PATERSON, NJ – U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) and Nydia Velázquez (D-NY-07) announced today that under the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, the federal government will award the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) $6,724,000 to support the New York and New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries focus area study. This announcement follows a request last year by Pascrell and Velázquez to the USACE regarding the reprogramming of funds to the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries in order to protect tristate communities in the aftermath of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.

“Congress swiftly passed the supplemental disaster funding because we knew painfully well the devastation of Hurricane Ida to our region. As a result of these efforts, our region will receive $6,724,000 to recover to prepare for the next disaster,” said Rep. Pascrell. “Unlike the last administration which abused its power to gut this project, I am thankful the Biden administration recognized the need for an enormous federal investment in the New York/New Jersey Harbor Tributary to move us one step closer to manage future flood risks. I was proud to fight for this funding with my good friend Representative Velázquez. Politics should not get in the way of good climate policy.”

“I’m extremely pleased that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been awarded the funds to study how we can better protect our communities from extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy,” said Rep. Velázquez. “This funding will help identify the best methods for navigation, storm damage reduction, environmental restoration, coastal resiliency, and flood and storm damage reduction. Until we take serious steps to combat the climate crisis, we must proactively protect our communities from its devastating effects.”