Times Union: The U.S. Coast Guard will hold two days of closed-door discussions in Albany this week on a vision for the future of the Hudson River.

Last week, the agency held two days of meetings in Poughkeepsie as part of the work on a Ports and Waterways Assessment, which is meant to examine potential solutions to transportation risks on the river.

The planning started after the Coast Guard earlier this year shelved a request by river shippers to approve 43 new anchorages for use by crude oil barges. This drew opposition from New York state officials, as well as local government leaders and environmental groups.

Last week, Rear Admiral Steven Poulin call the assessment a “process that allows us to take a really close look at risks – navigational and environmental risks – associated with a particular waterway and it helps us inform and give us a better understanding of what those risks are and how we may mitigate those risks,” according to a report by the Mid-Hudson News Network.

The sessions were invitation-only from the Coast Guard, and are not open to the general public or the media, said Chief Warrant Officer Allyson Conroy.

Groups taking part in the workshops include the Hudson River Pilots, Hudson River Waterfront Allliance, Sierra Club, Tug and Barge Committee of New York/New Jersey, state Department of Environmental Conservation, Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, McAllister Towing, Pace University, and Samalot Marine.  Read more.