Barge parking banned as Hudson River Protection Act passed into law

On Friday, local elected officials gathered at the Poughkeepsie waterfront to celebrate the passage of the Hudson River Protection Act, federal legislation led by Representative Pat Ryan (D-18) to permanently ban harmful, polluting barges from docking in the Hudson River.

“Never again will big corporations be able to turn our river into a parking lot for dangerous barges, polluting the drinking water for 100,000 of our neighbors,” Rep. Pat Ryan said. “The Hudson is more than a river – it’s the lifeblood and the heartbeat of our community.”

“More than 107,000 people in Dutchess and Ulster counties depend on the river for their drinking water, with five treatment plants drawing directly from the Hudson to serve communities including Rhinebeck, Esopus, Lloyd, Hyde Park, and Poughkeepsie,” said Gary Bassett, Mayor of the Village of Rhinebeck and Chair of the Hudson 7, an intermunicipal council representing seven Mid-Hudson municipalities that rely on the Hudson River as a drinking water source. “The river doesn’t follow municipal boundaries. A spill doesn’t stop at a town line, and a flood doesn’t stop at a county line. Protecting this shared resource requires regional cooperation and strong federal leadership.”

“Hudson River Protection Act” was signed into law as part of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

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