November 9, 2022 -- On November 8th, more than 60% of New Yorkers took the once-in-a-generation opportunity to vote YES on the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Bond Act, an initiative that will invest $4.2 billion into projects we can see, feel, and taste. This funding will be used to improve our drinking water and air quality, preserve our environment, and protect us from the worst of the climate crisis. Mountainkeeper is proud to have been part of the VOTE YES effort, and we're so grateful for each and every voter who chose to invest in our shared environment. Click 'read more' to see how the bond act will help support the Catskills and communities statewide.

We’ve known for years that fossil fuel pollution from cars, trucks, ships and power plants is a menace to our health. As a physician and public health researcher, I feel the responsibility to ensure that the public also knows about an omnipresent yet silent and rarely noticed source of pollution that is continually making us sick, right beneath our noses: the gas we burn in our homes.

Delaware River Watershed - 175 organizations representing a total of almost a million members and 6,751 individuals signed a letter to the Delaware River Basin Commission voting members calling for a FULL fracking ban in the Delaware River Watershed. The letter was delivered by the Delaware River Frack Ban Coalition on Friday, October 14 to the Commissioners, the voting members of the DRBC who will decide on the final regulations governing these activities. The Commissioners are the Governors of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware and the Army Corps of Engineers, representing President Biden. The link to the letter is here: https://bit.ly/3etKHA7

Click 'Read More' for the full release.

Developers in Saugerties NY, are seeking to move forward with a massive, inappropriately-sited development project proposed on Winston Farm. At Mountainkeeper’s request, Hudsonia – a Hudson Valley environmental research firm – conducted an initial assessment of the development’s potential impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity on Winston Farm. Unsurprisingly, they concluded that “The proposed development project at Winston Farm … would be devastating to the ecosystems, wildlife, and plants of the site and the surrounding region.”

Click 'Read More' for a link to the full report from Hudsonia.

Ramsay Adams for the Daily Freeman

The words of the week are ‘climate’ and ‘urgency’. This summer was an unusually and extraordinarily hot one all over the globe; in fact, the U.S alone has seen so many incidents of extreme drought, wildfire, flooding, and other climate-related disasters that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a countrywide online mapping tool to keep track of them all. 

The approval came following public outcry at the breach in protocol by DRBC Executive Director, Steve Tambini, to unilaterally approve the permit extension

“The DRBC’s quiet approval of the Gibbstown LNG permit extension behind closed doors not only violates public trust and governmental transparency, it also goes against the guidelines laid out in New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act by supporting the fossil fuel industry’s behind-the-scenes dealings in toxic oil and gas,” said Ivo Kennedy, Catskill Mountainkeeper.

Click 'read more' for the full release from the Delaware River Frack Ban Coalition.

Assemblymember Lupardo, environmental justice advocates, and community residents spoke to media in advance of public hearing on the Climate Action Council’s Draft Scoping Plan

"In New York, we're lucky--we're up against a climate emergency, but we're not stuck sitting around waiting for solutions," said Wes Gillingham, Catskill Mountainkeeper's Associate Director. "The Climate Action Council's final plan must focus on solutions we can implement now, identify how to pay for the transition New Yorkers need and deserve, and prioritize justice for all New Yorkers. We have the law and the process to transition away from fossil fuels that are destroying our planet, health, and lives. Today, the focus is on how to make this transition a reality."

Click 'read more' for the full release from April 12, 2022's press conference at the Climate Action Council's public hearing.

Activities at the site contaminated water bodies and wetlands on site at the eastern gateway to the Catskill Park 

March 28, 2022 Town of Kingston, NY—A resident of the Town of Kingston and two nonprofit organizations whose staff and members regularly use the Bluestone Wild Forest today filed an Article 78 action against the Town of Kingston’s Zoning Board of Appeals, Robert Cologero, in his role as Code Enforcement Officer, 850 Route 28 LLC, U.S. Crane and Rigging LLC, and Thomas Auringer for construction activities and illegal storage of cranes, rigging, vehicles, and industrial equipment at 850 Route 28.