Senate Resolution No. 1119
BY: Senator HARCKHAM
CONGRATULATING Paul Gallay upon the occasion of
his retirement after 11 years of dedicated service
as President of Riverkeeper, New York's Clean Water
Advocate
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize those
individuals and organizations within the great State of New York that
are dedicated to the vital work of environmental protection; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
congratulate Paul Gallay upon the occasion of his retirement after 11
years of dedicated service as President of Riverkeeper, New York's Clean
Water Advocate; and
WHEREAS, Paul Gallay earned his bachelor's degree from Williams
College and his law degree from Columbia Law School; upon graduating, he
worked in private practice for many years before becoming involved with
the environmental movement in 1987, when he went to work for the New
York State Attorney General; and
WHEREAS, From 1990-2000, Paul Gallay was employed with the New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation, where he brought
hundreds of corporate and government polluters to justice; he then spent
the next 10 years in the land conservation movement before becoming
Riverkeeper's President in 2010; and
WHEREAS, In this capacity, Paul Gallay continually strived to
fulfill Riverkeeper's mission of protecting and restoring the Hudson
River from source to sea and safeguard drinking water supplies for over
10 million New Yorkers, through advocacy rooted in community
partnerships, science and law; and
WHEREAS, Under the luminous leadership of Paul Gallay, the
Riverkeeper team of more than 90 environmental leaders expanded its
groundbreaking water quality testing project to include hundreds of new
sites, developed New York's largest shoreline cleanup and restoration
program, established the Hudson's first-ever dam removal initiative, and
helped pass transformative federal legislation to protect our coastal
communities and ecosystems from climate change; and
WHEREAS, Paul Gallay negotiated the landmark 2017 agreement to close
the Indian Point nuclear plant, lobbied for billions in clean water
infrastructure funding and fought tirelessly for New York State's
landmark 2014 ban on hydrofracking; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his tenure, Paul Gallay worked tirelessly to
make meaningful and historic changes on behalf of the Hudson River, its
tributaries, and the drinking supply; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his valuable work promoting the
sustainability of human and natural communities, Paul Gallay was a
visiting professor at Williams College and an adjunct professor at
Clarkson University before joining the Earth Institute at Columbia
University, where he has taught US Water & Energy Policy since Spring of
2017; and
WHEREAS, For the past 11 years, Paul Gallay rendered faithful,
conscientious and valuable service to Riverkeeper, New York's Clean
Water Advocate; and
WHEREAS, In his capacity as President, Paul Gallay served with
loyalty, honor and distinction, and in his official acts, he was
governed by a keen sense of duty and always showed a unique grasp of
human problems; and
WHEREAS, During his tenure with Riverkeeper, Paul Gallay earned the
admiration, esteem and affection of his colleagues; and
WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon all citizens to recognize and applaud
the efforts of individuals such as Paul Gallay who work tirelessly on
behalf of protecting our natural surroundings for the benefit of present
and future generations of New Yorkers; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate Paul Gallay upon the occasion of his retirement after 11
years of dedicated service as President of Riverkeeper, and to wish him
well in all his future endeavors; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Paul Gallay.
