Government Briefs 08.23.18

$3 Million for Dredging

Representative Lee Zeldin recently announced that he secured $3 million in federal funding to dredge 2.7 miles of the Long Island Intracoastal Waterway. Over 57,000 cubic yards will be dredged to re-establish its 6-foot depth. The dredging follows emergency dredging of Moriches Inlet, which began on Aug. 15 at a cost of $12.25 million. 

Mr. Zeldin also announced that he has been endorsed for re-election by 17 labor unions,  including police, construction workers, firefighters, carpenters, transport workers, plumbers, and steamfitters. Pat Dolan, president of Steamfitters Local 638, said, “We need a congressman . . . representing us at home, a congressman who will continue the fight for union members.”

Call for Closing Sand Land

Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. has called for closing the Sand Land facility in Noyac, which  has leached iron, manganese, thallium, sodium, nitrate, ammonia, and radioactivity into the groundwater, according to a recent study. The Town of Southampton had already determined that the polluter’s activities are illegal. Referring to the State Department of Environmental Conservation, Mr. Thiele said, “The D.E.C. must get its head out of the sand. No more permits. Shut it down.”

Mr. Thiele also announced that he had received a 100 percent score for votes in the 2018 legislative season from EPL/Environmental Advocates, a statewide organization. The legislation included bills on climate change, renewable energy, and clean air and water, among others. “Our key industries on eastern Long Island cannot thrive without a healthy environment,” he said.