Hudson River Anchorages | Oil Barges on the Hudson

In the news

Understanding the Behavior and Impact of a Hudson River Oil Spill

July 16, 2018

Scenic Hudson: To further protect the Hudson River and lands surrounding it, Scenic Hudson commissioned the first-ever Hudson River Oil Spill Risk Assessment. It provides quantitative and qualitative information on the likelihood of oil spills occurring on the river, and ...

Army Corps of Engineers fast-tracks proposal for floodwall barriers to protect NY Harbor, endangering life of Hudson River

June 29, 2018

Riverkeeper: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is considering six different plans for massive offshore barriers and/or land-based floodwalls intended to “manage the risk of coastal storm damage” to New York Harbor and the Hudson Valley. Several of these alternatives ...

Maloney, Engel Seek Coast Guard Commitment on any new anchorage proposals

June 22, 2018

HVNN.com: Representatives Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) and Eliot Engel (NY-16) have requested that the Coast Guard commit to conducting early public outreach and release an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prior to proposing any new anchorage proposals.

They also requested that ...

Sunken barge recovered from Hudson River at Port of Coeymans

June 10, 2018

Times Union: Scuba divers and underwater cutting equipment were used Wednesday to remove a sunken barge from the bottom of the Hudson River at the Port of Coeymans.

The barge had been there since sinking in February while tied up at ...

Scenic Hudson cheers company plan to scale back crude oil shipping through Hudson River, rail system

May 30, 2018

Daily Freeman: Environmental advocacy group Scenic Hudson is cheering a decision by an oil transportation company to scale back its crude oil shipping plans on the Hudson River and rail system.

Massachusetts-based Global Partners said earlier this week it would scale ...

Global Partners Withdraws Application To Build Crude Oil Heating Facility At Port Of Albany

May 30, 2018

WAMC: A company that handles crude oil shipped by tanker trains and Hudson River barges says it’s scaling back operations at the Port of Albany.

County Executive Dan McCoy got the official word Tuesday that Massachusetts-based Global Partners opted to withdraw ...

Pace Students Travel To DC, Advocate For Hudson River

April 22, 2018

Putnam Daily Voice: Students in Pace University’s Environmental Policy Clinic along with their adviser, John Cronin, spent Friday, April 20 in Washington, D.C., advocating for issues related to the Hudson River.

Cronin is the senior fellow for Environmental Affairs at ...

Amtrak’s Proposal for New Fences and Gates along the Hudson

April 12, 2018

Amtrak has submitted a proposal to New York State to install fencing and gates at several locations along the Hudson River in Rhinecliff, Tivoli, Germantown, Stockport and Stuyvesant. The purpose of the fences and gates is to keep people safe, ...

Continued Vigilance Urged on Hudson Anchorage Issue

April 6, 2018

Hudson Independent: The Coast Guard has shelved its proposal to add 43 barge anchorage locations on the Hudson River, but environmental organizations are keeping a watchful eye on how the plan might be resurrected in the future.

The controversial concept, pursued by ...

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What it’s all about

The U.S. Coast Guard is considering a proposal to establish ten new anchorage grounds on the Hudson River from Yonkers to Kingston, New York.

The proposal comes at the request of the Maritime Association of the Port of New York/New Jersey, which represents various interests in the shipping and petroleum industries. The Association says that more anchorage grounds will improve navigation safety along portions of the Hudson River where there are currently few or no anchorages.

In its letter to the Coast Guard, the Association points out that barge traffic “has increased dramatically” over the past few years — due largely to the influx of fracking oil arriving by rail at the Port of Albany — and this traffic will increase “significantly over the next few years” due to the recent lifting of the ban on exporting crude oil.

Opponents of the proposal argue that the anchorages, which provide 42 long-term mooring berths (and one short-term), will turn into parking lots for barges, facilitate more commercial traffic, and “reindustrialize” the Hudson.

The barges pollute the river with their noisy generators and “stadium” lighting, and their anchors drag on the river bottom, which damages the habitats of endangered fish species. An increase in commercial traffic also puts recreational boaters in danger. Most worrisome of all is that more oil barges on the Hudson will increase the risks of a catastrophic spill.

The Coast Guard is seeking public comments and information about the operational need for new anchorage grounds, what form possible regulations should take, and the potential impacts on riverside communities. Everyone is encouraged to file comments with the Coast Guard, which has extended the deadline from Sept. 7 to Dec. 6, 2016.

Coast Guard Postings Regarding Suspension of the Rulemaking Process on the Anchorage Proposal and Initiation of the Ports and Waterways Safety Assessment process

On June 29, 2017, the U.S. Coast Guard posted three documents on Regulations.gov regarding its decision about the anchorage proposal.

On September 8, 2017, the Coast Guard issued a press release announcing the details of the Ports and Waterways Safety Assessment on Hudson River.

On November 7-8, a workshop will be held in the Mid-Hudson region.
On November 15-16, a workshop will be held in Albany, New York.
Coast Guard experts will host two informational PAWSA webinars on Oct. 18, at 10 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Information about the Ports and Waterways Safety Assessment (PAWSA) Workshops can be found here:

Comments to the Coast Guard

The deadline for submitting comments was Dec. 6, 2016.

As of Dec. 17, 2016

0

Comments Submitted

See the comments submitted to the Coast Guard here.
View letters from elected officials, organizations, industry, and town resolutions here.

Legislation restricting the anchorage

Hudson Valley elected officials have been working on legislation that addresses the threat posed by the Coast Guard’s proposal to establish ten new anchorage grounds on the Hudson River. Several environmental groups have issued memoranda of support for this legislation, and some local governments have also passed resolutions supporting the bills. Here are some links: