Selection of Statue of Liberty Ferry Company Causes Concern

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National Park Service awards contract to Hornblower Yachts, which has a record of environmental delays with its Alcatraz ferries in San Francisco; New York contract is still subject to congressional review

NEW YORK–The National Park Service announced today that it plans to award a 10-year concessions contract to Hornblower Yachts to provide ferry service to the Statue of Liberty. Friends of the Earth Clean Vessels Campaign Director Teri Shore issued the following statement in response:

“This contract could be bad news for New York. On the Alcatraz Island route in San Francisco Bay, Hornblower Yachts is months behind schedule on installing air pollution controls on its primary diesel vessels and it’s also behind on plans to introduce a new hybrid solar-and-wind powered vessel–a commitment that helped the company win its National Park Service contract. Neither the ferry operator nor the National Park Service has responded to requests from Friends of the Earth, which supported Hornblower’s Alcatraz bid, for progress reports or timelines for meeting environmental measures spelled out in the contract.

“Due to these concessionaire delays and lack of action by NPS, we urge Congress to ensure that the new Statute of Liberty and Ellis Island contract with Hornblower Yachts stipulates specific timelines, public oversight and financial penalties if the operator fails to meet its contractual commitments. The performance of the operator on Alcatraz Island should be considered before Congress gives its approval for New York.”

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