In response to a tour boat tragedy that left one person dead in an underwater water tunnel off the Erie Canal, governor Kathy Hochul stated on Friday that she wants the state to have regulatory power over boats that operate in caverns and similar waterways.
According to Hochul’s office, the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation controls commercial boats, but it lacks the jurisdiction to examine those using non-navigable waterways, such as those in the privately owned Lockport Cave.
According to her office, the Democrat will put forward legislation to bridge that gap.
Earlier this week, a flat-bottom boat carrying 29 people capsized while navigating the ancient system of man-made caverns in western New York, resulting in the death of a 65-year-old man and the hospitalization of over a dozen other passengers, most of whom had only minor wounds.
A human services organization acknowledged that a similar occurrence had happened on a client and staff outing in 2015 following the disaster on June 12 at the Lockport Cave.
“As we mourn the loss of life resulting from the boat crash in the Lockport Caves, my administration is proposing legislation to prevent future tragedies,” Hochul said in a statement.
“The Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation has the tools to keep us safe, and this legislation will ensure they have the legal authority to use these to keep passengers safe on boats in caves.”
JOIN US ON WHAT'SAPP, TO GET INSTANT STATUS UPDATES AND BE IN THE KNOW.
CLICK HERE
