Opinion: Red Hook’s call for responsible cruise and EDC oversight

February 9, 2024 The Red Hook Business Alliance

The MCC Meraviglia, seen here docked at Red Hook, carries more than 5,600 passengers. Eagle photo by Mary Frost

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Red Hook’s vibrant mixed-industry, working waterfront economy often stands at the crossroads of opportunity and crisis. Now, New York City’s haphazardly executed surge in cruise ship dockings, combined with the neglect of the cruise terminal, port infrastructure and the absence of planning for traffic or tourism, has dropped a mess of toxins and traffic on Red Hook’s residents and small business economy.

The arrival of the MSC Meraviglia in April 2023, which carries more than 5,600 passengers, brought hours of gridlock resulting in bus rerouting, ambulances driving on the sidewalk and unsafe walking and biking conditions. These conditions repeat every time the MSC Meraviglia docks. Hours of community meetings with the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) in the aftermath exposed critical flaws in planning and oversight of Red Hook’s waterfront resources by the EDC. After almost two decades of poorly managed cruise programming, enforcement and accountability are needed.

The EDC estimate for the economic impact of cruises in NYC is $420 million per year. We estimate that a fraction of 1% comes to Red Hook businesses. Financial gains go directly into Manhattan or are scooped up as part of the port contract itself.

Despite that income, there has been little to no reinvestment into Red Hook’s critical port infrastructure, even though port contracts promise it, and city funds have been specifically allocated to it. Meanwhile, Red Hook residents and businesses contend with congested roads, delayed public transport and harmful emissions during each cruise ship docking. Data from NYU Langone Health underscores the blatant disregard for this community, revealing that NYCHA residents in Red Hook face an asthma rate three times higher than the NYC average.

The EDC takes center stage in this crisis, and its 2023 “community agreement” with the cruise industry — which did not involve any community input and walks back promises made to the community — leaves little doubt that their continued management means these problems will continue to burden Red Hook.

The EDC’s lack of accountability and dishonest communication is a historical pattern. The Red Hook community fought for years for shore power (the use of a shore-side electrical hookup to power ships that are at berth, enabling the ship’s engines to be shut down and cutting down on toxic fumes).

Then, following Mayor Bloomberg’s announcement of shore power in 2011, it took five years to implement it, and there was never a requirement for ships to use it. In 2017, the EDC signed a new operations agreement with Ports America announcing a zero-emissions requirement, but without any enforcement provision. To date, very few ships plug in, and many are unable to due to the design of the system.

As part of the 2017 agreement, the EDC also announced $15 million of investment in the Red Hook terminal. Then-Borough President Eric Adams called it, along with a $2.2 million pledge from his office, “a game-changer for economic development in Red Hook and our entire waterfront, as well as the complementary impact it will have on businesses and cultural institutions across our borough.” The money was not invested in Red Hook, and in February 2023, the EDC transferred nearly all the promised $15 million to Manhattan to update the cruise terminal there.

The EDC’s attempt to appease neighborhood concerns with a community fund of $1 per passenger funded by cruise companies — while not reallocating any of the already promised investment into Red Hook — is inadequate and insulting. The EDC has refused all requests to make their latest deal with cruise companies publicly available. In their joint announcement with cruise companies, their description of the agreement puts cruise companies in control, saying that they will “reduce emissions where commercially and operationally feasible.” It describes no true protections or measured economic impact for Red Hook.

After nearly two decades of cruise landings in Red Hook, the EDC cannot be allowed to continue creating agreements or accepting investments on behalf of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal without City Council oversight or legislation. The city’s precious working waterfront in Red Hook and the Red Hook community, our small businesses, and job seekers deserve better and now require formal protections codified by law.

Councilmembers Alexa Aviles’ and Eric Bottcher’s proposed bill, Intro 0004, Our Water Our Air, is a step towards this accountability and protection. It requires all idling cruise ships to use the city’s electrical grid. The bill also requires comprehensive plans addressing increased traffic, noise, and pollution associated with cruise terminals, reflecting a commitment to a balanced approach between economic growth and environmental responsibility.

Intro 0004’s hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 13 marks a pivotal moment in the quest for a responsible cruise industry and City Council input on EDC agreements. Beyond Red Hook, it’s a beacon for a future where economic growth harmonizes with environmental and community health.