanup in the history of the Hudson River. In the seven years since the first Riverkeeper Sweep in 2012, volunteers have removed more than 227 […]

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Proposal would transport 445,000 tons of toxic ash per year on local roads. Catskill, NY — More than 200 people packed a community meeting last night at the Catskill Community Center to learn about the threats from a proposed incinerator toxic ash dump in an abandoned quarry in Catskill. This would be the first such use of a quarry in New York State. A diverse coalition supported by more than 50 community and environmental groups organized the meeting and will hold a follow-up organizing meeting on May 3, at 6pm. […]

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Statement on Governor Cuomo signing plastic bag ban bill at the Hudson River Maritime Museum   Kingston, NY —  Governor Andrew M. Cuomo joined advocates and lawmakers at the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston, New York today for a signing ceremony for the statewide plastic bag ban that will go into effect on March 1, 2020. The new law seeks to address some 23 billion single-use plastic bags New Yorkers use every year. “At our annual Riverkeeper Sweep, volunteers remove tons of plastics, including single-use bags from NewYork’s shorelines,” said Riverkeeper President Paul Gallay. “Plastic pollution is […]

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Storm surge flood barriers being considered by the Army Corps of Engineers in response to Hurricane Sandy, threaten river health Contacts: Eileen Shader, American Rivers, (570) 856-1128, [email protected] Leah Rae, Riverkeeper, (914) 478-4501 ext. 238, [email protected] Washington, D.C. – American Rivers today named the Hudson River among America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2019, citing the grave threat that the potential construction of storm-surge barriers could pose to this rich tidal estuary. American Rivers and its partners called on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider alternative solutions that address […]

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