U.S. Coast Guard Won't Attend Hearing On Hudson River Barge Plan
CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- There's a hearing Wednesday on the hotly-debated plan to build anchorage fields for barges along the Hudson River, but one key player won't be in attendance.
A proposal to add 10 anchorage locations along the Hudson River from Yonkers to Kingston will be discussed at Croton-On-Hudson Municipal Building at 7 p.m. on Oct. 19, WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported. However, the meeting is not an official hearing, so the U.S. Coast Guard will not be in attendance.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard told the Journal News that it was too early in the process, and that they plan to hold a public meeting on the issue later on, possibly in the spring.
Officials from the shipping industry will be in attendance, according to the Journal.
The proposal has sparked anger from opponents in the Hudson Valley.
"It's about navigational problems, it's about environmental problems and one that's really just off the charts is a security issue," State Senator Terrence Murphy said.
Opponents of the proposal fear oil barges in the river could become targets for terrorists, and could increase the risk of environmental contamination from potential spills.
"This is so vital to our ecosystem, it is so vital to our environment and crucial to our economy, that we make sure that we get the answers we need," Murphy said.
Proponents of the plan said barges already park in the Hudson, and this would give them permanent places to do it. Officials previously told CBS2 it would be mostly barges filled with crushed rock.
The shipping industry maintains anchorage points will regulate commercial traffic and make navigating the river safer.