Katko, Brindisi, Morelle State Plan 2014 Is Broken

WASHINGTON, DC— U.S. Reps. John Katko (R, NY-24), Anthony Brindisi (D, NY-22), and Joseph Morelle (D, NY-25) issued the following statement after publication of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on Plan 2014 and the International Joint Commission:

“We’ve heard from the communities across the region and we agree: Plan 2014 is broken. It is important that the IJC take this GAO report seriously and follow its recommendations–but more action is necessary.  The IJC needs to take substantive steps to protect Lake Ontario’s southern shoreline, listen to our communities, and act in a transparent way to ensure fairness and safety in our region. We will not stop fighting for the families, businesses, and homeowners that continue to pay the price for the IJC’s inaction.”

A link to the GAO report can be found HERE.

Background:

In 2017 and 2019, communities along Lake Ontario’s southern shore experienced historic high-water levels, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure. Reps. Brindisi, Katko, and Morelle have long worked in a bipartisan manner to hold the IJC accountable for failing to protect shoreline communities, and called for substantive steps to prevent further devastation by increasing outflows to the maximum extent possible and developing a realistic plan for managing Lake Ontario water levels.

Additionally, in March the lawmakers introduced the IJC Accountability Act, bipartisan legislation that would remove the IJC’s immunity from lawsuits, allowing impacted shoreline communities to take legal action against the IJC for flooding damages.

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