Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Steve Israel and Nita Lowey have announced that $10 million in funding for Long Island Sound was included in the Fiscal Year 2017 Department of Interior, Environment and Related Agencies appropriations bill.
The nearly $6.1 million increase in funding for Fiscal Year 2017 will be used for projects to improve water quality, habitat restoration and water quality monitoring to improve the health of Long Island Sound.
“The Long Island Sound is a national treasure with a significant ecological and economic value, contributing at least $9.4 billion to the regional economy from commercial and recreational fishing, ecotourism and other water dependent businesses, ” said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.
“The $10 million provided in the 2017 budget bill, which I have fought to secure for a number of years, will ensure that the Sound remains a life-sustaining piece of our environment and our economy for generations to come.”
Federal funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Long Island Sound Geographic Program is vital to the regional economy, environment and the communities that rely on it.
According to the Long Island Sound Study, the Sound alone directly contributes $9.4 billion to the regional economy each year and provides between $17 billion and $37 billion in economic value each year.
The funding bill passed the Appropriations Committee and must now be passed by the full House and Senate and signed by the President before becoming law.
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