Bill Banning Barge Anchorages On Hudson River Passes House

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — A bill that would permanently ban the establishment of new anchorages for oil barges on the Hudson River passed the House of Representatives and is headed to the Senate. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, a Democrat from Cold Spring, joined with state and local leaders Thursday to celebrate its passage.

"Three years ago, we stood along the Hudson and promised to work together to stop oil barges from anchoring on our river," he said. "Today, I'm proud to stand with my friends and fellow leaders from the Hudson Valley and announce my bill permanently banning oil barge anchorages from Yonkers to Kingston has passed the House and will soon be taken up in the Senate."

Maloney serves as the chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

"This is a big deal for the Hudson Valley and the future health of the Hudson River," Maloney said. "Our river shouldn't be used as a parking lot for oil barges, which is why I made it a priority to get this done."

The Coast Guard had proposed establishing 10 new anchorages sites, containing 43 berths, that would have been used for commercial vessels, many of which would be carrying oil.

They were estimated to take up nearly 1,000 acres of the river.

Andy Bicking, director of public policy for Scenic Hudson, Inc., applauded Maloney's bi-partisan passage of the bill.

"In 2016, the Hudson Valley was challenged by a proposal that would have transformed the Hudson riverfront into a virtual parking lot for maritime vessels transporting highly volatile and toxic Bakken crude oil," he said.

"We have moved through that era and can now set our sights on a vision for the Hudson River based on environmental quality, access for all peoples and a carbon-neutral economy that creates jobs," Bicking said.

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