“The grounding of a barge carrying 2.5 million gallons of gasoline just below the Rip Van Winkle Bridge makes clear the inherent risks that petroleum transportation poses for our Hudson River Valley and its residents. What if this barge were carrying volatile Bakken crude oil, had sprung a leak or exploded? Thankfully this barge incident appears under control, but it brings home the real environmental, health and safety threats with the increase in oil and gas vessels addressed by our legislation (A6825). This bill would provide NY State expanded authority over the establishment of “tanker avoidance zones” on the state’s navigable waterways to help prevent the very problem we are witnessing today.”