Congressman Pat Ryan and Hudson Valley environmental advocates gathered last week to celebrate the enactment of legislation that permanently bans additional commercial barge anchorages on the Hudson River.

The Hudson River Protection Act, first introduced by Ryan in 2023, was included in the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law.

Ryan said the law represents the culmination of years of advocacy by local residents, environmental organizations and elected officials seeking to protect the Hudson River and the communities that rely on it for drinking water.

“The Hudson is more than a river — it’s the lifeblood and the heartbeat of our community,” Ryan said. “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.”

Ryan introduced the legislation after the U.S. Coast Guard issued a Marine Safety Information Bulletin in 2023 signaling a potential change in longstanding protections against commercial vessels anchoring in the Hudson.

Ryan, along with Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson and the Hudson 7, subsequently pressed the Coast Guard to maintain the restrictions. Following public opposition, the Coast Guard temporarily paused its plans in November 2023, although Ryan and environmental advocates continued to push for permanent protections.

The Hudson River is the drinking water source for more than 100,000 people in the Hudson Valley, according to Ryan’s office. Five water treatment plants in Dutchess and Ulster counties draw directly from the river, serving communities including Rhinebeck, Esopus, Lloyd, Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie.

“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,” said Rhinebeck Mayor Gary Bassett, chairman of the Hudson 7. “Protecting this shared resource requires regional cooperation and strong federal leadership.”

Ryan and environmental groups have raised concerns about the potential for barges carrying crude oil, asphalt and other hazardous materials to pollute the river or create risks to drinking-water supplies in the event of a spill.

The Hudson and its connected waters are also home to more than 200 species of fish and provide spawning and nursery habitat for striped bass, shad and herring. Environmental advocates have said anchoring could damage river-bottom habitat and interfere with restoration efforts for endangered species.

Riverkeeper Associate Director of Government Affairs Jeremy Cherson said the legislation was the result of nearly a decade of advocacy by the organization and thousands of New Yorkers.

“This law honors that persistence by safeguarding critical habitat, protecting drinking water for more than 100,000 people, and making clear that the Hudson is not a place for industrial exploitation,” Cherson said.

Andy Bicking, director of Ulster County’s Department of Environment, said the county supports the legislation and noted that more than 9,000 Ulster County residents obtain their drinking water from the Hudson.

Scenic Hudson Government Relations Manager Carli Fraccarolli said the legislation will prevent efforts to establish new anchorages on the upper Hudson.

“Scenic Hudson is proud to have partnered with Congressman Ryan to finally put an end to this threat,” Fraccarolli said.

The legislation does not end all commercial vessel traffic on the Hudson. Rather, it permanently bars the establishment of additional commercial vessel anchorages covered by the law.

The Coast Guard is separately reviewing public comments as it finalizes its own rulemaking concerning new anchorages along the Hudson River.