Ryan Demands Coast Guard Uphold Oil Barge Anchor Ban On Hudson River

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — A change by the United States Coast Guard in how the Port of New York is defined has raised the possibility that barges carrying dangerous materials such as oil could be allowed to anchor in the Hudson River north of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

Rep. Pat Ryan, D-District 18, said the administrative change is alarming.

“This could turn the Hudson River into a parking lot for dangerous oil barges, threatening the health and safety of our kids, the more than 100,000 people who rely on the river for their drinking water, and our entire ecosytem,” he said in a news release issued Wednesday.

Ryan said he is demanding the Coast Guard upholds the anchoring ban on the Hudson.

“We must once again stand up with one voice to fight for our river,” he said.

After an outcry from state and local officials and the public, a plan to establish 10 additional commerical anchorage sites on the Hudson River between Yonkers and Kingston was reversed by the Coast Guard in March 2018.

In 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill permanently banning the establishment of new oil barge anchorages on the lower Hudson River. It was passed early in 2021 by the U.S. Senate.

Ryan said he wrote a letter to the sector New York commander for the Coast Guard on Aug. 4 asking the following questions:

• How did the Coast Guard decide to redefine the Port of New York boundaries?
• What are you doing to solicit feedback from the public on the proposed change?
• How does the new definition fit into a broader responsibility to regulate anchoring in the Hudson that protects navigational safety for commercial vessels, the interests of other waterway users and the environment?
• How is the Coast Guard collaborating with governmental and non-governmental organizations to create a safe environment for all users of the Hudson?
• Should the boundaries of the Port of New York be changed permanently, what changes to commercial vessel anchorages along the Hudson, including additional one, does the Coast Guard anticipate?

After more than two months, Ryan said the Coast Guard responded in a way that left the door open for oil barges to line the river.

The response, dated Oct. 17, said that the Coast Guard is committed to “ensuring navigational safety, environmental protection and the efficient flow of commerce on this critical waterway.”

The letter also said Ryan’s questions were “important” and warranted further discussion and analysis.

Patch reached out to the Coast Guard for comment, but there was no immediate response.

Gary Bassett, the mayor of Rhinebeck and chairman of the Hudson 7 — an inter-municipal council of communities that draw drinking water from the river for more than 100,000 people — there are significant concerns about new anchorage locations in the watershed that could impact drinking water intakes and critical habitat areas.

“We want restrictions to limit any risk of accidents and spill of hazardous products in the reach of our intakes that could imperil our water supply,” he said. “With reserves of drinking water that last only 1-3 days, it is imperative that we maintain a safe and reliable drinking water supply.”