Road closure announced
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Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , March 28 , 2018
Coast Guard backs away from anchorage plan
By SHANTAL RILEY sriley @ tcnewspapers . com
The U . S . Coast Guard has released a report that shies away from a plan to build ten anchorage sites for commercial ships traveling the Hudson River between Yonkers and Kingston . The anchorages would have provided stops for large ships , including oil barges , en route to the Port of New York .
“ I said we would kill the initial anchorage plan and we did – the PAWSA report confirms that it should stay dead ,” said Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney in a statement last Tuesday .
The Coast Guard proposed the new anchorage sites with 42 permanent berths in 2016 . The plan instantly generated opposition from affected municipalities , environmental groups and local lawmakers including Maloney , who has railed against the proposal since its inception .
The Coast Guard suspended the plan in 2017 after it received roughly 10,000 public comments on the proposed project . The Coast Guard then held workshops to include local residents , educators , environmentalists and businesses to look closer at the plan .
Earlier this month , the Coast Guard ’ s Ports and Waterways Assessment ( PAWSA ) report summarized findings from the two meetings , held in Poughkeepsie and Albany in the fall . Key recommendations included creating a Hudson River Safety Committee , increasing recreational boating safety and clarifying existing regulations . “ The Coast Guard will use this PAWSA report , together with other information , to determine whether , and to what extent , regulatory actions are needed ,” the report states .
“ During the PAWSA workshops we acknowledged that the existing anchorage regulations are unclear , and we are considering how those regulations could be made more readily understood . We have no outcome timelines at this time . Any other substantive rulemaking effort associated with the Hudson River will follow Coast Guard public notice and comment rulemaking procedures to allow for public participation in the process ,” the report concludes .
Local environmentalists are applauding the report . “ The result of the PAWSA is a welcome next step toward
Gulls , perched along a dock , watch the early-morning fog roll in last week on the Hudson River at Newburgh
resolving the very contentious proposal by the tug and barge industry for new anchorages on the Hudson ,” said Riverkeeper President Paul Gallay in a joint statement with Maloney last week .
“ Whether or not a new anchorage proposal is ever put forward , it ’ s clear that any new regulations will involve public comment . We hope that the public will remain very much engaged in speaking up for the protection of the river as the process moves forward ,” Gallay said .
Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan noted the Coast Guard had not made any firm decisions on whether to move forward with anchorages . “ We must stay vigilant to ensure that the damaging proposal for new anchorages is not revived ,” he said .
In Brief
Carl Aiello
Road closure announced
The City of Newburgh will be implementing a detour of South Water Street / Rev . Dr . Martin Luther King Jr Blvd ./ Marine Drive / State Route 980T in the area from Washington Street to South William Street , commencing at 7 a . m . on Monday , April 2 , and continuing through April 13 , excluding nights and weekends .
The purpose of this detour is to facilitate the installation of new sewer related infrastructure along this roadway . The detour shall be in effect from 7 a . m . through 7 p . m . Monday through Friday . The detour will be removed during the weekends and after 7:00 p . m . during the weekdays . Please follow all detour signage along this route . Please use alternate routes if possible to avoid delays . All businesses in the area of this detour will be open to local traffic only .
Armed robbery reported Saturday
An armed robbery early Saturday involved two suspects armed with an assault rifle .
The incident around 5:30 a . m . occurred at William and South William Street in the City of Newburgh . A police radio report said the suspects were armed with an AK-47 rifle .
No further information was available .