THE environmental troubles of Long Island Sound have been well documented over the past few years, and just when it looked like it could get some help, politicians got involved. Need I say more?
Fish kills, algae blooms and an unknown disease that has been killing lobsters have plagued the waters of Long Island Sound. A bill was before Congress that would provide aid for the troubled waters that separate New York from Connecticut. And it appeared that lawmakers from New York and Connecticut were lined up comfortably behind a bill to provide millions of dollars to clean up Long Island Sound.
But that bipartisan alliance fractured recently over the involvement of Rep. Michael Forbes, the party-swapping lawmaker from Suffolk County. Forbes had sought to attach his own Long Island Sound legislation to a bill sponsored by Republican Reps. Rick Lazio (L.I.) and Nancy Johnson (Conn.)
When the GOP said no, Forbes, a former Republican, accused the GOP of seeking retribution over his defection to the Democratic ranks. Republicans said it was because of widespread opposition in the Connecticut delegation to Forbes bill.
It was politics as usual, with both sides pointing fingers, and the end result was that the squabbling scuttled plans for a vote on the Lazio-Johnson bill in the House. Who gets punished for the small-minded ways of politicians? The millions of people who enjoy the Sound for recreation and the people who live along its shores.
The Lazio-Johnson bill would provide $80 million a year for four years to clean up the Sound, up from the $3 million a year in federal funds spent currently. Lobsters have been dying off in large numbers in the Sound, worrying environmentalists already troubled over the estuary’s condition.
Forbes’ bill would require the federal government to adhere to the same dumping restrictions as the private sector. He says the federal government has routinely dumped sludge into the Sound.
But Connecticut lawmakers worry the Forbes bill would complicate their ability to dredge sediment from the beds of rivers feeding into the Sound.
New York Gov. George Pataki and Connecticut Gov. John Rowland had testified in support of the Lazio-Johnson bill earlier this year and pledged state funds.
“It’s outrageous that Mike Forbes would put his own ego ahead of the health of the Long Island Sound,” Pataki spokesman Jim Mazarella said.
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Gov. Pataki has announced that the state will purchase and add 194 acres of environmentally sensitive land, and provide $500,000 toward creation of a nature and education center, to the Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area.
The governor also designated the Northern Montezuma and the Braddock Bay WMAs as state bird conservation areas.
“By safeguarding and enhancing these critical areas, we are securing critical habitat for resident and migratory birds and wildlife, while focusing needed attention on protecting our bird populations,” the Governor said. “The Crusoe Center will provide unique outdoor recreation, environmental education and research opportunities to all New Yorkers and visitors can learn about and enjoy the magnificent wildlife, wetlands, history and culture of the Montezuma Wetlands.”
The 194-acre acquisition is within the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, located at the northern end of Cayuga Lake, in the heart of the Finger Lakes region.