REMARKS
Council Member Amanda Farias Opens Hearing on Shore Power Expansion
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4 min
Council Member Amanda Farias, chairing the Committee on Economic Development, opens the hearing focused on expanding shore power capacity at NYC's cruise ship terminals. She acknowledges the attendance of key stakeholders and outlines the environmental and economic benefits of shore power. The hearing will assess existing infrastructure and plans for universal shore power at cruise terminals, alongside discussing Introduction Number 4-2024 by Council Member Alexa Aviles, aimed at mandating shore power use and community impact mitigation.
Speaker 1
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Good morning, and welcome to this hearing of the New York City Council's Committee on Economic development.
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My name is Amanda Ferrios, and I have the privilege of chairing this committee.
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I would like to extend my thanks to the members of the committee who are here with us today recognizing council members Riley, Batcher, and ambulance, the administration, the New York City Economics Development Corporation, industry representatives and other stakeholders for coming together for this important hearing.
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This hearing will examine options to expand shore power capacity at New York City's cruise ship terminals.
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Installing infrastructure for ships to plug into clean electrical power while docked provides tremendous environmental benefits for port communities while simultaneously enshrining New York status as a prime global cruise destination.
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The COVID 19 pandemic severely disrupted the cruise industry and broader tourism economy.
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But cruise activity has been rebounding swiftly with over 1,300,000 cruise tours who contributed over $420,000,000 to the city's economy last year alone.
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Investing now in sustainable technologies like shore power at city cruise terminals will pay dividends as passengers as passenger volume continues growing over the long term.
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Our city has traditionally been a leader in this space.
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The Brooklyn cruise terminal was the 1st East Coast facility equipped for shoreside electrical connection back in 2016.
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Yet, Its usage remains low among ship docking in Brooklyn and significant potential for shore power remains.
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Up grading more terminal births with plug in capacity at the Brooklyn terminal and as part of a broader port redevelopment efforts at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal will lead to significant emissions emission reductions for the entire city.
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It will also demonstrate New York's commitment to the and sustainability of shoreline neighborhoods like Redhook And Midtown West.
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Today's hearing will assess the utilization of existing shore power infrastructure.
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As well as the Economic Development Corporation's plans to make sure Power Universal at New York's cruise terminals.
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We want to support our vibrant tourism community economy while protecting surrounding communities from cruise ship pollution.
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We and the committee see an opportunity to marry strategic policy with capital investment into clean port technologies in order to achieve both of these goals.
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We look forward to an informative discussion with the administration today on the progress of Sherpa hour.
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Additionally, today's hearing will consider introduction number 4, 2024, sponsored by council member, Alexa Avilas.
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This bill would mandate cruise ship terminals to utilize available shore power connections at city terminals as well as require community impact mitigation plans addressing increased traffic and pollution from cruise passengers disembarking at the city's ports enacting these sure power requirements into law rather than just voluntary port policy would improve emissions, reductions, and neighborhood sustainability around our 2 major cruise hubs.
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As we examine legislation that would codify shore power standards, it's important to consider progress in other major ports nationally and worldwide.
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American cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, and Miami have already made shore power systems a normal part of their expanded cruise terminals.
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Meanwhile, global port cities like Hamburg, Copenhagen, Busan, South Korea are setting robust targets for a 100% port electrification by 2040.
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New York's cruise industry suffered during the pandemic, but activity is rapidly returning.
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Now is the time to install critical clean technologies enabling continued growth while benefiting the city's waterfront communities.
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We cannot rest on past environmental achievements if we want New York to remain competitive in the cruise market.
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Expanding or power represents a vital step towards cementing New York's position as the greenest and most equitable major cruise hub on the East Coast.
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Before we begin, I'd like to remind all those present today to please maintain decorum throughout the hearing.
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If you're here to testify, You will have 3 minutes to speak while your name is called.
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Please keep responses concise so that everyone has a chance to be heard.
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If you are unable to finish, please submit your complete written testimony to test the money at counsel.nyc.gov.
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Finally, I would like to thank the economic development team here at the council, senior council, Alex Palinoff, senior policy analyst William Hengage and finance analyst, Glenmark Saloni, for all their hard work preparing for this hearing.
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I will now turn the floor over to council member, Abueles.
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For opening remarks on her bill.