lohud.com: (Verplanck) Opposition is growing to a proposal to put as many as 10 commercial shipping anchorages on the Hudson River in space stretching from Yonkers to Kingston.

At a press conference Tuesday at the Cortlandt Waterfront Park, a bevy of local officials demanded the Coast Guard hold public hearings before moving forward with the measure, which would allow commercial boats — including those carrying oil and natural gas — to drop anchor.

“It is absolutely crystal clear the federal government has missed the boat by proposing these new anchorage rules in the Hudson Valley,” said state Sen. Terrence Murphy, R-Yorktown. He listed problems with transparency, the anchored ships creating navigational hazards, potential for environmental disaster and homeland security issues as reasons for opposing it.  Read more.