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September 2017
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“Area 3”
Scenic Hudson’s Althea Mullarkey makes a point
during the comment portion of the July 19 meeting.
be protective of the environment.” Kevin Farrar from the NY State
DEC concurred, stating his belief that “the levels of PCBs are too
high.” Whether these sentiments will prevail inmodifying the EPA
assessment is questionable – after all a deal is a deal and in the
opinion of EPA Project Director Gary Klawinski, “we don’t believe
more dredging would significantly affect fish recovery time.”
The real problem is that fish recovery time is a lousy
measurement of whether or not the River is functioning as a fully
utilized asset to our community. The problems on the Hudson
are a function of a century of neglect – first using the River as a
disposal pit and, quite frankly, a toilet, and then later ignoring the
polluted River and riverfront sites in favor of other locales which
required less environmental review and remediation in order
to provide economic value to the community. This despite
the fact that the Canal system remains fully open and viable
even with some constraints between Troy and Fort Edward.
A more aggressive effort over the decades to keep industry
thriving along its shores might have put more companies in the
River Towns with vested interests in helping it live up to its full
potential, and the resources to help make it so. Alas, this is not
the case, so the ongoing saga of reaching far into the past to
try and place blame, assess culpability and prescribe remedies
continues. As Lee Jameson of Stuyvesant, NY said yesterday
during the hearing, “a little bit of pollution may cause centuries
of damage.” This is a warning we all should heed.
We can’t wait 50 years to have a fully-utilized Hudson River.