Senators Call For Federal Aid In Preserving Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound is home to nearly 8 million people, with more than 23 million living within 50 miles of it, which is why Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., are asking for more funding to maintain it.

According to a press release issued by Blumenthal’s office, the group issued a statement to the Senate leaders of the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies asking for at least $10 million to fund the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) program dedicated to caring for the Sound.

“More than merely a source of natural beauty, Long Island Sound is home to a rich and diverse array of wildlife, and the foundation for hundreds of jobs in the tourism, shellfish, manufacturing, and maritime industries,” Blumenthal said, adding that the quality of its water as well as “shore restoration investments are vital to preserve and protect the Sound’s pristine beauty and economic vitality for future generations.”

According to Murphy, the Sound is a source of billions of dollars annually for Connecticut for its role in sport fishery and as both a recreational resource and “richly productive” wildlife habitat.

Gillibrand further argues that during “these tough economic times, the Sound provides an opportunity to promote economic growth,” assuring that she is committed to taking the necessary steps to improve its health.

According to Adrienne Esposito, the director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, caring for the Sound “is a necessity, not a luxury item” as restoration of the system “allows us to keep existing jobs that maintain our maritime culture and brings new jobs that spur our regional economy.”

The senators also note in the press release that, since 2006, for every dollar in funding provided by the EPA, $70 were leveraged from other sources.

In all, more than $2.4 billion has been raised to in the restoration and protection of Long Island sound.

Historically, in 1985 the EPA created an office charged with aiding the Sound called the Long Island Sound Study. In 1990, the Long Island Sound Improvement Act, which provided federal funding to advance Sound cleanup projects, was passed. In 2006, Congress passed the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act, combining two separate authorizations through 2016 at $325 million over five years in order to revitalize the wildlife population and coastal wetlands and plant life.