Senator Chuck Schumer Pushes For $17.5 Million To Jamaica Bay Restoration Projects

Senator Charles Schumer is asking the federal Department of Interior, or DOI, to put millions into projects that would restore Jamaica Bay after Superstorm Sandy, as well strengthen it as the barrier between waves and coastal communities in future storms.

The projects would total $17.5 million and they would also help Rockaway’s coastline be more resilient, the lawmaker announced last week in a press release.

Superstorm Sandy wrought tremendous damage across the communities surrounding Jamaica Bay, but the damage may have been even worse were it not for Jamaica Bay’s natural ability to act as a shield against storms. Sometimes our best defense against Mother Nature’s wrath is actually Mother Nature itself, and these five projects will take what is already a natural storm defense and make it even more effective at protecting the homes and livelihoods of thousands of New Yorkers. These five projects are exactly what this grant program was created to fund, and I am urging the Department of Interior to give these the green light as soon as possible.

The five programs Schumer is pushing for are:

• Sunset Cove Salt Marsh and Maritime Forest Restoration
• Rockaway East Resiliency Preserve
• Spring Creek Salt Marsh and Coastal Upland Restoration
• Jamaica Bay Head Of Bay Oyster Restoration
• Jamaica Bay Bathymetric and Sediment Model