Letter to Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture - Provide Additional Federal Funds for Bluebelt

Letter

Dear Secretary Vilsack:

I am writing you today to express my strong support for New York City's request for critical funding from the round two of the Emergency Watershed Protection Program--Floodplain Easement (EWP--FPE) which will restore the New Creek Riparian Corridor, Last Chance Pond, and Boundary Avenue and in the New Creek, as part of the City's larger Bluebelt program. This funding has been requested as a result of the devastation and serious flooding from Superstorm Sandy in 2012. This unprecedented storm resulted in major property damage and loss of life in and around the Midland Beach section of Staten Island where these projects are located. The proposed projects represent an opportunity to not only address serious long term flooding issues, but also to help the victims of Staten Island rebuild their community in a more resilient and sustainable manner.

The restoration and expansion of the Bluebelt program in the Midland Beach neighborhood of Staten Island will allow for damaged and degraded stream corridors and wetlands to be returned to a natural ecological state, all while providing flood mitigation to the surrounding community. The need for these projects extends beyond just the damage caused by Sandy, as approximately eighty percent of streets in and around the project area regularly flood. The project will limit the risk of harm to people by setting aside large areas for wetlands. Additionally, it will reduce chronic flooding by allowing the surrounding area to drain more rapidly into dedicated areas naturally designed to handle flood water, such as wetlands. Much of the flooding issues in and around the project area are a result of the loss of the region's freshwater and tidal wetlands. Unfortunately, much of these lands have been over taken by an invasive species Phragmites australis and these projects offer a unique opportunity to remove the phragmites and restore the land to natural ecological conditions, ranging from open water to upland forests. Additionally, the proposed projects leverage previous USDA and local investments in the larger Bluebelt network, which aims to make Staten Island more resilient to flooding through an environmentally beneficial approach.

I am aware that difficult choices must be made in allocating federal resources, but as we have learned from Superstorm Sandy, we cannot ignore or shortchange infrastructure projects that build stronger and more resilient communities. As you know, the Sandy Supplemental Appropriations bill included $180 million dollars for EWP projects. I ask that you consider the great importance of these requests for a community which has suffered so much in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. I thank you for your attention to this important matter and look forward to working with you and the community of Staten Island.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer

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