Just US$29.1 million of loans from the proposed total of US$511 million were deemed to be eligible projects that would enhance the environment. In contrast, the EPA determined that most of the rejected projects were just intended to mitigate harms caused by the major new construction within the estuary.
Each year, the EPA provides millions of dollars to the state of New York, which the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation and Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) allocate to the clean water programme.
In June, EFC allocated US$511 million of the funding in loans to the NYS Thruway Authority for 12 projects related to building the replacement Tappan Zee Bridge.
EPA has since analysed whether the proposed projects meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act and implement the estuary’s comprehensive conservation and management plan. It has determined that five of the projects – with a total value of US$29.1 million - are eligible for funding but that the remaining seven are not.
The project costs for the rejected tasks totalled US$321.1 million; non-construction costs brought the total amount of the loan to US$481.8 million.
The rejected tasks were: US$65 million for removal of the existing bridge; US$110.2 million for dredging for construction vessels; US$29.9 million for armouring the Hudson River bottom; US$48 million for an underwater noise attenuation system; US$66.7 million for a shared-use path; US$1.2 million for oyster bed restoration; and US$100,000 for a falcon nest box.
