Waterfront
Brian has long believed in a simple formula for waterfront development: remove the barriers to public access, provide high-quality public destinations along the water’s edge, and economic growth, private development and opportunity will follow. In 2005 he led the charge to secure a $279 million federal relicensing settlement from the New York Power Authority, which has funded and continues to fund parks and public improvements along Buffalo’s Inner Harbor, including Canalside, and Outer Harbor.
In 2013, Brian set out to help the City of Niagara Falls reclaim its waterfront. He pushed for removal of the Robert Moses Parkway to reconnect people and neighborhoods with their waterfront and insisted the New York Power Authority was responsible for paying for it.
Brian’s waterfront efforts reach outside of the Cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Examples include: federal funding for the West River Parkway on Grand Island as well as the Intermodal Hub & Comfort Station connecting waterfront trails in the Tonawandas.
In Congress Brian is a champion for programs that promote, invest in and protect our water. Robust funding for the Army Corps of Engineers ensures waterways are navigable and shorelines are protected. Continued protection of our National Heritage Areas build new opportunities in Niagara Falls and along the Erie Canal. As a member of the Congressional Great Lakes Task Force, Brian fights to reduce threats to our water, including chemical and wastewater pollution, harmful algal blooms, and invasive species, and pushes for expanded funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which has led to revitalization of the Buffalo River.
More on Waterfront
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) announced the House of Representatives approved the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), a bill providing authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out water projects, studies, and Civil Works missions.
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) announced the House of Representatives approved a legislative package providing funding for fiscal year 2021. The legislation includes four bills including appropriations for: State-Foreign Operations, Agriculture-Rural Development-FDA, Interior-Environment, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. The new federal fiscal year begins October 1, 2020. Additional appropriation bills are scheduled for a vote next week.
Public parks and outdoor spaces have become increasingly cherished and frequented during the ongoing pandemic, but a recent visit to Buffalo’s Outer Harbor left Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) wondering why the public is being locked out of so many outdoor destinations.
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) announced the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), through a partnership with the Great Lakes Commission, Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (BUDC), in collaboration with the City of Buffalo, NYSDEC, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, and the Wilson Foundation, has authorized a request to provide $1,056,914 in federal funding toward the project transforming Buffalo’s Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park.
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) is sounding the alarm on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) efforts to rollback safeguards for clean water. Higgins isn’t alone; the President’s own EPA Science Advisory Board is expressing concern.
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26), who advocated for action and investment at the North Aud Block, released the following statement in response to Governor Cuomo’s release of the preferred development concept for the North Aud Block:
Washington, DC – U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Congressman Brian Higgins (D-NY-26) today announced that following their push, the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes their provision to increase funding for the National Maritime Heritage Grant Program.
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) announced approval by the House of Representatives of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report, authorizing national defense funding and related programs for fiscal year 2020.
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) announced the House of Representatives approved the Coastal and Great Lakes Communities Enhancement Act (H.R. 729), a bipartisan package of legislation protecting Great Lakes and Coastal communities from the impacts of climate change.
The bundled legislation included an amendment submitted by Congressman Higgins directing United States Geological Survey research to include the impacts of harmful algal blooms, nutrient pollution, and dead zones on Great Lakes fisheries.
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) was joined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District to announce $12.455 million in federal funding to the Army
Corps in 2019 for improvements to the Buffalo Harbor.