What’s the Issue?
The Hudson River has sometimes been used as a highway for barges and other ships carrying hazardous materials like crude oil and asphalt between New York City and Albany.
While commercial vessels are allowed to anchor as needed for safety purposes, in recent years the U.S. Coast Guard has tried to change the rules to allow large commercial vessels to anchor anywhere, anytime. This poses an unnecessary threat to the health and well-being of the Hudson River and the people and wildlife who rely on it.
Unregulated anchoring could pose additional health and safety threats, including potential oil spills, which would jeopardize the drinking water supply for over 100,000 people and potentially cause untold damage to river ecosystems, recreational activities, and revitalized Hudson River waterfronts. Decisions about where ships can anchor and for how long must protect the health of the ecosystem and nearby communities first and foremost.
What’s the History?
Under federal law, vessels in the Hudson River cannot anchor outside of an anchorage (essentially, a parking spot for ships and barges). In 2016, anticipating a surge in crude oil shipments from the Midwest, shipping companies asked the U.S. Coast Guard, which manages river traffic, for 43 new anchorages in 10 locations along the river.
The public protested, submitting more than 10,000 comments in opposition to the increase. Organizations like Riverkeeper, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, and Scenic Hudson, as well as the Hudson 7, a group of municipalities that rely on the river as a source of drinking water, also opposed the request.
The Coast Guard did not create the additional anchorages, and in 2020 the U.S. Congress passed legislation temporarily banning new anchorages between the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and Kingston.
What’s the Status?
In the summer of 2023, the U.S. Coast Guard removed the requirement that vessels anchoring north of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge use a designated anchorage, effectively allowing barges to anchor anywhere north of the Bridge for any amount of time.
Individuals, regional environmental organizations, and political leaders like U.S. Congressmen Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, and Pat Ryan raised their voices in protest. This collective effort was successful, and on November 9, 2023, the Coast Guard issued a statement reinstating the rules that restrict where barges can anchor and making a commitment to “undertake extensive public outreach opportunities to explore potential regulatory updates” before making any further changes.
On November 16, 2023, Congressmen Lawler, Molinaro, and Ryan introduced the Hudson River Protection Act, a bipartisan bill “banning additional anchorages once and for all.” The House of Representatives passed the bill with a vote of 376 to 16, but the Senate rejected the same bill in December 2024. Hudson Valley residents must continue to let their representatives know that ships and barges carrying hazardous materials cannot be allowed to threaten our waterfronts, ecosystems, and drinking water.

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What can you do now?

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. Let them know you support the bipartisan Hudson River Protection Act to ban anchorages on the Hudson River.

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