Storm King Mountain rises above the west bank of the Hudson River in the Hudson Highlands, helping form the narrow Wind Gate passage and standing as one of the river’s defining landmarks. Its history is reflected in older Dutch and early exploration names before the modern name gained popularity in the mid-19th century. The mountain became nationally important in the 1960s when a proposed pumped-storage hydroelectric plant triggered a major environmental battle. Scenic Hudson’s court challenge helped establish environmentalists’ standing in federal court, a landmark in American environmental law. Con Edison abandoned the project in 1979, and the mountain is now a popular part of Storm King State Park.