Home to America's 'First River,' the Hudson region of New York has a well-earned reputation as the birthplace of the country's environmental movement. From the early Hudson River Fishermen's Association to Pete Seeger's Clearwater, to big, successful groups today including Scenic Hudson and Riverkeeper, the valley remains home to a hardworking core of savvy environmentalist. Yet while the world is in agreement that the Hudson River is far cleaner than it was forty, fifty years ago, today it still wrestles with a variety of environmental ills and potential catastrophes. The biggest threat is that thanks to the boom in natural gas and oil drilling in the fracking fields of the Dakotas and beyond, the Hudson River has been turned into an energy highway, transporting both gas and oil by pipeline, train and barge. The downside to all that new trafficking? The inevitable spill, leak, or accident. The upside? Since most of those newly drilled fossil fuels are headed overseas, it's hard to put a figure on how it benefits the region. The theme of the risks, voiced by many, is that the river and valley are hosting all of the risks, with virtually no reward.

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