Newsroom

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that he is instituting a fullcourt press to secure federal funding to aid in the redevelopment of Rochester's Midtown Plaza. In a personal letter to the head of the Economic Development Administration (EDA), Schumer argued that the over $2 million federal grant that the project is seeking will help leverage additional private funds to help finance the new world headquarters for Paetec Communication, as well as the redevelopment of the 17story... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that he is calling on both the Canadian Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to create a plan to prescreen fishing tournament participants that would allow them to fish freely on both sides of the border. In the wake of a recent incident in which a Baldwinsville, NY man's boat was seized for drifting into Canadian waters, the New York Bass Chapter Federation has already had to make Canadian waters off limits to anglers,... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced his support for a proposal to prescreen incoming trucks on the Canadian side of the Peace Bridge plaza, which could pave the way for a new, comprehensive approach to this critical border crossing including a smaller, less disruptive plaza. Under the proposal that Schumer supports, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would conduct primary screening of U.S. bound trucks on the Canadian side of the border. Moving the screening of incoming trucks onto... Read More

Today, Senator Charles E. Schumer announced the President of the Canada Border Services Agency has agreed to review a recent incident in which Thousand Island Park resident Roy Anderson was fishing in the Gananoque Narrows when his boat was boarded and seized by the Agency. According to reports, Mr. Anderson had entered Canadian waters, and found out contrary to his understanding of Canadian law, that he was in violation of the duties and obligations of New York fishermen in Canadian waters,... Read More

Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that Chemung County Transit System is set to receive $500,000 in Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration funding. With these funds, Chemung County plans to purchase new revenue collection equipment for their transit system, which consists of 32 vehicles. This equipment will include fareboxes for the system's buses, as well as the hardware and software needed to operate such fareboxes. Schumer and... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced his support for new legislation that would create an early warning system within the Food and Drug Administration to help ward off shortages of lifesaving drugs. The Preserving Access to LifeSaving Medications Act would require drug makers to immediately notify the FDA when a raw material shortage, manufacturing problem, or production decision is likely to cause a drug shortage. The early notification would allow the FDA to work with other... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced a new push to clean up Lake Ontario's waters near Rochester's shore. Currently the New York Department of Environmental Conservation is seeking to create a "nodischarge zone" that would prohibit boats from dumping sewage and other potentially harmful chemicals into the waters offshore, a practice which can add pathogens and other toxins to the water. Establishing the zone would require the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to grant the... Read More

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced a total of $176,557 in Department of Transportation (DOT) funding for WilliamsonSodus Airport to acquire new snow removal equipment. "This is great news for the passengers and pilots that fly in and out of WilliamsonSodus Airport and for the pilots that rely on it as a local reliever airport," said Schumer. "With this funding, the airport can make renovations that will ensure passenger safety and the smooth... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer backed Chemung County's application to the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration for funding through the FY2011 Public Works, Economic Adjustment, and GCCMIF Programs, to expand the Airport Corporate Park in Big Flats. This 220 acre site is immediately adjacent to Interchange 50 on Interstate 86 and would be ideal for industrial and business development to attract new companies and new jobs to the region. However, the site lacks... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that Skidmore College has received a federal grant totaling $999,996 as part of Round 5 of the FY10 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The funding is specifically through a Fire Prevention and Safety grant, which Skidmore College plans to use to scientifically study the impact firefighting has on the cardiovascular system. This includes the firefighter's initial call, the act of... Read More

United States Senator Charles E. Schumer announced today that the United States Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a grant of $1,415,056.50 to the State of New York, which will be allocated to the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook. The funds will go toward vital upgrades to the facility's infrastructure, including boilers, hot water, and HVAC systems. Schumer said that this funding would go a long way towards making sure that the Long Island State Veterans Home has the... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that Chautauqua County Airport in Dunkirk is set to receive $627,192 in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) funds for airport facility upgrades. Specifically, the grant will allow Chautauqua County Airport to acquire a friction measuring device that will enhance airport safety by providing pilots with important information allowing planes to land safely during adverse weather conditions. This funding will also allow for the design of a plan to... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will provide $200,000 to Rome to conduct site assessment and planning for eventual cleanup at Nolan Manufacturing Building as part of a communitywide Brownfield Program site cleanup. The twostory Nolan Manufacturing Building is contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), asbestos, and leadbased paint - all of which will be remediated. The city of Rome is considering a number of possible uses for... Read More

In light of a recent report that FBI agents often lack the expertise and training needed to fight rapidly spreading and rapidly evolving cybercrime, United States Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on FBI Director Robert Mueller to utilize Utica College's cutting edge Cybersecurity Center to train FBI agents to appropriately investigate cybercrime and online terrorism. Utica College is home to both the Economic Crime Institute (ECI) and the Center for Identity Management and Information... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced an $110,000 U.S. Department of Labor grant for the United Veterans Beacon House based in Bay Shore, Long Island. The center, which provides transitional housing and job training to homeless veterans in Suffolk and Nassau County, will use the money to fund outreach efforts to homeless veterans at other shelters in Long Island, as well as efforts to connect these veterans to potential employers. Schumer said that this grant was essential in order to... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that he is calling on the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to work with Westchester County officials to ensure that the county can be designated a "StormReady" county. Achieving this designation would mean improved flood mitigation and storm preparedness techniques, and would also allow the county to begin earning Community Ratings System (CRS) points, which would begin to lower the price of flood... Read More

Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand wrote to President Barack Obama and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, urging the immediate approval of New York State's recent request for a federal disaster declaration in response to the April 26 th storms that caused more than $38 million in debris removal costs and damage to critical infrastructure. The affected counties include Allegany, Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer,... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the United Way of Long Island had been awarded a $1,100,000 Department of Labor (DOL) grant to support the YouthBuild Long Island Green Construction Training Lab that provides outofschool youth with occupational training in green construction. Through partnerships with a variety of local businesses and unions, youth in the program receive training in jobs like energy efficiency, weatherization, and EnergyStar construction, as well as... Read More

WASHINGTON DC-Today, a bipartisan group of New York lawmakers warned federal regulators against implementing a new rule on derivatives that would put U.S. financial firms at a competitive disadvantage. At issue are new regulations that would apply margin requirements to derivative transactions between nonU.S. subsidiaries of U.S. entities and nonU.S. counterparties. By contrast, the proposed rules would not apply to nonU.S. banks doing business with nonU.S. clients. This disparity in treatment... Read More

Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer announced that the Nubian Directions II (NDI) in Poughkeepsie has been awarded a $1,100,000 Department of Labor (DOL) grant, as part of the Department's Youthbuild program which aims to assist outofschool youth in obtaining academic and occupational skills and training. At Nubian Directions II, this training includes lessons in technology training, work readiness skills and educational support services for youth and adults to enhance workforce skills.... Read More