What Are the Costs and Benefits of Dredging the Hudson River and Is there a Better Public Policy Solution to the Problem?

Mrs. Cooper

Samuel Gompers High School

INTRODUCTION:

What are PCBs? How do they get into the water supply? How did they get into the Hudson River? How harmful are PCBs and Phenol Carbons? What can we do about them? Should the Hudson River be a no discharge zone in which treated sewage from boats would be banned? Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) pose a cancer risk to people who eat fish or drink water contaminated with them according to the department of the E.P.A. The agency has declared that children under 15 and women childbearing age should not eat or fish from the waters. GE has admitted that chemicals from electrical capacitors were released in the Hudson River during the period of 1946-1977. The river in 1983 was considered a Superfund site. GE has strongly suggested that the river not be dredged.

Chlorination/maceration is sometimes classified as a means of treating harmful sewage to cut down bacteria and has justified discharge of sewage into the Hudson. In fact too much chlorination is highly toxic and destroys the natural ecosystem and helps to disperse the waste according to the EPA. There are many unanswered questions about the current contaminants of the Hudson River. The occupants of the community are in constant debate whether the river should be dredged or should it be left alone. Environmentalists argue that the waste at the bottom of the river should remain and it will dissipate and disperse with time but they strongly suggest something should be done. What will happen to the communities that surround the Hudson River is if it is dredged up? It is so difficult for congressional leaders, community leaders, scientist and environmentalist to agree on the waste issues that surrounds the river. They need the citizens in and around the communities to help with this decision. I think that you as a citizen can see the complexity of this problem. I would like for you to use cost versus benefit analysis who will benefit from the dredging. Should or shouldn’t the river be dredged?

TASK

Your goal is to create a Power Point that illustrates whether you are for or against the dredging of the Hudson River. You are to support your argument with facts and not myths using the cost benefits analysis. You must state cost versus the benefits of the current policy and create three alternative solutions to dredging. You must then choose the best alternative solution out of the three alternatives to dredging. You must state your best solution and write a convincing argument to support it.

Process

• You will define the nature of the problem facing the Hudson Valley community.

1. You will work with your assigned partners in a cooperative group.

2. You will state problems that have arisen by the threat of waste in the Hudson River

3. You will list the possible causes of these problems and gather evidence of their existence.

4. You will state several policies in place that have been executed to protect the neighboring communities from waste contamination, for example the 65 miles from the Roe tons -Caymans and the Troy Waterford bridge to Lock # 2 no discharge zone.

5. You will decide whether the current solution of dredging is the best solution or the worst solution use the public policy analysis.

6. You must create three alternative solution to dredging and state how you would execute your solution.

7. Determine the public policies that may be changed due to your solution. Will there be more zoning laws? Will there be better enforcement of the clean water act? What policies might your solution affect?

8. Determine if your solution is a better alternative or will it cause other unseen problems.(will it endanger marine or other wildlife)

9. You will state possible modifications of your plan and the public policies that might have to change as you realize the complexity of the decision making process.

10. You will state any new policies that you created to modify the current policies.

11. You will decide if your solution is feasible based on the web quest that you have executed. Does your solution take in consideration the current l policies? Is your solution environmentally safe? Do your advantages outweigh your disadvantages?

12. You will explain how you used the decision making process to come to your conclusions.

13. You will are allowed to use the TIPS Worksheets to aid you to make your outlines.

Evaluation

Your project will be grades on a scale of 1 to 4:

1. You have completed a web search and have included the above steps unto number 5 and have proofread your work. GRADE 55

2. You have completed web search, have included the above steps to number 8 and proof read your work. GRADE 70

3. Your have completed all the steps above and has one web quest link, and has proofread work. GRADE 85

4. You have completed all the above steps and have two web quest links, included graphics and has proof read their work. GRADE 90.

Conclusion

It is very interesting to identify a complex problem as the problem with the waste management of the Hudson River. It is challenging for you as a student to identify the different players in an environmental war. I think now you can see how laws can be manipulated to favor the different players. I think you have learned that the players with the biggest voice and the biggest gain will win. Your obligation as a citizen of your community is to be active in your community and to protect your community. Don’t let a few make a decision for you in your community, rather let you be part of the decision and the outcome. I hope that you will be able to email your solution to the National New York Region. I hope that the government may learn a lot from you and your research.

Resources

www.cdc.gov

www.epa.gov

www.Maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips

http://www.hudsonwatch/

www.friends of a Clean Hudson

Standards

ELA 1,2,3

S1

S7

S8