Before coming to Scenic Hudson, you had experience not just in conservation management but also in business, and in 2011 Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed you on his regional Economic Development Council. What is the business case for preserving viewsheds and lands along the Hudson?
The foundation of the Hudson Valley economy is beauty. Access to the river is a quality-of-life issue. That’s true for tourism, which is a $4.8 billion industry in the region and employs more than 80,000 people a year. In addition, we’ve seen statistics that demonstrate when CEOs and real estate brokers around the country are thinking about good locations for job creation, what they associate with the Hudson Valley is beauty, access to parks and quality of life. That’s what attracts business leaders to move here with their families and potential workforce, or to stay in the area. I was a founding board member of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, which markets the region around the country for job creation, and we found that’s the basis for the council’s success in bringing tens of millions of dollars into the Valley.
One example of where we see synergies is with Metro-North. So many of our parks are located right at the waterfront next to Metro-North train stations, and when [county tourism offices] are putting together their brochures and selling packages to visitors to the region, they include a map of our parks and their proximity to the train stops. It makes sense for them to market with us, and it’s a win/win.
Because of the weak economy, the mid-Hudson Valley isn’t seeing a lot of development pressure, but this could change in the future. Are you concerned about this?
We’re trying to put in place the green infrastructure, so as the inevitable population pressure increases, the parks will already be there. We’re planning around sea level rise, so development will occur in the right places. We can’t control population growth, but there are buffers there to preserve this quality of life and make the cities vibrant centers of culture, recreation and places people can come to on the train.
Is land preservation an easier sell now than it used to be?
Our case is gaining strength. The Dutchess Regional Chamber of Commerce and [president/CEO] Charlie North is a great example. He views us a partner, not as an adversary; but he did not always. The Chamber gave Scenic Hudson an award for its contribution to the quality of life in the Valley and to the regional economy. This never would have happened a decade or two ago; there’s been a sea-change in our relationship. Charlie and I co-authored an op/ed in the Poughkeepsie Journal commenting on certain aspects of the county executive’s State of the State address concerning jobs and protecting the region’s quality of life. It’s an example of the progress we’re making by collaborating with other environmental groups and also business leaders.
Do you think developers are changing their mindset as well?
Certainly there are developments that don’t meet the criteria we have established. To help provide guidance, we have published an illustrated guide to Hudson riverfronts. Each chapter in that guide has a section addressing climate change and sea level rise, the risk it poses and how communities can begin planning for that, so their infrastructure is protected and they don’t plan new development in areas that inevitably will be flooded. This is something Governor Cuomo has been championing after Hurricane Sandy. He clearly saw climate change is a fact, and that we need to start planning for future inundation and avoid building in areas that will be devastated by sea-level rise. We share that perspective, and have successfully collaborated with the City of Kingston and Mayor Shane Gallo. We are now doing the same thing in Piermont, which was absolutely devastated by Sandy, and in the Village of Catskill, putting into the hands of local officials maps and other tools to help them plan for the future. We’re doing this community-by-community, and in the next phase will go to a more regional scale. Ideally, we’ll train people to help themselves.
Besides climate change, what do think our biggest environmental challenge is now?
Transportation of crude oil down the Hudson, which has seen a dramatic increase over the last two years. Safeguards should be in place for the transport of this very hazardous product through people’s back yards all the way down the Hudson; but along the river they haven’t been put into place, which means that these barges and trains are subjecting the Hudson to an unprecedented level of risk.
We’ve been holding forums around the Valley to alert people to this and make sure communities are aware. We’ve asked Governor Cuomo to strengthen the spill-prevention and response capacities at the state level, and the governor has called on the federal government to address this risk by strengthening the regulations, particularly regarding rail transport. We’ve written to the Secretary of Transportation and asked him to accelerate this for rail transport of crude oil, which is very hazardous, as we’ve seen in Lynchburg, Virginia and in Quebec, where [because of a disastrous derailment] 47 people died.
Scenic Hudson has also been fighting the proposed electrical transmission lines through Dutchess County.
The Cuomo Administration’s new Energy Highway is designed to relieve congestion in the lines from western and central New York to Pleasant Valley. Three out of four proposals entail building new utility corridors through the heart of farmland in the Hudson Valley: areas we’ve been working on 15 years to preserve. We had a leadership role in forming the Hudson River Smart Energy Coalition to advocate for new transmission lines through the existing right-of-way and to be buried underground wherever possible – and also that we use technology to conserve energy and make the lines more efficient, as well as use locally-generated power. We’re asking the New York Public Service Commission to reassess this plan and emphasize these 21st-century solutions. Governor Cuomo in his State of the State address called for moving the transmission lines into the existing right-of-way. That’s great at the policy level, but putting that into the regulatory proceeding is proving to be challenging.
You recently wrote a blog on the Huffington Post criticizing the New Capacity Zone, which is designed to attract more power plants to the Hudson Valley by upping our rates and supposedly fill a gap in our backup power capacity. You questioned whether there is actually a need for more plants.
We don’t think there was a good public discussion about the capacity problem. There’s been no public discourse or public presentation of those numbers, so no opportunity to question and challenge them. There hasn’t been a public disclosure of the basis for the [New York State Independent Operator System’s] analysis. Ideally, we would have an electrical energy system that relies to the most extent possible on solar energy and efficiency. We’re working to be part of this solution.
Most of the major fisheries have been closed on the Hudson River due to collapse of the fish populations, and sewage contamination of the water, particularly in the tributaries, continues to be an issue. What is Scenic Hudson doing about clean water?
There are a number of different ways to engage in water quality issues. One is that we’ve been working for decades on all the power plants and trying to get them to use state-of-the-art cooling technology, which would minimize the damage those plants have on the river in terms of thermal pollution and killing fish. We are collaborating with Riverkeeper and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in trying to force the Indian Point nuclear plant to utilize the proven technology that would reduce use of Hudson River water by more than 90 percent. [Indian Point owner] Entergy continues to stonewall everyone on that. After years of effort, we now have joined with Governor Cuomo and Riverkeeper and called for the plant to be denied its permit.
What do you like to do when you’re not at work?
I love kayaking on the river. I enjoy launching my boat from the Tivoli waterfront into Tivoli Bays and paddling up to the Saugerties Lighthouse into the Esopus Creek to look at the waterfall.
Because the river is tidal, you have to be up-to-date on whether the tide is coming in or going out. That rhythm of the river is something I love, and I often try to plan my trips going with the tide both ways.
There seem to be a lot more kayaks on the river today than there were ten years ago.
Kayaking has become very popular. It’s a great way to see the beauty of the Hudson, to take in the fresh air and sparkle of the water. Scenic Hudson’s parks offer great places to launch kayaks. Down in Beacon at Scenic Hudson’s Long Dock Park, there is a kayak outfitter on the waterfront, on what was historically a contaminated site: a junkyard we reclaimed and turned into a beautiful place for families and young people to experience the river. The company, Mountain Tops Outfitters, manages the site and provides the kayaks and guides. We’re happy our park is sustaining a Main Street Beacon business.
Do you ever take a break from the river?
Not really. On a personal note, my wife Tara is deputy executive director of the New York State Bridge Authority. The organization is responsible for the six bridges over the Hudson, from Bear Mountain to the Rip Van Winkle, so our work is synergistic.
What are you most proud of in assessing your 15 years at Scenic Hudson?
Scenic Hudson is an outcome-oriented organization. We get things done. I’m very proud of the parks we’ve created, the farms we’ve preserved, the public access we’ve created to great places along the river. I’m equally proud of the collaborative spirit within the organization. Our staff is the best I’ve worked with in my entire career. It’s great partnering with them internally, as well as with public government officials at all levels, businesses and citizens. We know our continued success depends on having a shared vision with others in the Valley, and we think we’re good at helping identify that shared vision. Our supporters remain committed to our mission because they see the results.
