Coast Guard Hudson River Anchorage Hearing Likely to Not Include Coast Guard

DOBBS FERRY, NY — A public hearing on the proposed Hudson River barge anchorage sites organized by three state senators will feature elected officials, people from environmental organizations and other concerned parties as speakers.

Notable in their absence will be representatives from the Coast Guard, which is proposing to install 10 anchorage sites for barges on the Hudson River from Yonkers to Kingston.

The Journal News said the Coast Guard does not expect to have someone at the session.

The hearing at which testimony is invitation-only is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 19 at Croton Village Hall, 1 Van Wyck St. in Croton-on-Hudson. The public is invited to attend.

The hearing is being sponsored by Senators Terrence Murphy, R-40th District; Sue Serino, R-41st District; Bill Larkin, R-39th District, and David Carlucci, D-38th District.

Carlucci said the purpose of the hearing is to get information which should have been shared from the moment the plan was announced.

“The Hudson River is one of the most cherished natural resources in the Hudson Valley,” he said. “It is clear we need answers to the questions surrounding the proposal for our river.”

According to a press release, some of the speakers and organizations expected to attend are Senator Bill Larkin; Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro's Office; Emily Majer, Deputy Mayor, Village of Tivoli; Paul Gallay, President, Riverkeeper; Ned Sullivan, President, Scenic Hudson; Edward Kelly, Executive Director, Maritime Association of Port of New York and New Jersey; Betsy Garthwaite, Chairman of the Board, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater; Joe Cronin, Pace Environmental Law School, and members of the Yonkers City Council, the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce, and the Hudson River Boat and Yacht Club Association.

For more details, read the article at the Journal News here.

Photo credit: Michael Woyton/Patch.