LOOKING BACK ON 2009: Standing up for the Valley in Albany

Scenic Hudson achieved landmark victories at the state capitol in our role as the valley's environmental watchdog.

Phase I of General Electric's Hudson River PCB cleanup removed 96 percent of contaminated sediments targeted by the EPA.

Our Public Policy team, with support from our member advocates, spearheaded efforts to prevent the Hudson River Valley Greenway from becoming a budget casualty. The Greenway provides a proven framework for government, environmental and business leaders to achieve the dual goals of protecting the region's world-class natural beauty and achieving sustainable economic development that revitalizes downtowns.

In May, General Electric finally commenced cleanup of toxic PCBs in the upper Hudson River, our biggest grass-roots success since the modern environmental movement was launched by the 1965 “Scenic Hudson Decision.” We are joining our allies in pushing GE to finish this job next spring and then immediately launch Phase 2.

We also worked with partners to fight back potentially devastating cuts to the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). The fund amounts to only a fraction of 1 percent of the state's budget, but the EPF provides communities much-needed resources for protecting farmland, improving drinking water and creating parks. The EPF also funds the Hudson River Estuary Program, which promotes cleanup of the river and public access to it.

An additional victory -- 20 years in the works -- was the passage of the Bigger, Better Bottle Bill (BBBB), requiring a five-cent deposit on bottled water. While slashing litter, the BBBB should add $115 million annually to the state's coffers.