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– Two Mid-Hudson lawmakers have reached across the political aisle
to introduce legislation aimed at safeguarding the Hudson River and preventing
barge anchorages in sensitive areas.
Republican Senator Susan Serino (R-Hyde Park) and Assemblywoman Didi Barrett
(D, Hudson) introduced the measure.
The Coast Guard is contemplating the approval of 10 anchorages between
Yonkers and Kingston that would allow some 40 industrial-scaled barges
carrying crude oil and other potentially hazardous materials. The initial
proposal came from a maritime trade group.
The lawmakers are concerned about the ecology of the river should oil
leak from barges.
Serino has a personal stake in this proposal.
“I live in a town where our water comes from the Hudson River so
we want to protect our drinking water,” she said. “And I’m
so glad for Scenic Hudson, Andy Bicking, bringing this to us and moving
forward in protecting our river and working with Assemblywoman Barrett.”
Serino, who characterizes their proposal as “zoning on the river,”
said it is similar to a proposal introduced on the federal level by Congressman
Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY-18).
