Science, law, and Hudson River power plants: A case study in environmental impact assessment

Book · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5560294

Barnthouse, L W; Klauda, R J; Vaughan, D S; Kendall, R L ^[1]

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1. eds.

Between 1963 and 1980, the Hudson River estuary was the focus of one of the most ambitious environmental research and assessment programs ever performed. The studies supported a series of US federal proceedings involving licenses and discharge permits for two controversial electric power generating facilities: the Cornwall pumped storage facility, and units 2 and 3 of the Indian Point nuclear generating station. Both facilities were to draw large volumes of water from a region of the Hudson used as spawning and nursery habitat by several fish species, including the striped bass. Fishermen and conservationists feared that a major fraction of the striped bass eggs and larvae in the Hudson would be entrained with the pumped water and killed. Additional fish would be killed on trash screens at the intakes. Scientists were asked to aid the utility companies and regulatory agencies in determining the biological importance of entrainment and impingement. This monograph contains both technical papers that present research results and synthesis papers that summarize and interpret the results. The intent was to: (1) summarize the scientific issues and approaches; (2) present the significant results of the Hudson River biological studies; (3) describe the role of the studies in the decision-making process; (4) evaluate the successes and failures of the studies; and (5) present recommendations for future estuarine impact assessments. Separate abstracts are processed for 22 papers for inclusion in the appropriate data bases.

• OSTI ID: 5560294
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

13 HYDRO ENERGY
130600 -- Hydro Energy-- Environmental Aspects
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220500* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Environmental Aspects
ABSTRACTS
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BASELINE ECOLOGY
DECISION MAKING
DOCUMENT TYPES
ECOLOGY
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
ESTUARIES
FISHERIES
FISHES
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
HABITAT
HUDSON RIVER
HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS
IMPINGEMENT
LEADING ABSTRACT
LICENSES
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PERMITS
POWER PLANTS
RECOMMENDATIONS
RIVERS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
VERTEBRATES
WATER QUALITY