Fighting for Long Island Priorities in Our Nation’s Capitol

Part 1 of a 2-Part Op-ed by Congressman Lee Zeldin

Last week, it was an honor to be surrounded by family and friends while being sworn in for my third term in the U.S. House of Representatives serving the best Congressional District in the country. Such a unique and diverse district, New York’s First Congressional District faces unique challenges, ones I’m committed to tackling in Washington, D.C., and home on Long Island.

As we kick off the new Congress, I’ll be focusing on Long Island’s infrastructure, continuing to secure funding and push state, local, and federal agencies to complete essential work, which includes repairing and improving highways and local roads and boosting federal aid for locally owned infrastructure like bridges and overpasses. This will be critical as the next long term highway bill is negotiated this Congress. As a district nearly completely surrounded by water, bolstering our maritime infrastructure is also vital. We must ensure our waterways, seaside communities and coastal economy are protected, which is why I’m fighting to secure completion of the critical Fire Island to Montauk Point (FIMP) project and other Army Corps initiatives in our region.

On Long Island, our waterways are in many ways directly connected to our way of life, which is why I oppose offshore drilling off our coast. Even just the exploratory phase of offshore drilling would be detrimental. The seismic testing would affect fish and marine life populations and is a major concern for our environmentalists, fishermen, oyster growers, and others who are part of our historic and growing seafood economy. It is so important to note one thing in particular - there is no evidence of these resources even being located off of Long Island. That alone is reason enough to take Long Island off the table, and I’ll be fighting to make sure the Department of Interior does so.

Right here on Long Island, we have state of the art facilities, such as Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Lab (BNL), that are pioneering cutting edge research that includes the future of clean and green energy. Supporting their important research is of the utmost importance for not only our area’s economy and the future of scientific research on Long Island, but for the scientific advancement of our entire nation and world. Just as I have before, I’ll continue to champion hundreds of millions of dollars in critical funding and secure vital grants that allow Stony Brook University and BNL to continue their important work.

As co-chairman of the Bipartisan Long Island Sound Caucus, I’ve partnered across the aisle to secure important funding for coastal communities, including securing a 5-year reauthorization of the Long Island Sound Program, which was last authorized for 5 years back in 2006. The Long Island Sound, National Estuary and Sea Grant Programs are just a few of the environmental revitalization and protection programs I’m committed to working across the aisle and the Sound to secure full funding for this upcoming Congress.

Hand-in-hand with protecting our environment, we must preserve the state-of-the-art research facility on Plum Island, preserving this island’s natural beauty, diverse wildlife and ecosystem, as it continues to provide important economic, scientific and environmental benefits. Over the past 4 years, I’ve secured House passage of multiple bipartisan proposals that would preserve Plum Island, including blocking the sale of Plum Island to the highest bidder, but all of these legislative proposals have died due to inaction by the Senate. This Congress, I’ll be doubling down on this bipartisan effort with the help of lawmakers from both sides of the Sound to preserve this iconic cultural and environmental landmark.

These are just a few of the many important priorities for our great island. It is my utmost honor to be able to represent New York’s First Congressional District. It is a privilege to fight for my constituents, friends and neighbors, while serving in our nation’s capital. We will always have a lot of critical work still ahead and successes to pursue and achieve for the amazing place we all call home.

Congressman Lee Zeldin represents the First Congressional District of New York in Congress where he serves as Co-Chairman of the bipartisan Long Island Sound Caucus and founding member of the bipartisan National Estuary Caucus.