A brand new bill called the Our Air Our Water Act, has the potential to significantly decrease the considerable amount of pollution and congestion caused by cruise ships that dock in the city and leave their engines running to clog up the atmosphere and the movement of cars and people on the streets.
The environmental legislation, which is to be considered the New York City council today, would alter the terms of a contract between the city and the Economic Development Corporation, setting new conditions around cruise operators being allowed to access terminals in the city.
Under the proposed law, cruise ships that dock at these city terminals would be mandated to use the city’s electrical grid, instead of keeping their engines running while docked.
This bill was originally drafted by Councilmember Alexa Avilés, who represents Red Hook which is home to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, along with various co-sponsors.
If passed, the law would also require ship operators to develop traffic mitigation plans and models as a means of minimizing congestion caused by their docking, along with vehicular noise and other disruptions in the streets caused by passengers disembarking from the cruises.
“Cruise companies’ disregard for environmental and traffic impacts for too long has clogged our lungs and streets,” councilwoman Avilés wrote on X last week after the bill was publicly introduced.
The Red Hook Alliance has also spoken out about the city needing to do a better job of managing the cruise terminal, which has “dropped a mess of toxins and traffic on Red Hook’s residents and small businesses,” according to the alliance. The bill is “a beacon for the future where economic growth harmonizes with environmental and community health,” they reported.
This new legislation was set to be discussed at a hearing at 10 a.m. today, following a rally on the steps of city hall.
Councilwoman Avilés will be joined by co-sponsor and Councilmember Erik Bottcher, along with other advocates for the cause of the Our Air Our Water Act to stress to the importance of the bill.
