Earlier today on a freezing street corner in Red Hook with the Queen Mary 2 in the distance, elected officials, local residents and community leaders rallied together, armed with political power and protected by face masks. They are calling for shore power, again.

"It's time for the cruise ship terminal to stop choking Brooklyn," said State Senator Daniel Squadron."There's a simple solution, it's called shore power."

Each cruise ship that docks in the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook idles while it is in the port. The ships are powered by diesel fuel, a known pollutant that can cause asthma and other diseases. Connecting the ships to shore power would plug them into the cleaner energy grid that all of New York City runs on.

Shore power is a common practice in many ports around the world.

The problem is not that city agencies don't want shore power -- in fact all parties pledged support in 2009. The problem is with how long it is taking the agencies to strike a deal on maintenance and operating costs. 

Shore power requires an agreement between The New York City Economic Development Corporation (which operates the cruise terminal), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the New York Power Authority, Con-Ed and Carnival Cruise Lines.

According to officials, the Port Authority and the Environmental Protection Agency have already committed $15 million for infrastructure adjustments and Carnival has committed to retrofit their ships, which costs $1 - 2 million per ship. 

The time has come to stop the delay, officials said.

"It's time to make it happen," said Squadron.

To show solidarity, elected officials from both city, state and federal government rallied for shore power today, including U.S. Representative Nydia Velazquez, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery and City Councilmembers Brad Lander and Stephen Levin.

Velazquez was quick to point out that with the new Republican controlled congress, it's not a far leap to imagine money already designated for certain projects, like shore power in Brooklyn, being taken back from those that never get off the ground.

Velazquez also said Carnival needs to realize it's going to be spending more money.

"Carnival needs to understand it's not only about the bottom line," she said. "But also what works for the community."

Cruise ships started docking in Red Hook in 2006. The neighborhood wasn't opposed to the ships docking, said Lander, adding that the surrounding neighborhoods and local residents are interested in a working Brooklyn waterfront.

But now, after two years of waiting for the conversion to shore power, residents and officials are starting to get fed up.

"It's long enough that the ships are idling, and the negotiations are idling," said Lander.

"This is an issue that affects all of Brooklyn and all of New York City," said Norman Cox, President of the Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association. "It's mystifying to us why such a simple and obvious thing has taken so long."