News stories tagged with "hudson-river"

(02/29/12) The company that hopes to run a $2-billion underwater electric line from Quebec to New York City says it has reached an agreement with some of the environmental groups that had raised concerns about the project.

Donald Jessome, head of TDI, says the deal was reached after 15 months of closed-door negotiations and will shape how the underwater line is laid under Lake Champlain and the Hudson River. more

(05/27/11) Patrick Cunningham is one of the pioneers of the Hudson River rafting industry, and one of the first guides to open the wildest stretches of river to commercial trips.

Now in his early 70s, Cunningham has also emerged as one of the sport's most controversial figures.

Yesterday in Hamilton County, he was arraigned on misdemeanor charges for allegedly endangering some of his clients during a trip down the Hudson last summer. The case is expected to go to trial in August.

Brian Mann spoke about Cunningham's case with Mary Thill, who has been covering this story for Adirondack Life magazine.

(03/17/11) Governor Andrew Cuomo says he's concerned over a report that one of the nuclear reactors at the Indian Point power plant along the Hudson River is on an earthquake fault line, and is checking into the matter. Karen DeWitt reports.

(08/24/10) The head of one of the most embattled state organizations in the North Country has stepped down. Glenn LaFave, who ran the Hudson River Black River Regulating District, left the organization last Wednesday after four years on the job.

As Brian Mann reports, he departs as the District's future is in doubt because of a debt crisis and a series of court challenges.

(05/17/10) The state-run authority that manages many of the North Country's dams and reservoirs is running out of cash. Officials with the Hudson River-Black River Regulating District announced last week that they will lay off twelve employees at the end of the month.

The organization lost most of its revenue in 2008 because of a court decision and is still struggling to find ways to pay for its operations. Brian Mann has details.

(02/24/10) State and federal officials will have to approve a new plan to run a high-voltage electricity transmission line 300 miles from Quebec to metro New York City through New York's Champlain Valley - mostly underwater.

Hydro-Quebec is a major supplier of electricity to the northeastern U.S. The design calls for the power line to be buried in the bottom sediment of Lake Champlain, the Hudson Canal, and the Hudson River.

The project is being developed by a Toronto company, which sees the underwater design is a way to avoid the environmental and political problems of constructing new powerline corridors through communities. Martha Foley has more.

(02/15/10) A Canadian company hopes to build a massive new electric transmission line that will use the Champlain and Hudson Valleys to bring power from Quebec to New York City. Transmission Developers Incorporated, based in Toronto, is asking state regulators in New York to approve the use of a type of cable that can be buried underwater. As Brian Mann reports, the technology would mean fewer impacts on communities and landscapes in the North Country. more

(11/13/09) The Environmental Protection Agency was to be in Ft Edward last night for an information session on the dredging of PCB-laden sediment from the Hudson River. The $780 million project is expected to take six years. It's the biggest clean up of a river in the country. The first phase of the cleanup concluded in October.

PCBs are considered probable carcinogens. General Electric plants in Fort Edward and neighboring Hudson Falls dumped PCB-contaminated wastewater into the Hudson for decades before PCBs were banned in 1977. GE has been doing the clean up, supervised by the EPA. They'll review this past summer's work over the winter. The next dredging work is expected in 2011.

GE fought the plan to dredge PCBs for years. Spokesman Mark Behan told the Albany Times Union the company has not committed to continue to pay for the clean up when dredging resumes.

A fight over dioxin pollution from a Dow Chemical plant in central Michigan also dates back over 30 years. It's a local issue that's made national news, like the Hudson River PCBs. And it's still unresolved, despite administration changes, Congressional hearings, and whistle-blower awards. Shawn Allee met the man who first took the issue to Congress and who feels it should make news again. more

(11/09/09) Late last week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that Judith Enck has been chosen as Regional Director for the district that includes New York state. That means she'll have oversight over environmental projects along the St. Lawrence Seaway, the dredging of the Hudson River - as well as dozens of smaller superfund sites across the North Country. Until this month, Enck served as Governor David Paterson's deputy secretary of the environment. She has also been an environmental activist in New York. Brian Mann spoke about Enck's appointment with Martha Foley.

(05/19/09) Two Lake Placid students are taking their senior project to a historic waterway this month. Ian McMullen and Nick Kulina will paddle kayaks down the Hudson River from the Adirondacks to Manhattan. They've done their homework. Planning began last fall for the two-week trek. It's a personal challenge and a way to promote kayaking. Ian McMullen told Todd Moe he'd like to inspire more teens to enjoy outdoor recreation.