U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is pushing for vote on critical bill that will allow construction of Staten Island Seawall to finally move forward.
Last Sunday, the senator made a public push to – at long last – defeat a bureaucratic boondoggle threatening the construction of the Staten Island Seawall.
Schumer called U.S. Senate Majority leader, Mitch McConnell, to bring a legislative lands package to the floor of the Senate for a vote that will allow the National Park Service (NPS) to grant an easement to New York City for access to land so they can perform maintenance and general operation controls at the Staten Island Seawall.
“ We are ready to tear down the wall of federal bureaucracy and get to work on building the Seawall Staten Island needs, but first we need the Senate to vote on the legislative fix, and so, we are here today to make a public push to get it done, ” said U.S. Senator Charles Schume r. “ This legislative fix will force the National Park Service to grant the Army Corps and New York City the site access needed to officially construct and maintain the seawall, but we’ve got to bring it to a vote so this can all happen, and happen fast .”
USACE South Shore Seawall project, which stretches from Fort Wadsworth to Oakwood Beach, includes a buried seawall with a raised promenade through the Miller Army Airfield Historic District, which is under the control of the National Park Service (NPS) as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.
After the project’s completion, New York City must retain access to the entire seawall, including at Miller Field, for the purposes of operation and maintenance. In the 2016 Project Feasibility Report, NPS had determined that they will grant an easement to the City for the placement, maintenance, and operation of the seawall but recently, NPS had determined they may not.