At Long Last, Victory For Red Hook And Columbia Street Waterfront Communities. Agreement To Bring Shore Power To Red Hook Cruise Terminal Reached

Pardon Me For Asking: News from Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, and Beyond

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

By Katia Kelly

Good news! The New York Times just reported that a multi-agency agreement has been reached, which would supply cruise ships with shore power from specially built electrical port outlets at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook.

Currently, the ships dock for hours and sometimes days, continually burning diesel fuel to provide electricity onboard.

For more than two years now, Councilmembers Brad Lander and Steve Levin, State Senators Daniel Squadron and Velmanette Montgomery and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez have called for such a comprehensive shore power agreement. In January 2011, our local officials were joined by community organizations at the Red Hook Cruise terminal to demand an end to idling cruise ships and to the resulting pollution that chokes nearby residential neighborhoods.

Thank you to everyone who worked on getting this agreement. It will make a big difference right in our own community, but especially in Red Hook and the Columbia waterfront.

In a statement released earlier this morning, Senator Squadron stated:

"With this agreement to bring shore power to the cruise terminal, Brooklyn can finally breathe a little easier. The noxious diesel fumes that cruise ships in port have been spewing are bad for Brooklynites and bad for the environment. I have worked with Council Member Brad Lander, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, our colleagues in government and the entire community to advocate for an expedited agreement to implement shore power. I commend Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Cuomo, the Port Authority, the New York Power Authority, the Economic Development Corporation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Carnival Cruise Lines for working together to find this important solution."

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