New England Lighthouse Treasures

Montauk Point Lighthouse, the first federal Lighthouse authorized by President George Washington, is endangered by coastal erosion. Ironically, President Bush vetoed the Water Resource Development Act of 2007 which includes federal funding to build a 840-feet long 40-feet high 12.6-ton quarry stone revetment around the Montauk Point Lighthouse to protect President George Washington’s Lighthouse from sea erosion.

On Nov 2, 2007, President Bush vetoed the Bill to prove he is fiscally responsible yet, Representative Tim Bishop claimed Bush has “the most fiscally irresponsible administration in history.” Mr. Bishop assisted New York Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton in overriding the veto.

On November 8th, the $23 billion Act became Public Law No: 110-114 after both the House of Representatives and the Senate voted to override the Bush veto. This was the first veto in the Bush’s presidency that was overturned by Congress.

The $14.6 million Montauk Point erosion control project is half-funded with the $7.3 million federal appropriation and requires the approval of State funding as well as overcoming a legal challenge from the Surfrider Foundation.

Tom Naro, the chairman of the local Surfrider chapter, believes the erosion control project does not meet New York State coastal policies and the seawall will diminish the waves at Alamo and Turtle Cove surfing spots. His press release also stated “We trust the government will ultimately decide not to literally throw money in the ocean.” Perhaps, the Queen of the Surf Pirates can surf over the Long Island Sound to prepare a Surf report and shine a surfing Light on this project?

In addition, a small number of surfers also proposed moving the famous Lighthouse landmark back from the edge of the bluff yet, the Army Corps of Engineers claim moving the Lighthouse is cost prohibitive and the sandstone Lighthouse may crumble during the move. Gregory Donohue, the erosion control manager at the Lighthouse, stated “The notion of moving the Lighthouse is ridiculous.”

Would the Father of our Country approve the $14.6 million Montauk Point erosion control project to save his Lighthouse which cost him $22,300 to build in 1796 or would he support the Surfer Dudes?

For more information about the Lighthouse, please visit the previous post “Saving George Washington’s Lighthouse?” and click on the photo of this post.

For Map Directions, please visit the Google Map of Montauk Point Lighthouse.

Related News Story:
Lighthouse Money Outlives Bush Veto

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Montauk Point Lighthouse, Montauk Point Lighthouse Federal Funding, Montauk Point, New York

This entry was authored and posted by Debbie Dolphin on Thursday, November 15th, 2007 at 3:10 am and is filed under Preservation News. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site. Comments may be held for moderation, and I reserve the right to delete inappropriate or off-topic comments.