Red Hook Star-Revue, September 2016

Page 19

Shore Power System operational, but not yet in use; Congresswoman seeks explanation by Noah Phillips

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he Shore Power System at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal has not yet been handed over to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) for use, despite a statement by the Port Authority that the handover was targeted for August.

Sources at EDC confirm that the system is operational and that most ships that make port calls at the BCT have been configured to plug into the system. However, certain “cosmetic” details have yet to be resolved, such as installing fans and stairs at the facility. EDC is hopeful that the Shore Power System (SPS) will be used for the September 8 birthing of the Queen Mary 2. “The outstanding items impacting official turnover from the PA have nothing to do with the functionality and operation of the system for future calls,” wrote an EDC source in an email. “Management will be handed over pending final work to the system. There is also a third and final inspection scheduled for Thursday [September 1].” Shore power is a method of reducing port pollution by plugging ships into electrical grids on land, rather than idling their engines by burning fuel. The SPS at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is the first on the U.S. East Coast, and has been in development since 2010.

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Carnival Corporation currently has a preferred birthing contract with EDC. Carnival owns the Queen Mary 2, the Regal Princess, the Crown Princess, and the Caribbean Princess - these four ships will make 44 of the 48 remaining calls at BCT between now and December 31, 2017, when Carnival’s current contract expires. Sources at EDC say that Carnival will likely be the next primary user as well. When the contract expires, the electricity rate as supplied by the NY Power Authority will be renegotiated, and will likely be lower than the current rate of 12 cents per kilowatt hour. None of the three other ships currently scheduled to call at the BCT will be using the SPS. Two of these are small yachts not owned by Carnival. The other is the Aurora, part of Carnival’s P&O line, which will dock twice in September 2017. After the 2017 negotiations EDC will endeavor to keep SPS running, but there is no guarantee. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez sent a letter to EDC on August 20 to clarify the cause of the delay. “I am pleased that the construction of a shore-supplied power (‘shore power’) system at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal appears to have been com-

Photo courtesy of NYC Economic Development Corporation

pleted,” begins the letter. “While we have certainly come a long way, I am concerned about delays in the system's launch. For these reasons, I want to urge you to commence the ‘shore power’ system's operation as soon as possible.” Congresswoman Velazquez cited figures from the Bluewater Network, an environmental advocacy group, equating an idling cruise ship’s emissions to those of 12,400 cars.

“After all the investment in such a system, and having passed tests with the ships outfitted with ‘shore power’ capability, it is a shame that recent port calls by the Queen Mary 2 have not been able to utilize the ‘shore power’ system,” concluded the Congresswoman. “I am hopeful that we can begin the use of the ‘shore power’ system well before this tourist season is over.” As of press time, EDC had not responded to the Congresswoman’s letter.

Red Hook ballfields a leaden mess

n Thursday, August 4, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Parks Department held another meeting at the Miccio Community Center to update the community of remediation of the Red Hook ball fields. They announced the timeline for construction of the fields and the process place before the construction can begin. As part of the investigation of the former Columbia Smelting and Refining Works smelting plant, the EPA sampled soil from the block where the plant once stood as well as many fields in the complex. The results showed lead in the surface soils from the former Columbia facility at elevated levels in ball fields 5-8. These fields contained the highest level of contamination and were the first to be closed. Lead from the Columbia Smelting plant was also found in soils at ball field 9, but the results didn’t show elevated levels of lead in the surface soils. The Parks Department is working with the EPA to perform removal action on fields 5-8. Natalie Loney, who is the community involvement coordinator with the EPA, emphasized that the design will take community input into consideration. The EPA has included more bike racks and perimeter lighting in

Page 20 Red Hook Star-Revue

by Nathan Weiser

their designs as suggested. Gregor, the on-scene coordinator for the remediation at the Red Hook ball fields, said that part of the reason that these fields needed to be closed is that children under six are most sensitive to health effects of lead contamination.

“with a real expectation that we will open for baseball in the spring,” Jeffrey said.

Jeffrey noted that the timeline could not be accelerated.

The EPA sampled the fields from 0-1 feet, 6-12 feet, 12-18 feet and 18-24 feet. Twelve inches of soil will be removed and replaced to eliminate exposure. NYC Parks has finished soliciting requests for proposals and has submitted the work order to the NYC Office of Management and Budget for approval. The contractor has also completed the geotechnical investigation for this phase. Detailed engineering drawings for every area of the site are being made, including layout, storm water management and equipment. As part of the remediation the fields will be elevated 11 inches up from current the 8.45 inches. Kevin Jeffrey, the Brooklyn Parks Commissioner, said that NYC Parks did an aggressive hydro-seed earlier in the summer on baseball fields 1-4 to see if they could be open this year. After modest effects, the Parks Department decided the fields should remain closed. They will hydro-seed again in October and November,

Someone walking through the Red Hook ballfields will find many of them boarded off with wire fences. At this point, the track and ballfield 9, which is between Bay and the Henry Street basin remain open - the other baseball and soccer fields are closed until the lead is removed from the soil beneath them. The four baseball fields between Bay and Lorraine Streets are due to reopen in October of 2018, at which time field 9 will undergo remediation. All the fields except for soccer fields 1,3 and 6 will be reopened in the spring of 2020 - the three remaining fields will take until 2022. Brooklyn Park Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey is hopeful that the four baseball fields close to the Grain Terminal may possibly be used next season, although that is not a given.

www.star-revue.com

September 2016


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