Yesterday, New York lost a great statesman and public servant with the passing of Ogden R. Reid. In addition to his service as a World War II veteran, Ambassador to Israel, and U.S. Congressman, as well as his work as a newspaper editor and reporter, Reid left one of his greatest marks while serving as DEC Commissioner under Governor Hugh Carey. During his tenure as commissioner, Reid was instrumental in stopping General Electric from continuing to contaminate the Hudson River with PCBs—a legacy issue that we continue to confront to this day.

As we say goodbye and thank you to former Commissioner Reid, all of us here at DEC can honor his legacy as stewards of New York’s environment by following his example and redoubling our efforts to stand up for our natural resources and our communities. Our thoughts are with the Reid family at this difficult time.