TROY, N.Y. -- Governor David Paterson said, "There are still only two species of fish that are legal for fishermen to catch."

As the Hudson River still feels the effects of years of pollution, state and local politicians joined leaders in science to announce $10 million for the first-of-its-kind Upper Hudson River Research Center in Troy, allowing unprecedented monitoring of the Hudson.

Beacon Institute Director and CEO John Cronin said, "A system of interconnected sensors that report the river's physical, chemical and biological condition, much as the weather service radio station broadcasts updates 24 hours a day."

Cronin said the sensors will allow them to target some of the Hudson's problems.

He said, "PCBs are an example. Contaminated sediments. The only way we know where contaminants are is to spot check for them, sometimes over the course of a couple of months."

The 11,000 square foot tourist-friendly facility will be built on the former Rensselaer Iron Works site, now abandoned. Parts for the famous ironclad Civil War ship the Monitor were made here, but soon the site will mean scores of new jobs and partnerships with local schools and scientists.

Cronin said, "Environmental technology innovation is not separate from nanotechnology. The medical diagnostic technology that GE has designed is not separate from environmental technology."

Officials said in the end, this will be about a $15 million facility. And they said it's not just about cleaning up and improving the Hudson River, but also rivers around the world.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno said, "What's going on here - software, hardware, study, partnerships - this will be copied and produced by IBM and others all over the world."

It'll be a place where information can be analyzed from all over the world, creating business opportunities.

RPI President Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson said, "If we want to be able to have more than two fish that we can take from the river, we have to understand how the environment affects living systems."

...Improving the local environment at the same time. The facility is scheduled to open in 2010.