U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy urged Senate leaders of the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies yesterday to fund the Environmental Protection Agency’s Long Island Sound program for Fiscal Year 2017.
The Senators are requesting $10 million in federal funding for FY17 to facilitate habitat restoration projects, water quality projects and water quality monitoring.
“This measure helps to protect one of our nation’s most precious environmental treasures, ” said Senator Blumenthal.
“Such much-needed funding will help restore, preserve and enhance the Sound, ensuring it can continue to play a key role in our state and region’s environmental and economic future for generations to come.”
The Senators in their joint letter explained this federal funding through the Environmental Protection Agency is critical to the regional economies and the quality of the environment.
The Long Island Sound is one of 28 estuaries included in the National Estuary Program, and 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.
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