Riverkeeper Team
The NYS Department of State is set to close public comment Thursday, May 8, at 4:30 p.m. on the proposed expansion of Global Partners’ oil terminal in New Windsor. This terminal expansion could facilitate the transfer of up to 1.8 billion gallons of heavy crude oil from train to river barge, increasing both train and barge traffic significantly. Please call the Department of State, express your concerns and ask for more time for the public to comment on the project’s inconsistency with coastal zone policies.
Email Mr. Jeffrey Zappieri at jeffrey.zappieri@dos.ny.gov or call (518) 474-6000 with this message (please use your own words):
DRAFT STATEMENT
In reference to Public Notice - F-2013-0928, I am opposed to the dramatic expansion of Global Companies LLC’s oil transfer facilities in New Windsor and the heavy industrialization such expansion would cause on the Hudson River. The proposed facility would be an integral part of the crude oil “virtual pipeline” that could transport the type of hazardous materials recent accidents, spills, explosions, and tragic loss of life have shown are too dangerous for my community and my river.
There are numerous omissions and oversights in Global Companies’ Coastal Consistency Certification, which hide the proposal’s potential irreversible adverse impacts to the Hudson River Coastal Zone:
- The Certification fails to address the fact that nearby communities are not prepared to respond to a catastrophic spill or explosion of millions of gallons of crude oil.
- The Certification fails to mention that the proposed new dock would require construction in an area of the River within 1.4 miles of three Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats.
- The Certification fails to adequately analyze my aesthetic and recreational use of the Hudson River, which could be transformed into an oil transport highway.
For now, DOS should at least postpone making any decision on the Consistency Certification until the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have decided they have enough information to determine whether to grant Global Companies the required permits. After that happens, DOS should open a new comment period to give the public a chance to weigh in. Until then, the public will not have been fully informed on the dangers posed by the proposed transport of oil through our communities.
Thank you for your consideration of my comments.
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