Statement from Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

“Today, the International St. Lawrence River Board of Control decided to temporarily postpone the salvage operations of two sunken tugboats downstream of the Robert Moses Dam – operations that would have otherwise forced the cancellation of the upcoming Bassmaster Elite Series competition in the Village of Waddington. The Bassmaster competition is poised to attract more than 30,000 visitors to the region and generate up to $3.8 million for the local economy, so it is essential that the competition go on as planned, and our administration lobbied heavily alongside multiple partners in government to ensure that the competition would not be disrupted.

“I would like to thank everyone who worked tirelessly with our administration over the last 24 hours to reschedule these salvage operations. This includes the representatives of the U.S. State Department, the Canadian Government, the U.S. Army Corps, U.S.-Canada International Joint Commission, the International St. Lawrence River Board of Control, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, NCREDC Co-Chair Garry Douglas, Village of Waddington Mayor Janet Otto-Cassada, Town of Waddington Supervisor Sandra Wright, and the Bassmasters Team. Because of our collaborative work, the Bassmasters will go on as planned, and I encourage people to visit St. Lawrence County for this great competition.”