rivers casino environmental impact statement schenectady

Characterized by its breathtaking vistas and mountainscapes, it is a hub for wildlife and outdoor recreation, and a world-renowned destination for trout fishing.

The impetus for such early preservation efforts is clear to anyone who has visited the region. One of those special areas was the Catskills region, centered roughly 100 miles northwest of Manhattan and home to the 700,000-acre Catskills Park, one of the first state parks in the nation and the oldest east of Mississippi River. To understand why the recent casino decision is good news for New York's environment, it's helpful to have a little background on some of the early ill-conceived casino proposals in the state and the special nature of the areas that were slated for gaming complexes. In addition, the state also turned away several recent casino proposals that would have jeopardized other environmentally important areas of New York-including Sterling Forest.īy saying no to casino clusters, the Cuomo Administration is also helping to keep the path open for further sustainable economic development-for farms and food, wine and beer making, and clean energy-in the Catskills, the Hudson Valley, and other key regions of the state. Indeed, putting aside any questions of whether there would be economic or job-creation benefits from casinos, or even the viability of new gambling halls in an already saturated Northeast market, few would argue that building casinos is an environmental plus for any part of the state.īut if we view the December 17th announcement historically, it is easier to see how the Cuomo Administration's casino strategy prevents the considerable environmental damage that the casino plans of at least three previous Governors would have brought to New York's sensitive Catskill region. Sure, on its face the decision to greenlight the construction of four new casinos doesn't sound like much of an environmental success story. Last year New York State saw some huge environmental wins: the ivory trade crackdown, the expansion of solar and other renewable energy, New York City's move to get rid of foam containers, and, of course, the momentous fracking ban.īut there was another victory: the authorization to build new casinos across New York State.

A Fifteen-Year Chronology of the Casino Controversy

Rivers casino environmental impact statement schenectady