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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report - October 15, 1996
CENTRAL HUDSON GAS & ELECTRIC CORPORATION
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)
New York 1-3268 14-0555980
____________________________ ________________ _____________
(State or other jurisdiction (Commission File (IRS Employer
of incorporation number) Identification) Number)
284 South Avenue, Poughkeepsie, New York 12601-4879
________________________________________ __________
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code (914) 452-2000
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CENTRAL HUDSON GAS & ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Item 5. Other Events.
Reference is made to Registrant's Annual Report, on
Form 10-K, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1995 ("Annual
Report"), and to the caption "Environmental Claims - Newburgh
Manufactured Gas Site" in Item 3 of Part I thereof for a
discussion of litigation filed against Registrant by the City of
Newburgh, New York, on May 26, 1995, in the United States
District Court, Southern District of New York.
Pursuant to the October 1995 Order on Consent entered
into between Registrant and the New York Department of
Environmental Conservation ("NYSDEC"), as referred to in said
Item 3, Registrant filed, on October 10, 1996, a progress report
with the NYSDEC for the investigation and remediation program
being conducted on Registrant's former coal gasification plant
site and the City of Newburgh's adjacent and nearby property.
Contemporaneous with such filing Registrant issued a press
release which is filed herewith as Exhibit 99 and incorporated
herein by reference.
Registrant is unable to give a reasonable estimate of
the cost, if any, to it of the activities which may ultimately be
required under said Order and Consent or of any costs to it of
such litigation.
Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(c) Exhibits. Following is the list of Exhibits
furnished in accordance with the provisions of Item 601 of
Regulation S-K, filed as part of this Current Report on Form 8-K:
Exhibit No.
(Regulation S-K
Item 601
Designation)
__________________
Exhibits
(99) Press release of Registrant issued on October 11,
1996, relating to the litigation commenced by the City
of Newburgh, New York, on May 26, 1995, against
Registrant, as reported under the caption
"Environmental Claims - Newburgh Manufactured Gas Site"
in Item 3 of Part I of Registrant's Annual Report, on
Form 10-K, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1995.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
CENTRAL HUDSON GAS & ELECTRIC CORPORATION
(Registrant)
By:_______________________________________
DONNA DOYLE
Controller
Dated: October 15, 1996
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EXHIBIT INDEX
Following is the index of Exhibits furnished in
accordance with the provisions of Item 601 of Regulation S-K,
filed as part of this Current Report on Form 8-K:
Exhibit No.
(Regulation S-K
Item 601
Designation)
_________________
(99) Press release of Registrant issued on October 11,
1996, relating to the litigation commenced by the City
of Newburgh, New York, on May 26, 1995, against
Registrant, as reported under the caption
"Environmental Claims - Newburgh Manufactured Gas Site"
in Item 3 of Part I of Registrant's Annual Report, on
Form 10-K, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1995.
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CENTRAL
HUDSON
GAS & ELECTRIC CORP. N E W S
- ----------------------------------------------
CONTACT: Denise VanBuren 914-471-8323
October 11, 1996
For Immediate Release
Presence of Residual Coal Tars Investigated in Newburgh, New York
No Immediate Environmental Health Hazards
Central Hudson filed a progress report today with the
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on a study
conducted at a former manufactured gas plant and the adjacent
Newburgh City Sewage Treatment Plant, which is located on a site
formerly occupied by a shipbuilding yard, railroad yard and fill
area.
The preliminary results of the investigation, which are
contained in the progress report, indicate the presence of a tar-
like substance in portions of the study area.
"Central Hudson does not believe that the tar-like substance
observed poses an immediate environmental or a public health
threat," according to Jeff Clock, the utility's Director of
Environmental Affairs.
"There is no source of drinking water at the location, nor
are there any residential wells or water supplies within a half-
mile radius of the property which is under examination,"
explained Clock. He also emphasized that the tar-like substance
found on the property does not pose a health threat to workers at
the site as long a appropriate safety practices are followed. He
said the material is similar to that which is used to tar roofs
or to seal driveways.
The study is being conducted under the terms of a Consent
Order which Central Hudson voluntarily entered into with the DEC.
Soil, air and water samples were taken from the utility's
property, from the adjoining City riverfront property and from
the Hudson River, which borders the City's sewage treatment
plant. The test borings at the site, including the adjacent river
bottom, indicate the presence of a tar-like residue at a depth of
approximately 15 feet below the land surface and several feet
below the river bottom.
Clock reported that the samples have been visually examined,
but the results of laboratory analyses will not be available
until early December. The lab analyses will more definitively
characterize the nature of the substance.
"The visual observations indicate that the substance could
be tars and oils related to the manufacture of gas from coal
which began in the mid-1800s by a predecessor company of Central
Hudson," said Clock.
Gas for heating and lighting was produced on the site
between 1852 and the early 1950s, when the plant was retired from
service by Central Hudson.
Through the Consent Order, Central Hudson is committed to
investigating the substance and cleaning up any material
originating from the old manufactured gas plant that poses a risk
to the public health and the environment. The type of clean-up,
if any, will be determined by the DEC, and the public will have
an opportunity to comment on any proposed clean-up plan.
Clock said, "Once Central Hudson obtains the laboratory
results, it will prepare a report providing all of the data
obtained through the investigation of the City's property and
adjacent areas, including the Hudson River.
Clock said, "Once Central Hudson obtains the laboratory
results, it will prepare a report providing all of the data
obtained through the investigation of the City's property and
adjacent areas, including the Hudson River.
"If upon accepting the report the DEC determined that the
substance originated from the old manufactured gas plant or is
otherwise the responsibility of Central Hudson, we will perform a
risk assessment that will determine what, if any, public health
and environmental risk is caused by the material. Following the
assessment, a remedial plan will be proposed for DEC approval."
As previously publicly reported, the City of Newburgh
commenced a lawsuit against Central Hudson in May 1995 in federal
court with respect to a tar-like residue found at the City's
sewage treatment plant, which is a portion of the study area.
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