Bishop, Members Of Congress Investigate How To Protect And Restore The Long Island Sound

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10/06/09 -- Washington, DC -- Today, the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing to understand the current state of the Long Island Sound (the Sound), assess the reasons for continued impairments, and consider policy recommendations to achieve full restoration of the Sound. The Long Island Sound is one of the nation’s largest and most diverse estuaries.

Congressman Tim Bishop and other committee members questioned representatives from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, and other groups in order to gauge the effectiveness of current legislation to protect the Sound as well as the need for further funding and legislation.

“The Long Island Sound and its watershed have sustained New York and Connecticut communities for hundreds of years. Businesses dependent on the health and viability of the Sound account for an estimated $5.5 billion in economic activity annually,” said Bishop, a member of the committee. “However, as our region has grown, so has the degradation of our precious water resources. If we allow the Sound to further deteriorate, the very nature of what makes eastern Long Island the destination for so many will also deteriorate and will be very difficult if not impossible to rebuild.”

“Much progress has been accomplished for the preservation of the Sound, but we still have much to do,” said one of the witnesses, Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “The partnership and leadership of the federal government, agencies and our Congressional leaders have all added to the preservation of the Sound, and we look forward to collaborated and coordinated efforts for years to come.”

The hearing addressed the state of the Long Island Sound and current efforts to protect and restore its ecosystem. The Long Island Sound Study is a Clean Water Act section 320 National Estuary Program, and is the coordinating body for these efforts. Additionally, the Study has separate program authorization and additional funding under section 119 of the Clean Water Act. EPA funds and administers the Long Island Sound Study and operates a Long Island Sound program office to coordinate the restoration efforts between itself, the States of New York and Connecticut, and various interest groups and stakeholders in the region. The Long Island Sound Study completed a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan in 1994, which identified seven issue areas that must be addressed to achieve complete restoration of the Sound: low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia); toxic contamination; pathogen contamination; floatable debris; habitat management; land use and development; and public education.

Source: Congressman Tim Bishop