Politics & Government

Report: $511 Mil. Tappan Zee Loan Defended by State Environmental Conservation Commission

"In other words, without more, the fact that a loan is either unconventional or new is not a negative," wrote New York Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joseph Martens to the EPA recently.

New York State Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joseph Martens - in a letter to the federal Environmental Protection Agency - recently defended the planned $511 million clean water fund loan the state is going to use to help pay for the $3.9 billion Tappan Zee Bridge reconstruction project.

Reporter Jon Campbell of The Journal News writes that portions of the loan would pay for various projects surrounding the bridge, many of which are environmental in nature, but not pay for the actual bridge construction.

"(Given) EPA's history of encouraging innovation, it is inconsistent for EPA to suggest that past practices should constrain future funding decisions," wrote Martens wrote in a letter to the EPA, as quoted by The Journal News. "In other words, without more, the fact that a loan is either unconventional or new is not a negative."

The planned loan has been criticized by some environmental groups and state legislators, but supported by various trade organizations.

Click here to read the full story on The Journal News website. 


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