Malliotakis, Scarcella-Spanton Propose Solution to Bring More Sewer Funding to New York City
(STATEN ISLAND, NY) - Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) today joined New York State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton in proposing a solution to bring more federal sewer infrastructure funding to Staten Island and New York City. Malliotakis helped deliver billions of dollars in federal infrastructure funds to New York State, however, due to an arbitrary cap imposed by the state, New York City can only receive 10% of the funding despite accounting for half the state's population.
Scarcella-Spanton has introduced legislation that would lift the arbitrary cap New York State has on its Clean Water State Revolving Fund so New York City can receive its fair share proportional to its population of the state. The state also applied a 6% cap on infrastructure funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for municipalities exceeding 300,000 people, which only applies to New York City. Because of the state's unfair funding rules, New York City only received 2% of available water infrastructure grant funds in 2022.
In May, Malliotakis joined Mayor Adams and local elected officials in writing to Governor Hochul urging her to lift the cap. She also joined two congressional colleagues in authoring an oped calling for Albany to lift the unfair restrictions.
"New York City's sewer and water infrastructure is one of the most complex systems in the world, yet its extremely antiquated," Malliotakis said. Over the years we've identified multiple neighborhoods that would benefit from new and expanded sewers, and we should be able to take full advantage of funding made available by the state and federal governments to keep them upgraded and resilient. The state's arbitrary funding caps are only putting our already flood-prone communities at an even greater risk of catastrophic damage, which is particularly unfair when our residents pay 62% of the state's taxes and make up 44% of the population. I appreciate Senator Scarcella-Spanton for introducing legislation to address this issue and in turn bring more money to Staten Island and surrounding communities to prevent flooding from future storms."
Under Environmental Bond Act, the state is required to distribute at least 35% of funds to disadvantaged communities, of which New York City accounts for 56%. Despite having the majority, New York City only recently received $6 million, or 71 cents per person, while the North Country, which accounts for 1% of the state's disadvantaged communities, recently received nearly $59 million, more than $140 per person.
"The State’s Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) has placed barriers in New York City’s way to access the critical funding from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund," said Scarcella-Spanton. "My bill, S8389, directs the EFC to allocate funds from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund proportional to population of counties. NYC makes up for nearly half of the population of the state, yet we are only eligible for a fraction of the funding. New York City and Staten Island are in need of these resources, and they should be distributed in an equitable way to make sure we get our fair share."
Recently, the Midland Beach community saw the most benefit from federal infrastructure funding for the Mid-Island/New Creek Bluebelt project that has significantly reduced flooding in the area. Malliotakis has also ensured the East Shore Seawall project is fully funded, with the contract for the first phase (the drainage portion) expected to be issued next month.
As of November 2023, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has provided New York State with $19.8 billion for over 378 projects. Approximately $1 billion of these funds have been announced specifically for clean water and water infrastructure projects, and $345.6 million specifically for sewer resilience and flood mitigation.
In New York's 11th District, the IIJA has funded:
- New U.S. Coast Guard housing at Fort Wadsworth
- Bridge rehabilitation over the Staten Island Expressway
- Concrete Deck Replacement on the Staten Island Expressway
- Bridge rehabilitation over the Fort Hamilton Parkway
- Bridge inspections and repainting
- A new storage facility for the Staten Island Ferry
- Staten Island Ferry propulsion technology upgrades
- Upgrades to MTA subway stations and area airports
- Shoreline protection in Tottenville
- Harbor dredging projects
WATCH MALLIOTAKIS' PRESS CONFERENCE BY CLICKING HERE