ALBANY – The U.S. Coast Guard said it has received more than 9,000 public comments about its proposal to designate 10 new areas on the Hudson River where petroleum-laden vessels may anchor.
Energy and transportation industry groups say the anchorage sites are needed to accommodate a surge in commercial traffic due in part to the lifting of the U.S. ban on crude oil experts. But critics, including environmental groups, say the plan would turn a stretch of one of the most scenic rivers in the United States into a “parking lot” for barges that are up to 600 feet long—a charge that is denied by a waterways operating group.
