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Cruise Ships Still Choking Brooklyn, Not Plugging In, A Year Later
Almost a year ago, Brooklyn's Red Hook cruise ship terminal was to become the first East Coast cruise operation with the capability to let ships "plug in" and access power off the grid. Now, almost a year later, ships have still not plugged in to cleaner, shore-side electric power and continue to spew fumes.Cruise ships annually bring 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide, 95 tons of nitrous oxide and 6.5 tons of particulate matter when they park and burn their diesel engines.
Last April, Gadling reported that the $15 million project would be funded with $12 million from the Port Authority, nearly $3 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant and Carnival Corporation would spend $4 million to retrofit their Princess Cruises and Cunard Line ships that dock in Brooklyn.
Now, costs have shot up another $4.3 million and the Environmental Protection Agency has not paid the extra money, according to local elected officials.
"It is critical that this project not fall by the wayside," said Rep. Nydia Velasquez (D-Brooklyn) in an article appearing in the New York Daily News.
Apparently, the cruise ships are ready to go but the system is still not in place for them to plug in, even though West Coast cruise terminals have had the ability for quite some time.
"It seems fairly pathetic that all of these things are in place but the Port Authority are twiddling their thumbs," Adam Armstrong, 48, a blogger and father of two who lives on Pioneer Street near the terminal, told the Daily News. "I thought it was quibbling over a small amount of money considering the impact of the emissions on people's health."
Last year, community leaders applauded the move to shore-side power. This year, not so much.
Flickr photo by j_bary
Filed under: North America, United States, Ecotourism, Cruises, Luxury Travel
