Mayor Adams joins Staten Island pols calling on NY for ‘fair share’ of EPA funding for storm infrastructure

Mayor Adams and several Staten Island elected officials are pushing for New York State policy to be amended to unlock U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding that New York City could use to upgrade its essential water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.

The EPA announced in February that New York State will be receiving $256,106,000 in funding through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to help underserved communities improve their water infrastructure. This capital, in the form of grants and principal forgiveness loans, is in addition to the $207 million that New York received in October 2022, also through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.

The state’s current funding distribution policies “hinder New York City’s eligibility to apply for grant funding through the State’s Clean Water State Revolving Water Fund (SRF) made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” the officials said in a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday.

“Under current state policy, New York City is limited to only receiving a small fraction of total funding distributed from either grant despite it being home to 44% of New York State’s population and 59% of its disadvantaged communities (DACS). The hardship policy used by EFC [(Environmental Facilities Corporation)] and the New York State Department of Health (DOH) prevents New York City from qualifying for nearly all grant funding by arbitrarily excluding municipalities with a population greater than 300,000,” the officials said.

The Staten Island elected officials, led by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), wrote to Mayor Adams in March requesting he apply for the EPA funding. Adams responded explaining, as stated above, how the state’s funding distribution practices work against New York City and encouraged them to continue advocating. The mayor has since joined the Staten Island officials in pushing for the city’s “fair share” of funding for much needed upgrades to the city’s stormwater infrastructure, signing onto the letter to Hochul.

The officials highlighted the city’s particular need for the funding to improve its storm and flooding resilience systems, noting extensive damage that the city has endured in recent years as a result of outdated infrastructure.

“Hurricane Sandy showed our infrastructure is inadequate, and expansion is necessary to protect our constituents and their properties. With every storm following Sandy, such as Hurricane Ida, Staten Island continues to experience widespread flooding. Our city stands united with a shared goal to fully recover from these storms, and even with the progress we’ve seen in recent years, our city’s aging sewer infrastructure needs upgrading to ensure resilience against the storms that continue to cripple neighborhoods, causing severe property damage and even death,” they said.

The officials are specifically asking Hochul to direct the Environmental Facilities Corporation and State Health Department to “amend their hardship policy to eliminate the current population requirement and per-municipality caps to ensure grant distribution is equitable for municipalities throughout New York State.”

“We look forward to receiving your response and partnering with your administration as more projects come to fruition,” they concluded.

The officials who signed the letter led by Malliotakis include: Mayor Eric Adams, Borough President Vito J. Fossella, State Assembly Assistant Majority Leader Charles Fall (D-North Shore); Assemblymembers Michael Tannousis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn), Sam Pirozzolo (R-Mid Island) and Michael Reilly (R-South Shore); City Council Minority Leader Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore) and Councilmembers David Carr (R-Mid Island) and Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore).