Feb 21, 2001 — As David Sommerstein reports, John Farrell, president of Save the River, a citizen action group protecting the St. Lawrence, and a researcher at Syracuse University's College of Environmental Science and Forestry, talks about the effects the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project has had on shoreline ecology on the St. Lawrence.  Go to full article

Feb 20, 2001 — Drive along the St. Lawrence between Ogdensburg and Massena and you'll see a mosaic of public and private property. Beautiful riverside homes sit next to state picnic areas and town beaches. New York Power Authority marinas and recreation areas share the shoreline with Mohawk tribal lands. These diverse interests share one thing in common: the water in the wide St. Lawrence and 37 miles of its shoreline are used to make two million kilowatts of electricity at the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project near Massena. Nearly fifty years ago, the project flooded thousands of acres of marshes, farms, businesses, and houses. A series of public meetings began almost five years ago to hear from stakeholders looking for compensation as the New York Power Authority seeks a license to operate the project for another 50 years. After all the bargaining, when the Power Authority released a draft of its application in January, some groups cried foul and accused the Power Authority of not negotiating in good faith. In part 2 of David Sommerstein's series on the relicensing, local groups are stepping up their struggle to get a settlement they can live with for half a century, but in doing so, they risk losing what they've already been offered.  Go to full article

Feb 19, 2001 — David Sommerstein spoke with St. Lawrence County historian Trent Trulock about the project.  Go to full article

Feb 19, 2001 — In 1954, over 6,000 workers and their families came to Massena from all over the country to work on the St. Lawrence. Their boss was New York's "Master Builder" Robert Moses. His goal was to harness the force of one of North America's greatest rivers, a main artery carrying the largest store of fresh water in the world to the Atlantic Ocean. The St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project was the largest public works project in the world. The power project's 50 year operation license expires in 2003. In the intervening years since it went on-line, our values regarding public and private lands, the environment, and historical preservation have changed dramatically. The New York Power Authority faces challenges in getting a new license that Robert Moses would likely have considered trivial. Over the next three days, we'll look at the Power Authority's relicensing struggles. Today, David Sommerstein takes a trip deep into the inner workings of the Robert Moses Power Dam itself to see how it all works... and how it changed the river valley forever.  Go to full article