New City, NY Patch: The U.S. Coast Guard plan to allow new Hudson River commercial anchorage areas between Yonkers and Kingston, including Tomkins Cove, disregards the decades-long battle to restore the historic river and transform it from a backdoor to the front door of numerous communities, say three Rockland County Legislators.

The issue will be the focus of discussion at 5:30 p.m. Thursday when the Rockland County Legislature’s Environmental Committee meets. A resolution formally opposing the proposed new sites is on the agenda, proposed by Legislators Harriet Cornell, the Committee’s Chairwoman; Legislature Chairman Alden H. Wolfe and the Legislature’s Vice Chairman, Jay Hood Jr.

All three legislators submitted public comment and a letter to the Coast Guard last month opposing the proposed new anchorages.“There is a significant threat to public safety from Bakken crude oil transported by barge and parked along our coastal villages,” said Cornell (D-West Nyack), whose Legislative District includes the Hudson waterfront villages of Nyack and Upper Nyack. “This proposal will not only adversely affect the ecology of the Hudson River and the quality of life of the waterfront communities along the proposed route, but it will also destroy the natural beauty of this historic landmark,” she said. Read more.