Stopping the plant : the St. Lawrence Cement controversy and the battle for quality of life in the Hudson Valley / Miriam D. Silverman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Silverman, Miriam D.

Contributor:

Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Series:

SUNY series, an American region

Suny series, an American region: studies in the Hudson Valley

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

St. Lawrence Cement (Firm).

Cement plants--Environmental aspects--Hudson River Valley (N.Y. and N.J.).

Cement plants.

St. Lawrence Cement (Firm)--Public opinion.

Public opinion.

Cement plants--Environmental aspects.

Hudson River Valley (N.Y. and N.J.)--Environmental conditions.

Hudson River Valley (N.Y. and N.J.).

Physical Description:

xvii, 176 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Albany, NY : State University of New York Press, [2006]

Summary:

When the St. Lawrence Cement Company proposed building a massive coal-powered cement plant near the banks of the Hudson River in the town of Greenport, New York, in 1999 it ignited a controversy that dominated the discussion of community development in the entire Hudson Valley region. Stopping the Plant is a fascinating and detailed chronicle of how the proposal fired the passions of many local citizens, spawned the creation of numerous activist groups, and over the next several years spread to become a raging dispute throughout the Northeast. Miriam D. Silverman provides a thorough and balanced exploration of the positions of both sides of this highly polarized dispute, while at the same time places the controversy within a greater historical and regional context. For anyone interested in community organizing, the potentials and difficulties of modern grassroots environmentalism, and, ultimately, the future of the environmental movement, Silverman emphasizes the significance of the decision by St. Lawrence Cement to withdraw its application in 2005.

Contents:

1 The Place, the Plant, the People, and the Permits 1

2 Aesthetics and the Search for Quality of Life 23

3 Differing Visions for Hudson's Economic Future 47

4 "Why Would Anyone Oppose Healthier Air for Our Children?" 65

5 Defining Community 89

6 "Cement Plant's Demise Concrete" 105

Appendix New York State Department of State Objection to Consistency Certification 119.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 161-167) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

0791469611

079146962X

9780791469613

9780791469620

OCLC:

64098424

Publisher Number:

9780791469613 (hardcover : alk. paper)

9780791469620 (pbk. : alk. paper)