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Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Barge proposal put on hold
Continued from page 1
to lift, to allow for repairs when needed or to provide
icebreaking vessels access should they become lodged
in ice.
This issue came to the forefront because of complaints
from residents, claiming that barges carrying Bakken
crude oil from North Dakota and Canada have been
“parking” illegally in certain areas of the river and pose
significant environmental risks to the area.
“I am glad the Coast Guard has come around to
our way of thinking,” said Representative Sean Patrick
Maloney (D-NY18). “This is a victory that the Hudson
Valley won together – from the ten thousand residents
who submitted comments to the bipartisan coalition
of elected officials across all levels of government who
came together with one voice to protest this terrible idea.
Our river is a national treasure that should be preserved
and protected for generations – not turned into a parking
lot for commercial oil ships.”
NYS Assemblyman Frank Skartados [D-104th] said
he is pleased that the Coast Guard has suspended “this
ill-conceived plan…and is a step in the right direction
that will protect the environment, the economy and the
natural beauty here in the Hudson Valley.”
Skartados said the “fight,” however, is not over.
“We all need to be on guard in case the suspension is
lifted in the future,” he warned.
Skartados believes it is critically important that
residents be allowed to voice their concerns about this
important proposal at a pubic hearing. He acknowledges
that transporting oil by rail, truck or pipeline has certain
inherent risks “but the anchorages are just overboard,
I believe.” He said the longer we rely on fossil fuels,
the longer society puts off moving toward renewable
resources while courting environmental disasters, such
as an oil spill.
Edward Kelly, Executive Director of the Maritime
Association of the Port of New York & New Jersey, said
his organization is pleased the Coast Guard is taking
additional time to review this issue.
“We are familiar with pauses and they serve a good
purpose. It will put facts on the table and will hopefully
take away a lot of the nonsense that is being spoken about
out there about anchorages being used as parking lots for
crude oil.” He contends that disinformation about these
areas becoming “parking lots” has been intentionally
circulated to the public. He points out that any company
that keeps a crew and a vessel on hold in an idling status
for a long period of time “would be out of business in less
than a month.”
Kelly said conducting a Ports And Waterways Safety
Assessment [PAWSA] “is a very good way for the Coast
Guard to draw out the facts of what’s going on and to
also evaluate the safety of the harbor and the rivers.” He
said a highly specialized team looks at a host of safety,
environmental and commercial issues during their
review, especially highlighting the types of commercial
and recreational vessels that operate on the river.
USCG Chief Warrant Officer Allyson Conroy said
completing the PAWSA would provide the Coast Guard
with a better understanding of the environmental risks
on the Hudson River.
Officer Conroy said people who wish to have input
must send an email by July 21 to hudsonriverpawsa@
uscg.mil “with their name, contact information, their
connection to the waterway, their experience and related
skills.” The Coast Guard will issue a press release once a
date for a fall workshop has been determined.
Officer Conroy said the Hudson River is a “beautiful
national treasure and serves as a source of drinking
water, recreation, tourism and economic prosperity and
so therefore, as we move forward we want to make sure
that safety is maintained for continued commerce that
goes up and down the Hudson River and that everyone
who uses the waterway [and] shares the waterway has
an environment that is safe. That’s why we really want
to make sure we have all the information that we can
possibly get before we make a decision [on] how we’re
going to move forward.”
Officer Conroy said the USCG does not have accurate
data on whether or not Bakken crude is presently being
shipped on the Hudson – “that’s one of the things we’re
going to look into to see exactly how much of what
product is going up and down. We don’t keep track of all
of that, so that would be part of the study we do.”
Andy Bicking, Public Policy Director for Scenic
Hudson, said his organization is concerned about the
USCG workshop and the results of their PAWSA analysis.
“We want to be a part of the formal process and are
hoping that it is very transparent,” he said, adding that
he is expecting that real facts are fairly presented to the
public.
Bicking contends that transporting Bakken crude on
the Hudson is presently happening.
“The industry has cited this as the primary reason for
seeking the new anchorage sites,” he said.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer was
also pleased with the decision.
“This was a wise choice by the U.S. Coast Guard to
shelve the decision to create additional anchorages along
the Hudson River and instead to solicit wide input on
river safety,” Schumer said in a prepared statement.
“While the proposal is not completely dead, our office
will continue to work with local leaders, environmental
groups and concerned citizens to protect and preserve the
Hudson River’s majestic beauty for future generations.”
Dillard stepping down
from legislature
Continued from page 1
before being elected to the legislature. Dillard, who has a
heart condition, said he was stepping down on the advice
of his doctors.
District 4 encompasses the East End of the City of
Newburgh and Balmville in the Town of Newburgh.
County legislator terms are four years.
Candidates running for public office have until the
week of July 10 to submit their petitions to the Orange
County Board of Elections. The state and local primary
election will be held on Sept. 12.
I n B rief
School district seeks public
input on bond proposal
The Newburgh Enlarged City Scho