Riverkeeper Commends DEC for Listening to the Public and Stepping up to Require Comprehensive Review of Proposed Tar Sands Oil Heating Facility at Port of Albany
March 25, 2014
Riverkeeper Team
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tina Posterli, tposterli@riverkeeper.org, 914-478-4501 x 239
DEC letter recognizes for the first time need for preparedness plans for potential spills in the Hudson River
Ossining, NY – March 25, 2014 – DEC has written Global LLC promising “aggressive action” in requiring a comprehensive review of the company’s proposed crude oil heating facility at the Port of Albany. Riverkeeper commends the agency for listening to the public and for directing Global to answer 29 detailed questions, including the questions Riverkeeper and partner groups posed in February 2014 in response to Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order. DEC now calls its decision not to require a comprehensive review of the proposed operations an “interim negative declaration” and says that no final judgment on the project will be made until these questions are answered.
In addition to requiring Global to take a hard look at issues affecting transport to and from the proposed facility, DEC is directing Global for the first time to provide information regarding the potential impacts of heavy crude oil spills into the Hudson River and the existence and adequacy of financial assurance and liability insurance.
DEC’s review also raises questions about operations that were authorized by earlier permits, including those to store and ship Bakken crude from North Dakota. Over 1,000 Riverkeeper members have already called for a revisiting of those permits.
“For the first time, DEC is sending a clear signal that tar sands crude shipments are not a foregone conclusion in New York,” said Paul Gallay, President and Hudson Riverkeeper. “We’re glad the state took the time to listen to the public, Riverkeeper and our fellow environmental groups and acknowledge the concerns we’ve been raising over the past three months regarding the threat of crude oil transport to New York’s communities and irreplaceable waterways.”
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