LOCAL SENATORS URGE RESIDENTS TO MAKE VOICE HEARD ON POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTAL PROPOSAL

HYDE PARK, NY—Last year, Senators Sue Serino and Terrence Murphy, local leaders, environmental advocates and area residents joined forces to help successfully sideline a federal proposal that had the potential to add over forty new anchorage sites along the Hudson River, putting local communities and the local environment at risk. Today, Senators Serino and Murphy are urging members of the Hudson Valley community to come together once again to make their voices heard to protect the Hudson River from another potentially dangerous federal proposal.

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and in light of recent severe weather here in New York and beyond, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is rightfully conducting a coastal storm risk management study for the New York Harbor and its tributaries—including the area’s beloved Hudson River. The group is currently considering six different plans that include massive offshore barriers, land-based floodwalls and a levee system that could significantly threaten the ecological health of the Hudson. While a storm management plan is critically important to ensure the safety of the region, much like the now infamous anchorage proposal, these proposals are seemingly being fast-tracked by the federal government and little is being done to gather critically important public feedback.

This Wednesday, July 11, 2018, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold a hearing at the Hudson Valley Community Center (110 South Grand Avenue, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), and Senators Serino and Murphy, along with area environmental leaders, are urging community members to turn out to make their voices heard. The event is slated to run from 6:00 -8:00 p.m. and will include a presentation by the study team.

“Our natural resources play a key role here in our Hudson Valley communities, and we have a duty to preserve and protect them so that they can be enjoyed for generations to come,” said Senator Serino. “I thank Senator Murphy for alerting our community to these potentially hazardous proposals. As evidenced by our successful push against the infamous anchorage proposal, we have seen first-hand just how powerful our communities can be when they come together to make their voices heard. Today, we are urging residents to once again stand firm in protecting our area’s lifeblood—the Hudson River—by attending Wednesday’s public hearing. While we appreciate the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s efforts to bolster our community’s preparedness against pending storms, I urge them to first start by listening to the people who live and work here.”

Senator Terrence Murphy said, "It was the voice of the people that prevented the Coast Guard from implementing an ill-advised plan that would have damaged the economic and environmental health of the Hudson Valley. Once again, we are calling on residents to voice their concerns by letting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers know they cannot fast-track a series of plans that could adversely affect our communities without listening to the people who have to live with the results. I urge residents to attend Wednesday's hearing to reinforce that it should be the people, not a group of engineers, that should drive the decision making process." 

“The prospect of constructing storm surge barriers across New York Harbor could adversely affect the entire Hudson River Estuary. Scenic Hudson urges residents to attend Wednesday’s meeting in Poughkeepsie so they can understand the proposal and its potential impacts on the river, its wildlife and communities along it. This proposal requires a well-designed public process that provides ample opportunity for all stakeholders to weigh in on the project’s need and design,” said Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan.

Additional meeting times include the following:

Monday, July 9th, 3-5 PM at the Borough of Manhattan Community
College in Tribeca, Richard Harris Terrace (main floor). 
199 Chambers St, New York, NY 10007

Monday, July 9th, 6-8 PM (duplicate session) at the Borough of
Manhattan Community College in Tribeca, Richard Harris Terrace
(main floor). 199 Chambers St, New York, NY 10007

Tuesday, July 10th, 3-5 PM at Rutgers University-Newark Campus, PR
Campus Center, 2nd Floor, Essex Room. 
350 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Newark, NJ 07102

Tuesday, July 1st, 6-8 PM (duplicate session) at Rutgers University Newark
Campus, PR Campus Center, 2nd Floor, Essex Room. 
350 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Newark, NJ 07102

For additional event details and information regarding the proposals, community members can click here.

To see what other local environmental advocates are saying, and information about how to electronically submit comments, click here.

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