Bill Banning Oil-Barge Anchorages On Hudson Passes U.S. House

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — A bill permanently banning the establishment of new oil barge anchorages on the lower Hudson River was passed by Tuesday by House of Representatives.

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 was passed with a bipartisan vote. It included a provision by Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, to ban having new anchorages for oil barges on the Hudson River from Yonkers to Kingston.

Maloney said this was a victory for the Hudson Valley, one that he promised.

"We are the gatekeepers of the Hudson River, and it's up to us to be good stewards of the river so New Yorkers can enjoy it for generations to come," he said. "I look forward to this provision passing the Senate, and urge the president to sign this bill into law."

The Coast Guard had proposed allowing commercial anchorage fields on the Hudson River for oil-carrying vessels.

The initial plan was to put 10 anchorage fields in the river between Yonkers and Kingston. They would have taken up nearly 1,000 acres of the river and would have contained more than 40 berths.

Local officials, community organizers and environmental groups were vocally opposed to the proposal.

In his role as chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, Maloney wrote a provision to permanently ban the anchorage sites. The provision was include in the Elijah E. Cummings Coast Guard Authorization Act, which authorizes funds and set policy for the United States Coast Guard and Federal Maritime Commission and was attached to the National Defense Authorization Act.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer thanked Maloney for his work on this issue.

"This is a major step forward for the continued fight for a clean Hudson River," he said in a news release.

"The placement of massive oil-tanker parking stations along our river fronts would lead to increased river traffic, the degradation of our efforts to enhance the space for economic and environmental purposes and create a sitting environmental disaster waiting to happen," Latimer said.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins applauded Maloney's efforts.

"The Hudson River is a valuable natural resource and should not become a parking lot for oil barges," she said in a prepared statement.

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