Serino/Barrett Legislation to Safeguard the Hudson River andSurrounding Communities Passes Both Houses, Await Governor’s Signature

ALBANY, NY—With the U.S. Coast Guard proposing to establish new anchorage points across over 90 miles of the Hudson River, Senator Sue Serino (R, C, I—Hyde Park) announced tonight that the bill she shares with Assemblywoman Diddi Barrett (D-Columbia, Dutchess) aimed at safeguarding the river and local communities has successfully cleared the Senate. Having passed in the Assembly yesterday evening, Senator Serino urged the Governor to make signing the bill a priority to ensure that the State is empowered to safeguard the area against the threat of the transporting crude oil and other hazardous materials.

“I cannot stress it enough: our communities have worked far too hard for far too long on revitalizing our waterfront to risk compromising the Hudson River,” said Senator Serino. “This bill is critically important to ensure that the state is empowered to do all that it can to ensure that our river environment and local communities are protected. I am incredibly grateful for the tireless advocacy of Scenic Hudson and concerned community members. This is a great example of all that can be accomplished when partners at every level come together to put our environment and our community first and I hope that the Governor will recognize the importance of this legislation and make its signing a priority. ”

Background:

In June of last year, the U.S. Coast Guard issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking to establish 10 new anchorage grounds along the Hudson River covering a 91-mile stretch between Kingston, Ulster County and Yonkers in Westchester County. The new grounds would allow up to 43 vessels to anchor in the area, 42 of which could anchor for up to 30 days at a time.

Senator Serino and Assemblymember Barrett immediately expressed concern over the proposal and outrage over the lack of public input that was sought before it was issued. In October of last year, Senator Serino joined Senators Terrence Murphy and David Carlucci to hold their own hearing to ensure that the public had a chance to be heard on the important issue. The Coast Guard has not yet held a hearing on the proposal.

For nearly forty years, a federal ban on exporting crude oil limited the amount of oil transported from the Port of Albany to refineries on the eastern seaboard. In December of 2015, Congress voted to lift the ban.

Leading environmental advocacy organization, Scenic Hudson—which played a critical role in drafting the legislation—stated that new anchorage points are not necessary to improve travel safety along the Hudson as vessels already have permission to anchor when conditions are hazardous for navigation.

Coupled with the lifted ban, the establishment of so many new anchorage points could mean a significant uptick in the transportation of crude oil and an increase in long-term water-borne storage, thereby leaving the area vulnerable to dangerous accidents and spills.

The bill (S. 5197/A. 6825) seeks to safeguard the Hudson River by bolstering the state’s ability to exercise its jurisdiction over the river. Specifically, it amends the state’s navigation law relating to the establishment of ‘tanker-avoidance zones’ to consider waterfront communities and significant natural habitats, in addition to navigation safety. The result is that the state will be in a stronger position to prevent anchorages from being sited at points that pose a clear and direct threat to the environment, quality of life and local economic development goals.

Having passed both houses, the bill has been sent to the Governor.

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