Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena – Coeymans

~ Please Sign Our Petition at Change.org ~

Since 2006, the Port of Coeymans and allied businesses on the banks of the Hudson River have tripled in size from its original 122-acre footprint to at least 665 acres.  This area is largely controlled by Carver Laraway who has been building one of the biggest waste depots in the Northeast.  Now the Port wants to add a large wind power project into the mix. Residents living near the Port of Coeymans, who are already dealing with an excessive number of polluting waste projects, fear that wind could do more harm than good.

The Big Push for Renewable Energy in NY State

NY State is offering significant financial support and likely public subsidies to businesses – including ports – hoping to develop offshore wind.  The Port of Coeymans has been pushing hard to be one of the chosen sites.  They claim this will bring hundreds of permanent manufacturing jobs to a “disadvantaged community” and numerous environmental benefits to New York.  

We support wind power development in New York State, but as residents of Coeymans and Ravena, we know that the Port’s rapid expansion has been dominated by waste, including the possible sale of garbage to the nearby cement plant for fuel.  This expansion has come with the destruction of our local environment and degraded our quality of life.

A bad actor: many violations at Carver Companies in Coeymans

The Coeymans community and our immediate neighbors don’t want more industrial development along the Hudson.  Based on the public record, in our opinion, Carver Laraway is a bad actor who repeatedly violates safety and environmental laws.  With over 20 violations to date since 2018 they include 1) unloading twenty-seven barges of harmful restricted-use fill after being told to stop by DEC; 2) leaving tons of road salt uncovered to move into the freshwaters of nearby Coeymans Creek or Hudson River; and 3) ignoring poor working conditions at the Coeymans Marina where a fuel tank exploded, sparking a major fire and seriously injuring a Coeymans neighbor working at the Marina.  This was the second fire to hit Carver’s waterfront properties in only a few months.  

Despite a long record of fines from NYSDEC and OSHA, there continues to be a disregard for people and the environment.  In 2023, Carver companies clear-cut 25 acres of woodland in a residential area close to the River without being required to notify nearby residents.  

Port of Coeymans is an “open shop” not required to hire union labor

According to their website, the Port is a “privately-owned marine terminal”.  While there are other potential wind sites in the Capital Region that are public companies and would require good-paying union jobs, Coeymans is a private endeavor with an “open shop” where employees would not necessarily be required to join a labor union.  

The Coeymans community left behind by the state; the Hudson River has no voice

Carver Companies call Coeymans a “disadvantaged community” in order for its businesses to qualify for state aid under the Climate Act when in fact, it is not classified as disadvantaged by the state. Instead, we are a community that is treated as collateral damage for garbage and wind development, and too small for the state to defend; the Hudson River with no voice of its own, is ignored.

What do we want?

We have real concerns about the Port of Coeymans being chosen as a potential site to develop wind power. With a history of isolated decisions resulting in a fragmented approach to the industrialization of the Port, we believe that a wind energy development will only lead to more garbage in our community and the further destruction of our quality of life and the Hudson River with its rare habitats and shoreline.  For years the residents of Coeymans, Ravena, New Baltimore, Selkirk, and others have been asking for studies and an independent cumulative impact assessment for the Port of Coeymans, one that selects the important quality of life topics such as traffic, noise, water, land use, and biodiversity.

We are tired of losing greenfield land along the river for profit.  It has got to stop.

TAKE ACTION:  Coeymans is the wrong site for a wind development project. Tell Governor Hochul and NYSERDA that only public sites that can provide good-paying union jobs and plan to build on existing brownfields without expanding into greenfield sites should be approved. 

Disclaimer:  Change.org is a free petition site. Upon signing this petition, you will be automatically asked to make a donation to this platform, which is completely voluntary. Please note that your donations go to Change.org and not to the Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena / Coeymans.

Every spring volunteers up and down the Hudson River wade into the chilly waters to study juvenile eel migration. The slippery, slimy, little species is vital to the health of a river. As they grow they also become a vital food source for many fish. The study is part of an annual volunteer effort coordinated by the NYS DEC and the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties.

During our walk along Hannacroix Creek, one of only 13 sites between Staten Island and Troy, we met up with the site’s project lead Lindsey Anne Strehlau-Howay. Lindsey works for the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties. The day’s volunteer, Daniel Fleischman, also dressed in warm, waterproof layers, helped to ready the gear needed to do this important work.

The two of them stood knee-deep in the chilly waters bubbling with excitement. They had just discovered that their net had yielded a treasure trove of tiny, transparent fish referred to as “glass eels.”

“One, two, three… yup, we got eels!” beamed Lindsey, as she scooped up handfuls from deep within the housing she installed two weeks prior. The nets will stay in the water for about six to eight weeks.

“Do you mind handing me one of those buckets?” she asked CAC Chair, Barbara Heinzen. Barbara is the nearby homeowner that works hard to protect the rare tidal estuary at constant risk of industrial pollution.

Heinzen pulled the pail up the steep bank and reached into the bottom of it with a small scooper. As she started counting, she tried to snag one of the brown varieties. “Those are called elvers. They are a bit older than the others.” Barbara tallied up 20 letting them flip-flop into another pail. A total of 450 squirmy noodles were counted including an unidentified fish in the net (see last photo below). If you know what it might be, contact Lindsey.

Overall, the species is in decline and that never bodes well for a watershed already struggling from illegal dumping, dredging at the Port of Coeymans, and heavy marine traffic. Environmental conditions also determine calculations every year. After counting the sampling, the little specimens are released back into the river unharmed by their careful methodology.

For those interested in becoming a volunteer, there are spots still open between now and April 15. The volunteer sign-up sheet will show two weeks at a time but the season will last into May, possibly June.

First and foremost, the CAC extends a heartfelt thank you to all who attended this morning’s gathering at the RCS Library. We had a remarkable turnout, we filled every seat. This is especially impressive considering it was a Saturday and the day after a night of (presumably) St. Patty’s Day celebrations. So, thank you!

Secondly, our sincere apologies to those watching our live-streaming feed. Our wifi signal was not nearly as strong as we originally tested resulting in delays and resolution issues. However, a camera recording was made as a backup. The presentation session, shown below, is 45 minutes.

The Q&A session is available upon request to help protect those in the audience that did not want to be recorded. As social media has proven, our efforts to educate and inform can sometimes arouse hateful and hostile reactions aimed at our supporters. Should anyone be subject to intimation, please let us know.

And, finally, thank you to all volunteers, both in front and behind the scenes. It takes an incalculable amount of time and effort to turn the tide but our momentum and perseverance are taking shape in the community and we couldn’t be more grateful.

It’s time to put the brakes on the industrial expansion madness in our area. Please help us by signing the petition and attending one of our Steering Committee meetings for instructions on where we go next. Thank you.

For those who can’t make our “Neighbors Unite” event on Saturday, March 18th at 10:30a at the RCS Library, no worries, you can watch and comment via our YOUTUBE channel. Make sure you subscribe to our channel so you can comment in the chat window. The live stream will begin sharply at 10:30a and run for approximately 90 minutes. Thank you to all for your time and effort to participate in this important discussion.

After looking at the many winter storm warnings for this week, the CAC has decided it makes sense to cancel our Tuesday community meeting. This is disappointing but the good news is we made preliminary plans to reserve Saturday in the event of unexpected weather.  

With heavy snow predicted for Monday night through Wednesday, we didn’t want our attendees at risk of slippery roads. We will resume our presentations on the weekend.

So, please save your energy for March 18th from 10:30-1p. We are anticipating a full room at the Ravena library so be sure to arrive early. Thank you!