KATKO, COLLINS RAISE PLAN 2014 CONCERNS WITH TRUMP TRANSITION TEAM
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Reps. John Katko (NY-24) and Chris Collins (NY-27) today brought to the attention of President-Elect Donald Trump’s Transition Team the dire need to review and reconsider the International Joint Commission (IJC) Plan 2014, a measure which was pushed through by the Obama Administration in December after years of stagnancy.
In today’s letter, Reps. Katko and Collins noted the grave threat the implementation of Plan 2014 will have on property owners and businesses along the southern shore of Lake Ontario, as well as the failure of the IJC and the outgoing Administration to mitigate the threat of severe flooding and damage that these constituents will face.
“Despite promises by the outgoing Administration that a detailed analysis would be provided on the economic impact of Plan 2014 before a decision was made, shoreline homeowners, farmers, and business owners were not provided any information. Instead, the Administration acted on its way out the door, announcing in December that Plan 2014 would move forward in early 2017,” said Rep. John Katko. “Property owners across Wayne, Cayuga, and Oswego County will suffer millions of dollars in economic damage if Plan 2014 is put in place without mitigation action. That’s why I’ve joined together with Rep. Collins to alert the incoming Trump Administration to our longstanding concerns regarding Plan 2014, and ask for a swift review and reversal of these midnight actions taken by the outgoing Administration. I will continue to seek answers on this disastrous measure.”
Rep. Chris Collins said, “Time after time, Representative Katko and I were promised by the White House Council on Environmental Equality and the State Department that we would be kept informed with the most accurate and up to date information. We were purposely kept in the dark so that the Obama Administration could sneak this plan through. The IJC itself has said that the implementation of this plan will cause millions of dollars in damages to our shoreline property owners. We need to protect our communities, residents, and businesses, which is why I have joined with Rep. Katko in sending this letter to the new administration. It is imperative that the IJC knows how detrimental this plan is to our districts.”
The IJC, in conjunction with the U.S. State Department and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), has been negotiating Plan 2014 for a number of years. During this time, Reps. Katko and Collins have worked to raise concerns over the IJC’s Plan 2014 with officials at all levels of government.
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