TIMELINE: Summary of Scenic Hudson's Involvement in Stewart International Airport

1989 - Present

1989

Scenic Hudson joined a coalition including Stewart Park and Reserve Coalition, Sierra Club, Orange Environment, and the Hudson River Fishermen's Association to force DOT to comply with SEQRA. Previously DOT issued a negative declaration, meaning an environmental impact statement would not be necessary. Scenic Hudson was concerned about the cumulative and growth-inducing impacts of the airport expansion: noise, air quality impacts, sprawl, and the development of buffer lands.

Fall 1991

Scenic Hudson reviewed and commented on the master plan delivering testimony at public hearings.

January 1993

Scenic Hudson (with the Environmental Defense Fund) filed suit against EPA in the U.S. Court of Appeals challenging EPA's request to remove Orange & Putnam Counties from the list of the NYC Metro Area region. The removal would have reduced the air quality requirements for these areas, which would have included Stewart International Airport (SWF).

Spring 1993

Scenic Hudson issued a report on the impacts of airport growth.

Fall 1993

Scenic Hudson sponsored a day-long airport conference focused on managing growth around airports.

1997

Empire State Development Corporation issued a RFP for development of SWF's noise buffer lands. Scenic Hudson ramped up campaign to protect the buffer lands from big-box and warehouse development.

1997

Scenic Hudson and Wildlife Conservation Society released a report revealing the ecological value of the buffer lands that affect the entire Mid-Hudson region.

1998

Governor Pataki announced the privatization of SWF, and National Express Group (NEG) was chosen as the airport operator.

1998

Scenic Hudson's advocacy resulted in creation of Stewart State Forest, preserving 6,200 acres of land (transferred from the DOT to the DEC).

November 2007

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey purchases lease from NEG to operate SWF.

2008

The Citizen's Advisory Panel is established by the Port Authority as a result of Scenic Hudson and other concerned citizen groups' advocacy. Steve Rosenberg represents Scenic Hudson on this influential group.

2008

MTA West of Hudson Regional Transit Access Study and Orange County Newburgh Area Transportation and Land Use Study begin

November 2008

Scenic Hudson hires Chuck Houghton
Executive Director of the Missouri-Illinois Bi-State Development Agency, the equivalent of the Port Authority for the St. Louis Metro area to work with the Port Authority and other groups interested in the development of Stewart.

December 2008

Bill DeCota, Director of Aviation for the Port Authority announces SWF will be modeled after Albany International Airport in regards to its scale of passengers.

2009

Passenger statistics at SWF drop from approximately 800,000 to 400,000 primarily as a result of the economic crisis.

2009

Port Authority Sustainability study begins.

June 2009

Ground broken to build Access to the Region's Core, a rail project to increase passenger capacity and the first underground rail connection between the west of Hudson and Manhattan since 1911.

June 2009

Scenic Hudson, Environmental Defense Fund, Regional Plan Association, Pattern for Progress, Open Space Institute and the Trust for Public Land form a strategic partnership to respond to Lower Hudson Valley Smart Growth grant

2009

Scenic Hudson launches webpage that features a repository of documents and links to breaking news