Thread by @ViewFromTheHook

14 years after it began, our fight to make *every* cruise ship connect to shore power in #RedHook continues. Thanks for the story and the acknowledgement, ⁦@nytimes⁩. Hopefully this article will bring more scrutiny and action on this important issue! nytimes.com/2019/12/26/nyr…

@nytimes Here is a @nytimes article from 2009 on the issue: nytimes.com/2009/03/08/nyr…

And from earlier in 2009 when the @PANYNJ had announced that they would be investing in #shorepower infrastructure in Red Hook:
brooklynpaper.com/port-authority…

@PANYNJ If only it had taken four years! TBT (from the 2009 @brooklynpaper article):

@PANYNJ @brooklynpaper And then in 2010, when the plans for shore power seemed to be stalling, journalist Lisa M. Collins (who wrote today's @nytimes article) wrote about the issue in the South Brooklyn Post. southbrooklynpost.com/2010/11/cruise…

In my blog post at the time I thanked them for the story and lamented the lack of coverage of this matter in our local press: aviewfromthehook.com/2010/11/south-…

In 2011, some of our local politicians started advocating strongly for a resolution of the issues stalling the shore power plan. The South Brooklyn Post and Lisa M. Collins again covered the story. @NydiaVelazquez @bradlander @DanielSquadron southbrooklynpost.com/2011/01/leader…

And then, in April 2011, the announcement came that the deal for shore power at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal was done! aviewfromthehook.com/2011/04/deal-f…

However, under new leadership, the @PANYNJ started balking at the investment that was required to finish the shore power project. In June 2012, under pressure form advocates of the plan, the PA finally agreed to fully fund the shore power system aviewfromthehook.com/2012/06/finall…

In May 2014, after delays due to Superstorm Sandy, who knows what else, & thanks to prodding from @NydiaVelazquez, we had the first sighting of actual shore power infrastructure being built in Red Hook. In 2015, we were told, ships would start plugging in: aviewfromthehook.com/2014/05/shore-…

Yet, in April 2016, I wrote in the blog that shore power at the Red Hook Cruise Terminal was still not in use. aviewfromthehook.com/2014/05/shore-…

In November 2016, with little fanfare, @NYCEDC sent out a press release stating that shore power system was "fully operational" : aviewfromthehook.com/2016/11/shore-…

Yet, in January 2018, I posted lamenting the lack of use of shore power during the 2017 cruise season. NYCEDC cited "problems" with the system. Incompatibilities with certain ships, problems with the QM2, and more. It was "frustrating", to say the least aviewfromthehook.com/2018/01/2017-y…

The lack of monitoring and requirement of the use of shore power was clearly a problem. @cmenchaca stated his support for an enforcement mechanism, yet no-one in the NYCEDC seemed to be willing to commit to the idea. It was all left to the discretion of the cruise ship company

And since then, there's been the announcement that the cruise terminal and its semi-functioning shore power system will be upgraded, yet @NYCEDC will still not commit to requiring that every ship visiting Red Hook be shore power capable, and that every ship plugs in.

That's why, as the @nytimes article states, this fight continues. The original shore power "deal" required a commitment that every ship visiting Red Hook was shore power capable, and every ship plugged in. NYCEDC doesn't seem to want to hold @CarnivalPLC to that commitment.

Taxpayers paid for the shore power system. @EPA and @PANYNJ committed funds to the system. @NYPAenergy energy supplies the electricity, and the City is *subsidizing* the rate of that the cruise company pays. It's time for NYC to *require* that every ship connects to shore power.

As I wrote back in 2013, "The sad fact is this plan in Brooklyn should only be the first, small (easy!) step in implementing the use of shore power throughout the Ports of New York and New Jersey, to be used by all kinds of ships - cruise and container." aviewfromthehook.com/2013/12/friend…

Maybe the story today will help push our city, state and region towards taking steps to rid our air of this dangerous ship pollution and encourage the transition to a zero emissions transportation future. For the sake of our health and our planet, I hope that happens soon. END/

Correct link for April 2016 blog post: aviewfromthehook.com/2016/04/