Schumer, Skelos & Weisenberg: Red Tape Stalling Jones Inlet Dredging - Army Corps & Dec Must Act Now To Address Safety Issues, Head-Off Further Erosio

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Schumer, Skelos & Weisenberg: Red Tape Stalling Jones Inlet Dredging - Army Corps & Dec Must Act Now To Address Safety Issues, Head-Off Further Erosion

With Jones Inlet long overdue for dredging, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, State Senator Dean Skelos and State Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg today called on the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to immediately settle on a plan of action to dredge the inlet, tackle worsening erosion, and safeguard the many homes, boaters, fisherman, emergency responders and beaches that rely on the environmental stability of the inlet and Point Lookout.

"An undredged Jones Inlet jeopardizes the safety of boaters and fishermen while leaving the Town of Hempstead's beaches vulnerable to severe storm damage," Schumer said today. "Thanks to the work of Senator Skelos and Assemblymember Weisenberg, we have the money to dredge the inlet, all we need is the Army Corps and DEC to do their job as soon as possible. Without their cooperation, the Hempstead community will continue to be at risk of escalating and imminent threats during this year's storm season."

"The Army Corps of Engineers and the state DEC have spent nearly a year working on the details of this project and residents of Point Lookout deserve immediate action," said Skelos. "The funding is available, the agreement has been negotiated and any further delay is unacceptable. The Army Corps and the DEC must finalize this agreement as soon as possible to ensure that the beach replenishment is completed before any further damage is done. The time for excuses is over."

Weisenberg added: "It is imperative that this project move forward immediately. The lives and property of the people of Point Lookout are at risk. Let's prevent a tragedy."

The supplemental 2006 NY budget adopted provided $25.2 million in funding designated for the Long Beach Barrier Island Storm Damage Reduction Project, and to alternative beach erosion measures in Point Lookout and Lido Beach, with $7.6 million set aside to dredge Jones Inlet. Senator Skelos and Assemblyman Weisenberg proposed that the state pay the entire cost of the dredging project with the federal government repaying its share when the federal budget is resolved. This would allow the dredging project - which would take six weeks to two months to complete - to begin as soon as possible.

However, despite an expectation that the project would start in October of 2006, nearly one year has passed and the ACOE and DEC have still failed to reach an accord that would allow the project to proceed expeditiously. Since the Endangered Species Act requires that the dredging may only proceed during the period October 1st to March 1st, it is imperative that the dredging and erosion protection begin no later than October 1st of this year in order to protect the area during the Nor'easter season.

"This wait-and-see approach is misguided, irresponsible and potentially dangerous. It must be replaced with a can-do approach defined by the DEC and ACOE swinging into action," said Senator Schumer who has pledged to work with his colleagues to seek all available federal funds for the project.

While the inlet is a federal navigation channel, and therefore under the purview of the ACOE, the DEC has the funding for the project available through money set aside specifically for dredging by the state government. Yet, as the two agencies debate which bears responsibility for the dredging, storm damage as witnessed in the April Nor'easter eat away at Point Lookout and the Town of Hempstead's beaches.

"The Army Corps' and DEC's back and forth must stop. It's time for real action and real results for the people of Hempstead, who have had to live with the fear of the next big storm, while suffering with excuse after excuse from the agencies entrusted with protecting them," said Senator Schumer.

Over the past decade, the inlet has filled with sand, making both the channel perilously shallow and water conditions unpredictable for mariners. A primary concern is also for the safety of thousands of recreational boaters who are either forced to use other water channels or navigate outside Jones Inlet's designated ones, since the water depth has shifted making the official lanes unsafe. According to a deputy commissioner at the DEC, the inlet currently "poses a grave threat to navigation and safety" and the ACOE, which last dredged the inlet in 1995 to a depth of 12 feet and width of 250 feet, readily admits that it should be dredged every four to five years.

The inlet also protects the Town of Hempstead's precious beaches by absorbing the brunt of storms. Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray has been a leader in addressing this issue. It is estimated that by dredging Jones Inlet, approximately half-million cubic yards of sand can be deposited back on the hamlet's three beaches. The sand nourishment will help reverse the relentless erosion negatively affecting the area, and protect residential and commercial property, local business and its economy, the ecosystem and its habitat and recreational interests, as well as Point Lookout.

Schumer has long been an advocate for comprehensive beach erosion protection and a promoter of navigable channels. He has championed, along with fellow delegation members, funding for the Army Corps' Fire Island to Montauk Reformulation Study. He also recently worked with the ACOE to reprogram funding to expedite dredging of the East Rockaway Inlet after a barge carrying home heating oil ran aground in November 2006. In May 2006, Senator Schumer and Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray made a bipartisan push for funding to dredge Jones Inlet, and for an erosion project at Point Lookout.

Skelos and Weisenberg were both instrumental in securing the state funding for dredging Jones Inlet, which they announced in June of last year.

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