Changes for Erie Canal rejected
Trust would have been created for land deals
The state Senate has joined the Assembly in rejecting a bill to change the governing structure of the Erie Canal. The bill, part of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s package of proposed budget amendments, was deleted from the package by both houses.
The Assembly and Senate each pass so-called “one-house” budget bills, which serve as the basis of negotiation for the final package.
“However well-intentioned any restructuring may be, we need to ensure that any investment made to this institution is thoughtful and carefully created, which is why I was pleased to see this component removed from the Senate onehouse budget resolution,” Sen. Timothy Kennedy, D-buffalo, said Monday.
Another Democratic source said it’s possible that Cuomo could try to revive the Canal Revitalization Act in the final round of talks, but given that both houses dropped it, that seems unlikely.
Canal stakeholders hailed the Senate and Assembly decisions.
“The Canal Society of New York State and the Canal New York Marketing & Business Alliance look forward to working with members of the New York State Legislature to assure that the historic Erie Canal is operated as a navigable waterway and continues to be a vital contributor to the economic and recreational vitality of communities throughout the Erie Canalway corridor,” the two groups said in a joint statement.
“We look forward to continuing
the dialogue with our stakeholders and the Legislature to build upon NYPA and the Canal Corporation’s annual investment into our state’s canal system and leverage public-private partnerships that will benefit communities for years to come,”
NYPA spokesman Shane Mahar said.
The bill would have created a canal trust able to buy, sell and give away land along the canal and make cash grants to developers and others.