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Biden Administration's proposed budget includes tens of millions for local waterways

New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Buffalo Harbor State park is a major component of Western New York's waterways infrastructure. The Biden Administration's proposed budget includes $21 million for its upkeep.

Major construction would continue along the Great Lakes under the Biden Administration's proposed budget now before Congress.

The proposed budget includes nearly $21 million for Buffalo Harbor, nearly $11 million for the Black Rock Channel and $680,000 for Dunkirk Harbor. It also includes the first half-million for a long-term study of coastal resilience around the Great Lakes.

The resilience study has long been on the shopping list of lakes supporters, as climate change affects winter storms and lake levels.

"Securing that shoreline makes the development of Centennial Park, soon to be Ralph Wilson Jr. Park, possible," said Rep. Brian Higgins (D-Buffalo). "These are the essential elements that are necessary to realize the full potential."

Higgins said there hasn't been a plan for waterways since 2005, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is ready for projects if there is more cash.

"The more resources they have, the more they can protect their communities from the natural erosion that occurs along the Lake Erie shoreline," he said.

Higgins said a series of past projects has allowed developments on the waterfront because of the tens of thousands of truckloads of chemically-contaminated mud hauled out of the Buffalo River.

Mike Desmond is one of Western New York’s most experienced reporters, having spent nearly a half-century covering the region for newspapers, television stations and public radio. He has been with WBFO and its predecessor, WNED-AM, since 1988. As a reporter for WBFO, he has covered literally thousands of stories involving education, science, business, the environment and many other issues. Mike has been a long-time theater reviewer for a variety of publications and was formerly a part-time reporter for The New York Times.
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