A new bill has been introduced in Congress to protect the Long Island Sound from potential cuts that were included in President Trump”™s budget blueprint.
The Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act seeks to preserve locally focused water quality and shore restoration program authorizations at their previous authorization levels of $40 million and $25 million per year, respectively, while placing new oversight and coordination of federal activities related to restoration efforts through 2020. The bill was introduced by the four senators representing Connecticut and New York ”“ Chris Murphy, Richard Blumenthal, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, all Democrats ”“ along with Reps. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Lee Zeldin, a New York Republican.
“Long Island Sound is a job creator for Connecticut,” said Murphy in a press statement issued by his office. “It generates billions of dollars from tourism, fishing, and shipping for our state each year, and keeping it clean is simply the right thing to do for the environment and our economy. This bill could be a game-changer for Long Island Sound. I won”™t stop fighting until it is signed into law.”
