Connecticut and New York, as well as their Congressional delegations, strongly support the CCMP and efforts to restore the Sound and the states will pay billions of dollars over the next 20 years, taking on the primary financial responsibility to restore the Sound. However, because this initiative was born from the National Estuary Program, a federal financial commitment beyond $1 million is necessary. It is important to note that the states of New York and Connecticut are not just looking for a federal hand-out. They are looking for a federal partnership. Consistent with its responsibility in that partnership, Connecticut has developed a plan for reducing the overall cost of the clean-up. Connecticut estimates that their water treatment upgrades could cost up to $900 million over the next 20 years. However, if they are allowed to go forward with a nitrogen trading program where towns that contribute very little nitrogen could buy credits from towns along the Sound who contribute a great deal, the state could save up to $300 million. My legislation will direct the EPA to allow the states to use a nitrogen trading program to fulfill their obligations under the CCMP. The entire state must still meet the same nitrogen levels, but the trading program will help small communities who contribute very little pollution do their part to clean up the Sound. In addition to authorizing a trading program and increasing the authorization level for the Long Island Sound office, my legislation will provide states with the option to give additional help to low income, distressed communities which have slow growth tax bases and would be unable to sustain significant increases in water rates. These communities would be eligible for grant money as well as negative interest loans. It is also important to keep in mind the assistance the federal government has provided to other states as they implement plans to save their estuaries, harbors and lakes. Boston Harbor has received over $840 million to construct the Deer Island Water treatment facility and clean the Harbor; the Great Lakes has received approximately $13 million a year since 1991 and the Chesapeake Bay has received nearly $20 million a year since 1991. Long Island Sound is as important to our nation as these waterbodies. Again, I would like thank the Chairman, Mr. Boehlert, for holding this hearing and for his early support of my proposal. I look forward to working with the Committee as well as my colleagues from NY and CT to ensure that our states receive the financial help they need. National Audubon Society Board of Directors Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff Chairman Oakes Ames Geoffrey Cobb Ryan Diane Baker Treasurer Ginny Fields Secretary John Bierwirth William E. Davis Gladys Goldmann Samuel E Pryor, III National Audubon Society Bedford Capital Region Chemung Valley Great South Bay Hudson River Old Eric Orange County Owasco Valley Saw Mill River Scarsdale South Shore Southern Adirondack St. Lawrence/Adirondack New York LONG ISLAND SOUND RESTORATION ACT A STATEMENT MADE BEFORE THE New York State Office 200 Trillium Lane Albany, NY 12203 518-869-9731 518-869-0737 fax nasnys@audubon.org http://ny.audubon.org/ HOUSE WATER Resources & ENVIRONMENT Sub-commitTEE David J. Miller, Executive Director February 29, 2000 Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on Long Island Sound program needs and in strong support of the Long Island Sound Restoration Act. In addition to being the executive director of the National Audubon Society of New York State, I am also the New York co-chair to the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Long Island Sound Study, chair of Governor Pataki's Long Island Sound Coastal Commission and a founder of the Clean Water/Jobs Coalition (See Appendix A). In over a decade of advocacy and involvement in Long Island Sound issues, I have found that the most pressing need for Long Island Sound is adequate resources from the federal government to match state dollars to get the conservation job done. In the Long Island Sound program, we have spent years developing a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, as well as complementary efforts like the Long Island Sound Habitat Restoration Plan and the State's Open Space Plans for coastal areas. We have a game plan to guide the restoration of the Sound and we are following it. We have a diverse coalition of organizations involved in the clean-up and we have unprecedented funding support from the states. We continue to learn from our conservation actions and modify our plans accordingly. We have built a strong foundation except in the monetary support of our largest partner, the federal government. Today you will hear how the states of Connecticut and New York have stepped up to the plate to address these issues. As the New York co-chair, let me highlight some of those efforts in New York. In 1996, New York State passed a Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act with 200 million dollars dedicated to implementing the Long Island Sound Clean-up Plan. To date, over 80 million dollars have been appropriated for nitrogen removal projects at sewage treatment plants, for non-point pollution control efforts and for specific habitat restoration projects. On February 17th, Governor Pataki announced 50 million dollars worth of projects to accomplish these objectives and the governor has proposed in next year's executive budget an additional 30 million dollars for Long Island Sound clean-up projects. Sullivan County David J. Miller Executive Director AMERICANS COMMITTED TO CONSERVATION Long Island Sound Restoration Act Statement of David J. Miller, Executive Director National Audubon Society of New York State Page 2 of 4 In addition, over 75 million dollars of open space funding was available last year in New York State through the Bond Act and the State's Environmental Protection Fund. Long Island Sound open space and land protection projects are eligible for these funds. We are working with state agencies to protect public access and protect critical habitats as we clean the waters of Long Island Sound. We hope there will also be matching federal funds for this effort under the Land and Water Conservation Fund as outlined in the CARA legislation. Other state funding for Long Island Sound enhancement projects include grants under the State's Coastal Zone Management Plan, as well as the State's Brownfield program. The federal government has become a great cheerleader in all of these efforts, but not much of a player or investor in the solutions to the pollution and open space protection needs of Long Island Sound. New York, as well as Connecticut, has dedicated significant resources to implementing our Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. This plan was developed under the umbrella of the National Estuary Program and much of the funding to coordinate that planning effort (roughly a million dollars a year) continues to come from the federal government. However, the bulk of the funding to implement the clean-up plan, an estimated billion-dollar price tag over the next twenty years, is coming from the two states. The federal government is not providing matching funds to New York's Bond Act, a platform our Clean Water/Jobs Coalition has articulated for a half-dozen years. Today, the answer to that call is the Long Island Sound Restoration Act. If you look across the country, there are numerous ecosystem-based projects where the federal government is a real player and paying a lion's share of clean-up and restoration costs. The Everglades and Chesapeake Bay are prime examples of this investment. Why not Long Island Sound? I grew up on Long Island Sound. It is part of my conservation roots, from marveling at the wonders of hermit crabs and horseshoe crabs alike to enjoying its waters for fishing, swimming, sailing and, yes, bird watching. The critters and people of Long Island Sound deserve the true support of the federal government. With over eight million people along its shores, it is truly a national treasure as well as a national example of coalition building and partnerships to solve some of the most complex ecological problems facing our nation. In the past dozen years, I have dedicated many of my conservation hours to the restoration of the Sound, from Audubon's Listen to the Sound Campaign in 1990 to development of a comprehensive plan for the Sound signed by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner and the states of New York and Connecticut. We have had Governors' Agreements for the Sound clean-up, which in 1996 included not only restoration of its waters but also its habitats. These habitats serve as the ecological kidneys to the entire Long Island Sound ecosystem. We have had bipartisan leadership from our congressional members on legislation in Washington and cooperation among our state legislators and agency heads. Of all of these milestones, the most rewarding is the creation of the Clean Water/Jobs Coalition. Faced with the prospects of 1,200 angry construction workers on one side of a picket Long Island Sound Restoration Act Statement of David J. Miller, Executive Director National Audubon Society of New York State Page 3 of 4 line and two hundred conservationists and environmentalists on the other, Ross Pepe of the Construction Industry Council and I began a process of seeking common ground. We did this on a cold January morning in White Plains, New York, with bull horns, picket signs and media cameras as a backdrop. Our goal was to bring together the diversity of our constituencies to show that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand. The myth of jobs versus the environment has been clearly rejected, when you are talking about the clean-up of Long Island Sound. Today, you will hear testimony of how far we have come to put aside our differences for the common good of the Sound, its people and its economic well being. Today, you see our common agenda, which creates jobs and cleans the Sound's waters, is supported by unions, the construction industry, builders, state and local government officials, conservation and environmental leaders, corporations and, most of all, the citizens of the Sound of which we are all a part. Our coalition platform for action is embodied in the Long Island Sound Restoration Act calling for 80 million dollars a year in federal funds for four years to match the funding commitments of New York and Connecticut - all for the clean-up of Long Island Sound. The Clean Water/Jobs Coalition is a historic effort, which brings together the most diverse interests with a common agenda. This story I speak of today is unparalleled and it serves the very best interest of Congress to become a full partner in this endeavor. The only logical answer to the question, "Why not Long Island Sound?" is that there is no reason NOT to fund Long Island Sound. It is long overdue. If we are going to adequately remove nitrogen from sewage treatment plants, control nonpoint pollution and restore habitats along the Sound, we must have the federal government as a major funding partner. Federal matching dollars at this time will have a synergistic impact on these programs and leverage additional local dollars to get the job done. A momentum has been generated for the Sound, and we must take advantage of it. I repeat, now is the time to invest in Long Island Sound. The economy is good. A plan for action has been developed and has strong support. You have heard of our historic coalition of industry, labor and environmental groups supporting this work, as well as the two states' unprecedented investment toward the Sound's clean up. You have also heard of the support of citizens along its shores, as well as the needs of the birds and marine life in its waters. We need the full support of Congress to pass the Long Island Sound Restoration Act and to help us make the federal government a full partner. When I think of all of the conservation and restoration programs the federal government does embrace, Long Island Sound deserves to be at the top of the list. Thank you Mr. Chairman for this hearing today and the leadership you and your colleagues in New York and Connecticut have provided for Long Island Sound. |