Congressman Maurice Hinchey has a proven record of getting results for the communities he represents. Since 1995, he has delivered nearly $4 billion for the 22nd Congressional District, including $348 million for Tompkins County. In the last two years, Hinchey has secured more than $47.69 million for projects in Ithaca.
These federal investments in our region have funded university research, created jobs, helped communities provide the infrastructure for economic growth, have made low-cost capital available for business startups and expansion, strengthened our schools and health care systems, promoted our tourism industry and lured new businesses to the area.
Hinchey's efforts in the 109th Congress included:
Finger Lakes National Forest
Hinchey, in conjunction with Congressman Jim Walsh (R-Syracuse), successfully extended a provision banning oil and natural gas exploration in the Finger Lakes National Forest. In 2001, the U.S. Forest Service issued a proposal to lease 13,000 of FLNF's 16,000 acres for oil and natural gas drilling, but Hinchey and Walsh have successfully prohibited its implementation. These efforts paved the way for a permanent ban, which was included as a provision in the 2005 Energy Bill.
Cornell University Research Facilities
In 2004, Hinchey secured $6 million in earmarked appropriations for Cornell's Center for Health-Based Plant Genomics and the Grape Genetics Research Center and Laboratory. He also secured more than $10 million in funding for ongoing research programs to be conducted at Cornell. In 2005 and 2006, Hinchey subsequently secured $6.65 million for the Plant Genomics Center, and $7.29 million for the completion of the grape genetics Research Center.
Tompkins County Emergency Communications
Hinchey successfully earmarked $500,000 in the Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations bill for the 2005 fiscal year for the Tompkins County Department of Public Safety. The earmark will be used to purchase new emergency communication equipment that is necessary to implement a countywide digital public safety communication system. The federal funds will supplement $15.5 million in state and local funds that have been invested in this project.
Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport
In the 2005 fiscal year's transportation appropriations bill, Hinchey secured a $500,000 earmark for improvements to the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport. The funding will allow for the complete relocation of a parallel taxiway to meet the mandated minimum separation distance between runways. Additionally, in 2005 Hinchey personally appealed to the U.S. Transportation Secretary in a successful effort to persuade USDOT to award the airport a $500,000 Small Communities Air Service grant.
Clinton House Restoration
As a member of the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee, which determines the annual allocations for federal historic preservation programs, Hinchey has delivered funding to protect and restore some of the region's great landmarks including $100,000 for the Clinton House, to fund structural and cosmetic repairs to the historic building.
Ithaca Gun Cleanup
In a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Alan Steinberg, Hinchey called on the agency to immediately revisit the former Ithaca Gun Company manufacturing site, which independent tests have shown remains contaminated with lead and other toxic chemicals. Hinchey, who helped bring the site to the EPA's attention in 2000 and worked to get the agency to initiate an Emergency Removal Action cleanup, urged Steinberg to consider placing the site on the federal Superfund program's National Priorities List. For the past three years, Hinchey has been aggressively pursuing more stringent standards for toxic chemical exposure at the Ithaca Gun Company and other sites around the state.
Trail Development
When Congress considered the massive highway reauthorization law in 2005, Hinchey fought for federal investments in transportation alternatives that reduce the strain on our roadways, as well as reduce pollution. To that end, Hinchey secured $1.4 million in earmarked funds in the bill for trail development in Tompkins County:
- Cayuga Waterfront Trail: $960,000 allocation for the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, which will be the centerpiece of an emerging regional trail network that is critical to the region's quality of life and tourism promotion efforts. This project allows the development of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, which will link the trail to such destinations as the Farmers Market, Northside and Fall Creek neighborhoods, Stewart Park and the Tompkins County Visitor's Center. The proposed trail will connect to the other sections of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, providing a continuous path along the city's waterfront. The trail will be used by people of all ages, including walkers, joggers, bicyclists, inline skaters, people with mobility challenges and parents with strollers. The trail, which covers approximately two miles, will also serve numerous employers and community facilities.
- Buttermilk Falls Trail: $435,200 for the proposed trail, which will fill a critical link in Ithaca's trail system, connecting the urban area of Ithaca to the Buttermilk Falls and Robert H. Treman state parks. This trail will promote alternative transportation options to a portion of the city that is increasingly dominated by automobile traffic. Completion of the Buttermilk Falls Trail will accelerate development of a smaller trail link in the town of Ithaca, connecting to the Pew Memorial Trail and the rest of the multiuse trail system in the eastern part of Tompkins County, thus facilitating completion of the planned countywide network.