NEW WINDSOR – Federal legislation to block any new barge anchorages from Yonkers to Kingston is halfway to the president’s desk. The bill, authored by Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY18), cleared the House and awaits action in the Senate.
“The bill I wrote also requires that any new oil barge storage and the Hudson River, wherever it is sited, requires 180 days notice to the congress so that we can see how we feel about that as well. Because we care about the whole Hudson River; not just our part of it.”
Maloney, who organized a riverfront news conference in New Windsor on Thursday, said the bill does include a provision that barges that become disabled can sit until they are able to move or be moved. The bill does not include any penalty resulting from damage or spillage caused by a barge.
Among the many lawmakers speaking was New Windsor Councilwoman and Deputy Supervisor Patricia Mullarkey.
“New Windsor is very happy to be a part of this, “Mullarkey said. “New Windsor realizes what a jewel the Hudson River is, and people must realize that we can’t go to Amazon and get a new river.”
Also attending and voicing similar support were State Senators Jennifer Metzger and James Skoufis, Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson and Sloop Clearwater’s Greg Williams.
