CITY COUNCIL ADDS TO CLAMOR CALLING FOR ELECTRICAL SHORE POWER IN BROOKLYN

Cargo and cruise ships are powered by cheap bunker fuel, a dense, dirty oil literally found at the bottom of the barrel. When burned, bunker fuel releases carbon, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, contributing to serious air pollution in and around ports.
Even when docked, ships run fuel-burning engines in order to keep electrical systems operating. Environmentalists say that a ship idling for one day emits as much exhaust as 10,000 cars in the same time period.

Ports on the West Coast and in Europe have begun to offer electrical power for docked ships. The practice has not yet reached the Port of New York and New Jersey, to the dismay of Red Hook residents affected by air pollution at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. "The deal to bring shore power to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal has to be finalized ASAP," said Adam Armstrong, a local resident who focuses on this issue at his blog A View From the Hook. "All the entities involved in bringing this plan to fruition are in agreement. This is a no-brainer. So why is it taking so long? The residents of Red Hook and surrounding neighborhoods should no longer have to breathe in the dangerous and avoidable pollution that these ships emit while idling in port."

One of the main problems holding up a resolution is the expense of electrical power compared to bunker fuel. Who will pay? NY City Council resolution No. 463, being introduced on February 17 at a Waterfronts Committee hearing (250 Broadway, 16th floor, 1pm; open to the public), urges the NY State Public Service Commission to set an electrical rate at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal that is competitive with the cost of fuel. The resolution notes that the Port Authority estimates that reducing emissions by switching to shore power would create $9 million per year in health benefits.

Last year, the Port Authority set aside $15 million to build an electrical power to grid, in part supported by funds from the Environmental Protection Agency. But the Port Authority and the NYC Economic Development Corp. cannot agree on which agency will pay to maintain the grid. Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Lines promised to invest $1 million to $2 million per ship to upgrade power connections.
On January 3, Red Hook neighbors were joined by Councilmember Brad Lander, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Councilmember Stephen Levin at a rally to call attention to the issue. "We can smell that diesel wafting over the neighborhood," Sen. Squadron said. "It's time for the cruise ship terminal to stop choking Brooklyn."

"I don't really care about the quibbling, who wants to pay, who doesn't," Mr. Armstrong wrote later on his blog. "At the moment it's our residents who are paying, many who are the most vulnerable in our community."