NorthJersey.com: The amount of oil being shipped down the Hudson River may not increase as significantly as expected after a company pulled plans to transfer crude from trains to barges at a facility 50 miles north of the George Washington Bridge.
In a letter to New York environmental officials, Global Partners withdrew its permit applications to redevelop a former shipyard in Orange County into a rail transfer station so it could increase the amount of crude it sends down the Hudson to refineries.
Global already transports more than 3 million gallons of crude each day by barge from its terminal in Albany down the Hudson to the Bayway Refinery in Linden.
The company gave no reason for its withdrawal in its letter, and a company spokesman did not return a phone call Tuesday seeking comment.
Environmentalists, who say the oil shipments are a threat to the recovering waterway, greeted the news with cautious optimism.
“It’s certainly a good thing that these permit applications were withdrawn,” said Kate Hudson, a program director for Hudson Riverkeeper.
“What we don’t know is why. Is this a strategic move? How permanent is this?”
