Public Lab Research note


Oil Terminal Monitoring - Newburgh (NY)

by joshuaflux | September 08, 2014 16:43 08 Sep 16:43 | #11117 | #11117

Oil-soaked-wetlands-Aliceville-Ala-11-2013-spill-Bakken-crude-oil-train-derailment-Photo-JohnWathen-HurricaneCreekkeeper.jpg

photo credit Wigwam, from http://wigwameconomy.com/oil-terminal-across-from-beacon-seeks-expansion/

What I want to do

Monitor the Global Partners site along the Hudson River on the border of New Windsor and Newburgh where Bakken shale is currently being processed. Prevent this site from being expanded with boilers for processing Canadian Tar Sands.

Location and operation details

The parcel is just over the border of the Newburgh-New Windsor tax line, so that it is technically in New Windsor; however, this project is closer to more Newburgh residents than those from New Windsor. Newburgh (where I'm from) is a poverty-stricken City. A freight rail line runs here along the west side of the Hudson River, carrying Bakken crude oil from North Dakota. One or two highly explosive 100-car unit trains per day arrive, each carrying 30,000 gallons of oil. If given the opportunity to expand, it will double the Bakken processing and introduce tar sands processing by way of both rail and barge on the Hudson River!

Stakeholders

  • Beacon's "node" center
  • Newburgh's Quassaick Creek Alliance
  • Riverkeeper
  • Clearwater

My attempt and results

I want to set up community monitoring of this site to contribute to environmental justice advocacy.

Questions and next steps

  • access issues with the actual parcel--there is fencing around three sides of the property, and you can only access it from the Hudson River. If you are on the river, you can get very close (within several feet).
  • where will we show the data we create?

Why I'm interested

This is my hometown and I care about a healthy Hudson Valley.

Further background

link: http://wigwameconomy.com/oil-terminal-across-from-beacon-seeks-expansion


2 Comments

@joshuaflux , does node have boats that can cross from Beacon to the other side of the Hudson to photograph this site?

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we can get access to kayaks, canoes, and potentially a sailboat.

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