2018 will go in the books as one of Riverkeeper’s most successful years and it was driven by the enormous growth in public support for clean water and safe energy, up and down the Hudson. Our continued success draws accolades: We received a prestigious award from the American Bar Association recognizing our record of accomplishments and we earned Charity Navigator’s top rating for the sixth straight year because of our commitment to fiscal responsibility, transparency and accountability. Given the mounting challenges facing our rivers and drinking water supplies in 2019 and beyond, we’ll need the support of the entire Riverkeeper community more than ever to build upon our 2018 victories.
Holding back fossil fuel expansion. We iced two fossil fuel projects threatening the Hudson, its tributaries and our climate. In May, Global Partners abandoned its plan to expand its Albany terminal to ship tar sands crude oil by rail and barge along the Hudson. That same month, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld New York State’s refusal to permit the Constitution fracked-gas Pipeline to proceed. Riverkeeper highlighted how the pipeline would have jeopardized scores of regional waterways.
Stopping industrial pollution. We continue to call out industrial facilities operating in violation of the Clean Water Act and force them to obtain permits and adopt best practices. In 2018, as part of our stormwater initiative with outside counsel, we completed seven such cases, cutting stormwater pollution and generating nearly $84,000 in fees and environmental benefits. We are constantly on patrol looking for would-be polluters. Our patrol boat logged 5,000 nautical miles in 2018.
Improving the health of key Hudson Valley waterways. We lobbied New York State to add the 88-mile Wallkill River, along with Newburgh’s two drinking water reservoirs, to the state’s list of “impaired” waterways, meaning that the full power of the Clean Water Act must now be used to restore them to health. We also helped form the Rondout Creek Watershed Alliance, a citizen-led group dedicated to finding and eliminating pollution hotspots. The Rondout and Wallkill form the Hudson Estuary’s largest tributary, and we’re working with local partners on more than a dozen others.
Setting a higher bar for NYC water quality with “Riverkeeper v. Pruitt.” We sued the EPA to make them do their job and implement tougher water quality standards for New York City waterways. EPA tried to delay the case, but a federal judge denied the attempt, ruling that Riverkeeper has the right to press for stronger protections. We were then able to make our case that the EPA must better protect the rapidly increasing number of people who swim and boat in NYC waters.
Restoring safe drinking water in Newburgh. Riverkeeper and our partners continue to advocate for the cleanup and restoration of the City of Newburgh’s water supply, which has been contaminated by toxic chemicals contained in firefighting foam used at Stewart Air National Guard Base. Newburgh will also be one of the first communities to benefit from an innovative new state grant program we helped establish to fund land conservation that protects drinking water quality.
Riverkeeper has received Charity Navigator’s Four-Star rating for a sixth straight year.