This week, Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx), Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, was joined by advocates from Riverkeeper, Guardians of Flushing Bay, and Friends of Flushing Creek, at a press conference to call on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite the removal process of two abandoned barges that are not only contaminating the waterway but posing a safety hazard for vessels navigating the federal navigational channel in Flushing Bay.
“Flushing Bay has historically been and continues to be a critically important waterway for New York,” said Rep. Crowley. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs to recognize the urgency of this matter and act to immediately remove these derelict barges from our bay. They are not just an eyesore for our community. More importantly, they are polluting our waters and creating an immediate safety hazard for the commercial, recreational and law enforcement ships that operate through the bay.”
“We’re honored to be standing alongside the congressman and local community leaders in calling for the immediate removal of these illegally abandoned barges,” said Sean Dixon, staff attorney for Riverkeeper. “Whoever dumped these vessels in Flushing Bay created not just a navigation hazard, but an ongoing environmental threat and must be held accountable for both. As the citizens, businesses, and communities around Flushing Bay work to restore the waters, bring back tourism, and reinvest in clean water economies, environmental crimes like the abandonment of these barges have no place in our shared future – at the same time, we cannot let federal agencies wait as long as they have here, 11 months and counting, to protect and patrol our waterways.”
At the event, held at the World’s Fair Marina, Crowley also called for a federal investigation to determine the bad actor responsible for abandoning the barges in the first place. For months, the barges have drifted around the bay and as they continue to decay, they release blocks of styrofoam and other materials into the water polluting not just the bay itself, but the nearby shores.
“Flushing Bay is our home. It’s home to a community of paddlers in the sport of dragon boat,” said Randy Ng, DCH Dragon Boating Team coach and member of Guardians of Flushing Bay. “The derelict barges pose an environmental and health threat to the community. The waste that comes from these barges affects over 200 high school students who use it. It also is a health threat to a Breast Cancer Survivor dragon boat group whose program is to support each other through a life traumatic experience. We, the Guardians of Flushing Bay, have taken responsibility to protect and clean Flushing Bay, but we are asking for help at a task that is beyond our ability.”
In a letter<http://crowley.house.
“While I will continue to call on the proper federal authorities to conduct an investigation to determine who perpetrated this act and hold that party accountable, I ask that the Army Corps of Engineers act quickly to remove these barges from the water. Any further delays only make it more likely that this problem worsens and its solution gets costlier,” wrote Crowley.
“We welcome and appreciate Congressman Crowley’s leadership in working with environmental champions including Riverkeeper and our local stakeholder groups to remove the abandoned barge and its contaminants from Flushing Bay,” said Alex Rosa, Friends of Flushing Creek advocate. “We look forward to the Army Corps of Engineers bringing their expertise and know-how to safely remove the barge before additional storms bring further damage to the barge and additional release of its environmental contaminates into our local waterway.”
Congressman Crowley is the nine-term representative from the 14th Congressional District of New York, which includes sections of Queens and the Bronx. He is a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and serves as Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus in the House of Representatives.
