New York Congressman Lee Zeldin announced yesterday that the Fire Island to Montauk Point (FIMP) Project continues to move forward and is now in its design phase.
FIMP is an over $1 billion project that includes funding for essential dredging and shoreline projects spanning 83 miles of coastline, 80% of which is in the First Congressional District.
It includes a variety of coastal and wetland restoration projects that will use the natural environment to reduce flooding, erosion, and storm damage, while also preserving the natural environment and habitat for wildlife and provides various coastal management initiatives for the bay side of the barrier beaches.
“FIMP is vital to our local environment, economy and coastal way of life, and the wide-spread devastation in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy emphasized the dire need to ensure our communities are prepared for the future, ” said Congressman Zeldin.
“Since coming to Congress, I’ve helped move FIMP along and closer to implementation and worked with the Army Corps every step of the way to ensure local projects are prioritized. The launch of FIMP’s design phase is great news for our local shorelines, and I look forward to continuing to move FIMP over the finish line.”
In addition to undergoing the design phase, concurrently, the Army Corps of Engineers is awaiting review and approval of the final General Reevaluation Report (GRR) and then approval by the Chief of Engineers of the United States Army, also known as a Chief’s Report, which are critical upcoming steps in the approval process.