The Scenic Hudson Decision was a 17-year (1963-1981) legal dispute which defeated Consolidated Edison's plan to embed the world's largest pumped storage hydroelectric plant into the face of Storm King Mountain, near Cornwall, New York. The lengthy and controversial case had an immense impact on environmental and legal issues affecting the Hudson River Valley as well as the nation. The landmark case set important precedents in environmental law including: the right of citizens to participate in environmental disputes, the emergence of environmental law as a legal specialty, ideas Congress incorporated in the country's first National Environment Policy Act (NEPA), federal and state regulation of the environment, and it is credited with launching the modern environmental movement.
In October of 2005 the Marist College Archives and Special Collections received the Debra E. Bernhardt Annual Archives Award for developing the MEHP. This project is a continuation of the work that Marist has been concerned with for the past decade. During this time the Marist College Archives and Special Collections has been awarded numerous grants to preserve and make accessible the many significant environmental collections held by the College. These important collections, combined with the efforts of Marist College to process and maintain them, have brought an increased awareness to issues that threaten our environment.
To access our Environmental History Collections, please visit the Archives and Special Collections’ webpage. Or stop by the Archives and Special Collections on the first floor of the Library (LB 134) to see them in-person!
