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EPA Giving More Money To Help Protect Long Island Sound
It's the highest amount the government has ever put forward to protecting the North Shore's most important natural resource.
patch.com
From the Patch, 3/7/19
“EPA Giving More Money To Help Protect Long Island Sound
It's the highest amount the government has ever put forward to protecting the North Shore's most important natural resource.
By Alex Costello, Patch Staff | Mar 7, 2019 11:30 am ET
The EPA is giving more money than ever before to help protect the Long Island Sound. (Patch)
U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the just-passed federal spending bill includes $14 million to fund the Environmental Protection Agency's Long Island Sound program, an increase of $2 million from the year prior. This is the highest level of funding for the LI Sound program in 26 years.
"The Long Island Sound is a natural treasure and an economic engine for the whole region that draws families, boaters, tourists and anglers to our shores," Schumer said. "Securing $14 million in federal funds will allow us to keep a focus on restoring and protecting the beaches and waters in and around the sound."
With more than 23 million people living within 50 miles of the sound, it is a major contributor of economic development and a source of recreation for residents and visitors alike. According to the Long Island Sound Study, the annual economic value of the sound is approximately $8.9 billion. The Long Island Sound is also home to more than 120 species of fish, which contribute to New York's commercial and recreational fishing industries.
"The Long Island Sound is one of our most important natural treasures and a vital economic anchor," said Gillibrand. "I'm very pleased that the recently passed federal spending bill includes $14 million to help preserve the long-term health of the sound. This investment will build upon ongoing efforts to protect the sound and will help ensure that Long Island residents and tourists can enjoy this natural resource for generations to come."
In 1985, the EPA, in agreement with New York and Connecticut, created the Long Island Sound Study (LISS), an office under the EPA charged with advancing efforts to restore the sound and address low oxygen levels and nitrogen levels that have depleted fish and shellfish populations as well as hurt shoreline wetlands. In 1990, the Long Island Sound Improvement Act passed, providing federal dollars to advance cleanup projects, including wastewater treatment improvements.
In 2006, identifying the need for increased stakeholder participation and the need to focus on coastal restoration and improved public access and education, Congress passed the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act, which provided federal dollars for projects to restore the coastal habitat to help revitalize the wildlife population and coastal wetlands and plant life.”
