Standing strong for the Hudson River
Pushing back against rollbacks and holding the line for clean water
April 7, 2025
Jeremy Cherson
Associate Director of Government Affairs
jeremyc@riverkeeper.org
The Hudson River has long been a source for inspiration, environmental advocacy, and positive change. Throughout turbulent moments in history, the Hudson’s tides remain constant, as does Riverkeeper’s commitment to protecting and restoring its waters for the betterment of the communities that rely on it.
Recent actions taken by the federal government are threatening the years of collective progress made to improve the Hudson and protect clean water. Rather than working for the people, the administration is catering to mega-corporations and their billionaire CEOs at the expense of the environment and people’s health. We organized the webinar below, “What the Trump Administration means for clean water: How Riverkeeper is holding the line and how you can help,” to alert you to some of the most alarming actions we’ve been monitoring and how you can join us in pushing back.
As federal rollbacks dismantle essential safeguards that protect clean water – including your drinking water – from toxic pollution, Riverkeeper and our allies are stepping up to defend these necessities, hold polluters accountable, and demand stronger protections at the state level. The threats are real, but so is the momentum for action.
Watch this webinar to hear directly from Riverkeeper experts about what’s at stake and how we can work together for clean water and healthy waterways.
Riverkeeper’s strategy: Standing together on the unifying power of clean water
We refuse to sit by as decades of progress are undone. Riverkeeper is taking decisive action on multiple fronts:
- Fighting back in the courts: When the government fails to enforce clean water laws, we take legal action. Our Legal team, supported by the Pace Environmental Law Clinic and Super Law Group, uses the justice system to challenge rollbacks and hold polluters accountable. Although the cards are stacked against us, we won’t blink because the law, science, and our members are on our side.
- Pushing for stronger state and local protections: If the federal government won’t act, we will. Our team is working in Albany, New York City, and everywhere in between to shore up hard-won progress. We won’t accept taking steps back for our river or our communities. We are calling on New York State to step up where federal protections have been weakened — enacting stronger water quality laws and agency protections, funding critical drinking water infrastructure, and ensuring polluters pay for the damage they cause.
- Mobilizing communities and advocates: Policy fights are won when the public demands action. We are equipping advocates with the tools they need to contact elected officials, attend hearings, and make their voices heard.
- Restoring natural defenses and protecting drinking water: We are actively working to restore wetlands, remove outdated dams, assist communities like Peekskill and New York City to protect their drinking water supply, and implement nature-based solutions to help communities adapt to climate change.
This is your moment: How you can help
Through numerous administrations, Riverkeeper has worked diligently as an ever-present protector of the river and all those who depend on it. The Hudson River belongs to all of us, and its future depends on what we do right now. You can take action today:
- Contact your representatives: Demand that New York lawmakers in Albany and Washington, D.C. stand up for clean water protections and climate resilience funding. Take action to support the EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through our easy to use web form.
- Volunteer May 3 Riverkeeper Sweep: Riverkeeper Sweep on May 3 is open for registration. Connect with your local community and feel the power of positive collective action.
- Become a riverkeeper: Knowledge is power. Get our updates on threats, victories, and ways you can help. Become a member and help power the Hudson River’s best defense. Your donation is action.
More pollution, less enforcement: What’s at stake for the Hudson?
For decades, hard-fought victories have improved water quality, restored habitats, and strengthened protections for communities along the Hudson. But recent federal policy changes threaten to unravel that progress. We are witnessing an all-out attack on clean water laws, with consequences for every community that relies on the Hudson and its tributaries.
Among the most damaging rollbacks are:
- Weakened clean water protections: The redefinition of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, if implemented as proposed, will strip federal oversight from wetlands and thousands of miles of streams, making it easier for polluters to dump contaminants into waterways. Millions of acres of wetlands — nature’s flood buffers and water filters — are now vulnerable to destruction, leaving riverfront communities at greater risk from flooding and pollution.
Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scrapped new protections intended to stop toxic PFAS “forever chemical discharges” from industrial facilities. A new report from our partners show that up to 1.3 million New Yorkers could lose protection from these toxic chemicals if the EPA follows through with its proposal.
- Dismantling of pollution enforcement: Industrial facilities, wastewater treatment plants, and corporate polluters will see fewer inspections and weaker penalties, emboldening them to violate discharge limits with little fear of consequences. The new administration reassigned the Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Division prosecutors to work on migration and laid off key staff across environmental agencies that hold polluters accountable and keep communities safe.
The Union for Concerned Scientists is raising the alarm about Executive Order 14219, which provides a pathway for the government to give polluters a “get out of jail free card” to skirt pollution limits or public health protections that they deem in conflict with their drive for corporate profits.
- EPA budget cuts and staff reductions: Over 500 EPA positions have been eliminated with over 1,100 more cuts planned, reducing the agency’s capacity to monitor water quality, provide technical support and community assistance, enforce permit violations, and protect public health. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has said he plans to cut at least 65% of the EPA’s budget, which will have consequences for the health of the river.
The planned elimination of the EPA’s scientific research arm, its Office of Research and Development, will prove catastrophic if realized. These are the scientists and analysts who provide the evidence-based information used to protect our environment and screen new chemicals to protect people and the environment. Already, the cancellation of research grants and firing of scientists at the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation have rippled through the vast scientific infrastructure that has powered the revival of endangered species, shed light on toxic chemicals, and created innovative drinking water treatment technologies.
- Cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) receives up to $800,000 in support from NOAA to support critical habitat restoration, real-time environmental monitoring, support safe navigation on the Hudson with advanced sensors, and supports science education for youth across New York. NOAA also provides foundational research into our climate and oceanic systems, and is a key enforcer of our fisheries.
Eight hundred staffers, roughly 10% of the agency’s total, have been laid off, with over 1,000 more planned. Read our fact sheet for more info and tell our elected officials to protect NOAA.
- Delays and rollbacks in climate resilience measures: Infrastructure projects designed to mitigate flooding and sea level rise are being delayed or scrapped, leaving Hudson River and NYC communities on the frontlines of climate change without adequate protections. $750 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agencies Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program has been halted in addition to funds paused for projects already awarded and underway. All funding and research tied to climate resiliency and environmental justice is at risk, as evidenced by the list of terms the DOGE teams are using to track down funding and projects that don’t fit the administration’s narrative.
If large-scale climate adaptation projects are halted, it could leave New Yorkers without a plan or funding to deal with increased flooding and storm surges — leading to devastating consequences for future generations.
Visit Riverkeeper.org to stay involved and informed. Together, we can push back against harmful policies and ensure that the Hudson River remains a source of clean water, thriving wildlife, and resilient communities for generations to come.
Riverkeeper protects and restores the Hudson River, and safeguards drinking water supplies through community partnerships, science, and law. Our core programs improve water quality, restore habitat for an abundance of life, and address the impact of climate change on our waterways. Founded in 1966 as the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association, Riverkeeper became the model for more than 320 Waterkeeper organizations around the world and helped establish globally-recognized standards for waterway and watershed protection. We continue to work toward the goal of a swimmable, fishable, and drinkable Hudson River for all. Learn more, get updates, and support our work by visiting https://www.riverkeeper.org
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The Hudson River watershed is home to a breathtaking diversity of life. Protecting and restoring our aquatic habitats is critical for their renewal and for a healthy future for all life in the watershed
Protecting Hudson River watershed drinking water at the source
Riverkeeper ensures that drinking water sources stay clean and safe through vigilant advocacy and conservation efforts
Strengthening protections against a changing climate
Supporting nature-based solutions to adapt to the impacts of climate change
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