Rep. Nadler Applauds Continued Funding For 2nd Ave Subway
Below is a press release from Rep. Jerrold Nadler:
WASHINGTON, DC – Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) applauded inclusion of funding to complete funding for the Second Avenue Subway and the LIRR’s East Side Access project in the 2012 Federal Budget as passed by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and HUD.
“At a time when all in Washington agree that jobs are our number 1 priority, now is not the time to renege on the best job-creation engines right now in the New York area,” Maloney said. “I’m proud that funding for the 2nd Avenue Subway and East Side Access projects have been included in the 2012 budget.”
“It is essential that Congress follow through with commitments to fully fund transit projects, including the Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access, for the coming fiscal year,” said Nadler. “These two projects are essential infrastructure improvements for New York City and its region that will alleviate overcrowding and increase efficiency. The projects will also create substantial economic development, at least 38,000 jobs, and meaningful investment in New York’s workforce at a time when the nation is desperate for such investment.”
Background:
Both lawmakers were among those who wrote to the Subcommittee Chair and Ranking Member urging the completion of the federal funding agreements for the projects. A copy of the letter follows below.
September 7, 2011
The Honorable Tom Latham The Honorable John Olver
Chairman Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Transportation-HUD Subcommittee on Transportation-HUD
Committee on Appropriations Committee on Appropriations
2358 Rayburn House Office Building 1116 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Latham and Ranking Member Olver:
As you move forward with the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Transportation, HUD Appropriations bill, we respectfully request that you honor the federal government’s commitment to fully fund the New Starts Program and complete the Second Avenue Subway and the Long Island Rail Road East Side Access, two projects that have Full Funding Agreements (FFGA). These two projects are phenomenal economic engines for the New York Metropolitan region, and will continue to contribute significantly to the economy for many years to come. When completed, they will relieve overcrowding on two of the nation’s most overcrowded rail systems, the Lexington Avenue subway line and the Long Island Railroad (LIRR). Together they are creating 38,000 jobs and billions in economic activity. Cutting these projects or reducing their appropriations would harm our region’s economy, causing job losses, impacting small businesses, increasing overall construction costs and delaying the completion of these critically important projects.
As you know, since the mid-1990s, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have fulfilled the federal commitments outlined in executed FFGAs and supported transportation projects that provide jobs and economic activity, such as the Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access projects. New York state and local sponsors of these FFGAs have already provided their share of funding, and the reliability of the FFGA funding schedule has allowed sponsors to use their FFGAs to support private financing arrangements. Reductions in FFGA appropriations for these vital projects would force increase borrowing, resulting in greater interest costs and even higher project costs.
Both East Side Access and Second Avenue Subway are substantially underway and slated for a 2016 completion date. In both cases, full funding grant agreements have been signed, obligating the federal government to provide a fixed dollar amount toward the construction costs. Failing to honor the federal government’s commitment in the FY12 appropriations process will cause these projects to be significantly delayed putting tens of thousands of private sector construction jobs immediately at risk and jeopardizing hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs in supporting sectors.
We respectfully urge you to fully fund the New Starts program in order to complete projects with Full Funding Grant Agreements, such as Second Avenue Subway and the East Side Access projects.
Sincerely,
CAROLYN B. MALONEY PETER T. KING JERROLD NADLER
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
______________________ ____________________
CHARLES RANGEL MICHAEL GRIMM
Member of Congress Member of Congress
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YVETTE D. CLARKE GARY ACKERMAN
Member of Congress Member of Congress
______________________ ____________________
MAURICE HINCHEY JOSEPH CROWLEY
Member of Congress Member of Congress
______________________ ____________________
PAUL TONKO GREGORY MEEKS
Member of Congress Member of Congress
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TIMOTHY BISHOP
Member of Congress
Rep. Jerrold Nadler represents New York’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, SoHo, Greenwich Village, TriBeCa, the Financial District and Battery Park City. In Brooklyn, the 8th District includes parts of Borough Park, Red Hook, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Gravesend, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach and Seagate.
Rep. Michael Grimm represents New York’s 13th Congressional District, which includes all of Staten Island. In Brooklyn, the 13th District includes parts of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Gravesend.
