New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced a new grant program designed to mitigate the effects of acid rain in Adirondack water bodies.
The 400-thousand dollar Adirondack Acid Rain Recovery grant program has been created as part of a multi-state legal settlement with Cinergy, formerly Duke Energy, over Clean Air Act violations. Jeremy Magliaro, an environmental policy analyst with the New York Attorney General’s office, says the funds are intended to hasten lake and stream recovery from acid rain deposition.
The Cinergy court-ordered agreement forced the company to retrofit or close some of the coal-fired power plants that were causing acid rain. Magliaro says that resulted in significant reductions in deposition.
Adirondack Council Spokesman John Sheehan.
Adirondack Mountain Club Executive Director Neil Woodworth says the funds must be used to protect the most vulnerable environments.
New York Council of Trout Unlimited Chairman Ron Urban says fish habitat must be protected from the acidification of lakes and ponds.
The Adirondack Acid Rain Recovery Program will be administered by NYSERDA. Over 500 water bodies in the Adirondacks are still experiencing damage from acid rain.
