From the Desk of ... Rep. Tim Bishop

Rep. Tim Bishop led a delegation of federal officials on a helicopter tour of much of the Fire Island to Montauk Point (FIMP) reformulation study project area.  The helicopter departed from Long Island McArthur Airport and flew along the South Shore to Shinnecock Inlet and Bay before landing at Saltaire on Fire Island, giving officials from the Department of the Interior and the Army Corps of Engineers a "bird's-eye" view of the area.

The FIMP Reformulation Study is part of a long-term process to help protect the South Shore of Long Island from coastal erosion, flooding and hurricanes.  For instance, in the Fire Island section of the FIMP project, the goal is to maintain Fire Island as a barrier island to lower the risk of flooding in low-lying mainland communities, such as Patchogue and the Tri-Hamlet area.

"This is not a study about simply protecting beaches, it is about protecting homes," Rep. Bishop said.  "From downtown Montauk to Mastic Beach, South Shore communities could be devastated by storm surge when, not if, Long Island gets hit by a hurricane.  While we can never eliminate the threats, this study is about minimizing them."

The high-ranking delegation included Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works; Will Shafroth, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Department of the Interior; and Brigadier General Peter DeLuca, Commander, US Army Corps of Engineers, North Atlantic Division.  Appointed by President Obama, these officials are responsible for completing the FIMP Study.  The federal officials met at the Saltaire Fire House.  Following that meeting, Congressman Bishop and federal and state officials met at Babylon Town Hall with the Town Supervisors of Babylon, Islip, Brookhaven, Southampton, and East Hampton.

"The Federal government will not come in and impose a solution, which is why it is so important that we get input and buy-in from South Shore communities," Bishop said.  "We have a narrowing window to get this right, and as the FIMP study nears completion I will continue to ensure that local stakeholders influence the process."  Bishop noted that he expects the Army Corps and the Interior Department to hold public hearings on Long Island this summer.

As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which oversees the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Congressman Bishop has advocated completion of the FIMP Reformulation Study since he was elected to Congress.  Working together with Congressmen Steve Israel and Peter King, along with Sen. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Bishop has secured millions of dollars for the Study in recent years.  In order to successfully execute the remainder of the Study and the implementation of the resulting plan, it is critical for local, state and federal officials to work together and coordinate efforts over the next year.  Because much of the project is located in the Fire Island National Seashore, it must ultimately receive sign-off from the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Interior to be implemented.