When the Hudson 7 first learned about the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) proposed transmission cable route in relation to their drinking water intakes back in 2020, they immediately raised concerns about the risk to both the physical intake structures and the potential risk of contamination due to the jet-plowing technology proposed for use in the Hudson River. Since then, the Hudson 7 has worked diligently to ensure the safety of its drinking water for more than 100,000 people living and working in the City and Town of Poughkeepsie, the Village and Town of Rhinebeck, and the Towns of Esopus, Hyde Park and Lloyd. Through the tenacity and sheer grit of the Hudson 7, CHPE agreed to studies that had not otherwise been required by their permits. Using the Hudson 7’s Proposed Testing & Monitoring Protocols, a pair of studies to test the impacts of an underwater transmission line resulted in changing the originally proposed route that would have run directly over the Town of Esopus’ intake, and between the City and Town of Poughkeepsie’s intakes. The Hudson 7’s success on the CHPE project route was accomplished by the council’s technical advisors who serve as volunteers at no cost to residents. This free use of time and resources is especially significant given that the CHPE cable route is a “for profit” energy project. “In the future, the state needs to be more aware of the burdens these projects place on small local governments,” said Mayor Gary Bassett and Chair of the Hudson 7 council in a recent Times Union report. “Let’s face it: None of us want it [CHPE] in the river,” Bassett said. “The message has to be, to the state of New York: Don’t do this to the municipalities again.”