February 24, 2021

Hon. Jerrold Nadler Hon. Carolyn Maloney Hon. Nydia Velázquez U.S. Representative U.S. Representative U.S. Representative

Sen. Charles Schumer Sen. U.S. Senator U.S. Senator

Dear Reps. Nadler, Maloney, and Velázquez, and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand,

Enclosed please find a Resolution approved by Downtown Independent Democrats General Membership on February 24, 2021:

In Support of the Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel

Trucks carry 90% of City's goods, causing considerable pollution and congestion in Lower , disproportionately impacting Black, Asian-American, and brown communities in the Lower , Chinatown, and Two Bridges neighborhoods. The Federal government has an opportunity to build the Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel, which will directly connect the industrial ports of Elizabeth, NJ, and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, creating many green new jobs and reducing pollution and congestion across Lower Manhattan.

DID supports the Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel, including passenger-rail if feasible, and more freight- and passenger-rail lines across NYC and Long Island. We call on Congress to quickly fund this project via budget reconciliation, pending results of the Tier II Environmental Impact Statement. Let's bring green new jobs to and reduce climate impact.

Sincerely,

Richard Corman President, Downtown Independent Democrats

Enclosure cc: Hon. Bill de Blasio, NYC Mayor Hon. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, NYS Sen. Leader Hon. Margaret Chin, NYC Council Member Hon. Carl Heastie, NYS Assembly Speaker Hon. Carlina Rivera, NYC Council Member Hon. Brad Hoylman, NY State Senator Hon. Corey Johnson, NYC Council Speaker Hon. Brian Kavanagh, NY State Senator Hon. Gail Brewer, Manhattan Borough President Hon. Harvey Epstein, NY State Assembly Hon. Jumaane Williams, NYC Public Advocate Hon. Deborah J. Glick, NY State Assembly Hon. Scott Stringer, NYC Comptroller Hon. Yuh-Line Niou, NY State Assembly Hon. , NYS Governor Tammy Meltzer, Chair, Manhattan Community Board 1 Carter Booth, Chair, Manhattan Community Board 2 Alysha Lewis-Coleman, Chair, Manhattan Community 3

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Resolution in Support of the Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel February 24, 2021

Whereas:

1. Trucks carry 90% of New York City's goods, more than any other major North American city, with only 2% of goods coming by rail.1,2,3 a. Most goods bound for Brooklyn, , and Long Island currently travel via truck, mostly through Manhattan or Staten Island. This causes enormous pollution across Lower Manhattan, with disproportionate impact to Black, Asian- American, and brown communities in the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and Two Bridges neighborhoods.4 b. There is almost no freight rail into Long Island, yet freight would dramatically increase efficiency, as one rail car can haul as much as four tractor-trailer trucks.

2. Rep. Nadler has been advocating for the Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel for nearly 20 years, which would connect the industrial ports of Elizabeth, NJ, and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn via a freight-rail tunnel under New York Harbor.5,6 a. This Federal infrastructure project would create a number of green new jobs in the New York area; reduce truck traffic and pollution dramatically, especially on Lower Manhattan streets (Canal, Broome, Delancey, Varick, Hudson, etc.); and

1 The Pizza-and-Beer Train: New York City’s Hidden Railroad, New York Times, April 7, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/07/nyregion/rail-freight-nyc.html 2 Metro Modes: Charting a Path for the U.S. Freight Transportation Network, Brookings Institute and JP Morgan Chase, June 2015, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/srvy_gcifreightmodes_june12.pdf 3 Metro Freight: Goods Trade in Metropolitan America, New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY- NJ-PA Profile, Brookings Institute and JP Morgan Chase, June 2015, https://c24215cec6c97b637db6- 9c0895f07c3474f6636f95b6bf3db172.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/framed/~/media/research/files/reports/2015/06/ 16-freight/profiles/35620.pdf 4 Inequitable Exposure to Air Pollution from Vehicles in New York State, Union of Concerned Scientists, June 2019, https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2019/06/Inequitable-Exposure-to-Vehicle-Pollution- NY.pdf 5 Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel, Wikipedia, retrieved February 21, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross- Harbor_Rail_Tunnel 6 Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) (1993). "HR 2784, New York Harbor Tunnel Act of 1993", https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/house-bill/2784/text

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would be the critical first step to a future in which rail is standard for freight distribution across NYC and Long Island.7,8,9 b. Adding passenger rail for direct connection between New Jersey and Brooklyn would additionally reduce passenger-car trips across Lower Manhattan.10 c. There are opportunities for additional freight and passenger rail connections between Staten Island and Brooklyn, among other locations, but these alternate routes should not get in the way of a cross-harbor rail tunnel directly connecting the regional ports.11 d. There are also opportunities for expanded freight- and passenger-rail lines from Brooklyn through Queens and Long Island, further reducing freight-truck and passenger-car trips across Lower Manhattan.12 e. MTA is studying adding passenger service to the Bay Ridge Freight Line (the same line that the Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel would feed into), between Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and Astoria, Queens; and members of , including CD1 Council Member Margaret Chin, have expressed support for the Triboro Line proposal, which would extend passenger rail service to Co-Op City in the Bronx.13,14,15,16 f. The Tier II Environmental Impact Study (EIS) begun in February 2018 was estimated to take approximately 3 years, and so should be completed and published in the immediate future. Pending the results of the EIS, Congress would be able to move forward with this effort in the current legislative session. g. With a Democratic U.S. Senate, Congress can pass a bill for the Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel via a budget reconciliation process with a simple majority.

7 Cross Harbor Freight Program: Finding Solutions for Improving Regional Freight Transport, Port Authority of NY & NJ and the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, January 2015, https://www.panynj.gov/content/dam/port/our-port/port-development/cross-harbor-freight- program-pdfs/CHFP_Newsletter-Vol2_2015_ENG.pdf 8 Why Freight Matters to Supply Chain Sustainability, US Environmental Protection Agency, retrieved February 21, 2021, https://www.epa.gov/smartway/why-freight-matters-supply-chain-sustainability 9 The Environmental Effects of Freight, Organisation For Economic Co-operation And Development, 1995, http://www.oecd.org/environment/envtrade/2386636.pdf 10 Testimony on Cross Harbor Freight Study, Regional Planning Association, March 22, 2015, https://rpa.org/latest/testimony/testimony-on-cross-harbor-freight-study 11 The Fourth Regional Plan, Regional Plan Association, November 2017, http://www.fourthplan.org/ 12 Attempts to revive rail freight in the City and Long Island, Wikipedia, retrieved February 21, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_freight_transportation_in_New_York_City_and_Long_Island#Attempts_to_revive_rail_freight_in_the_City_and_Long_ Island 13 Letter to MTA Leadership Supporting a Feasibility Study of Triboro Proposal, September 25, 2019, https://rpa.org/latest/news-release/letter-to-mta-leadership-supporting-a-feasibility-study-of-rpas-triboro-proposal 14 Triboro Proposal, Regional Planning Association, February 21, 2021, https://rpa.org/work/campaigns/triboro 15 MTA Studies Adding Passenger Service to Rail Line Linking Brooklyn and Queens, City Limits, January 24, 2020, https://citylimits.org/2020/01/24/mta-studies-adding-passenger-service-to-rail-line-linking-brooklyn-and-queens/ 16 MTA launches Triboro RX feasibility study, 24 years after the initial RPA proposal, January 22, 2020, https://secondavenuesagas.com/2020/01/22/mta-launches-triboro-rx-feasibility-study-24-years-after-the-initial-rpa-proposal/

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Therefore Downtown Independent Democrats advocates that Congress:

1. Fund the Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel project for freight transport between New Jersey and Long Island, to reduce freight-truck trips across Lower Manhattan, contingent on the results of the Tier II Environmental Impact Statement;

2. Include a passenger-rail line in the Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel, to reduce passenger-car trips across Lower Manhattan;

3. Evaluate additional freight- and passenger-rail opportunities to reduce traffic and pollution in Lower Manhattan, such as direct rail lines over Staten Island;

4. Work with city and state agencies to maximize collaboration and minimize conflicts with other planned and proposed rail projects, such as the Triboro Line.

Grassroots Action Plan Email Federal officials in support of Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel

To: Nadler, Maloney, Velázquez, Schumer, Gillibrand Bcc: [email protected]

Dear Reps. Nadler, Maloney, and Velázquez, and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand,

I am a resident of Lower Manhattan and a member of the Downtown Independent Democrats, and I am writing in support of the Cross-Tunnel Rail Tunnel project.

This project will dramatically reduce pollution and congestion in Lower Manhattan, reducing disparate impact on Black, Asian-American, and brown populations in the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and Two Bridges neighborhoods.

Please fund and build the Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel, and let's do our part to reduce the pollution and congestion problems in Lower Manhattan.

Thank you

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