While most of the time I focus my rants in writing on the world of public education, the recent proposal to drastically increase anchorage sites for oil barges on the Hudson River have caused great alarm to all of us who call the Hudson River Valley home.
I was compelled to write a letter to the US Coast Guard. Until September 7th, you, too, can share your comments at: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/06/09/2016-13701/anchorage-grounds-hudson-river-yonkers-ny-to-kingston-ny
The recent proposal to increase anchorage sites on the Hudson River from NYC to Albany for large vessels carrying dangerous cargos is distressing and unsettling. I've lived in the Hudson River Valley my entire life and have vivid childhood memories of seeing and smelling raw sewage in the river, as well as oil slicks, garbage, and dead fish. Thanks to the tireless efforts of citizen activists over many decades, the Hudson River today is a healthy, vital river, supporting an abundance of life and providing recreational and scenic pleasure to residents and visitors up and down its shores.
The proposal to increase anchorage sites on the river jeopardizes all the hard work done to heal the Hudson.
No matter where I travel to around the country, when I return I'm struck anew by the unparalleled beauty in my own backyard. If you've had the good fortune to live or visit here, you too, would readily see what I see every day. You might understand, too, how a uniquely American School of Art celebrating the beauty of the natural environment was born here in the Hudson Valley in the mid-19th Century. The views and vistas from New York City all the way up to the Adirondacks provide inspiration and pleasure to residents and visitors alike.
There is no possible advantage to residents and visitors of the River Valley for the proposed nautical parking lots. The blocking of our vistas and the light pollution caused by the anchored vessels benefits no one who calls this Valley home. The potential for environmental disaster from spilled fuel and other toxins increases in magnitude with the increased vessel traffic the Anchorage proposal would allow.
Only a few private companies stand to profit from permitting large numbers of anchorage sites on the Hudson River.
Millions of residents' quality of life will be jeopardized.
It is imperative that decisions involving the river acknowledge its status as a National Heritage Area stretching from New York City to Albany.
National Heritage Areas (NHAs) are designated by Congress as places where natural, cultural, and historic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape. The goals of NHAs are historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects.
Granting permission to private companies for increased traffic and longterm parking rights ignores the act of Congress intended to forever protect the Hudson River.
I implore you, for the sake of the people of this Valley, and the River itself, do not approve the increase in anchorage sites on the Hudson River.
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