Representative Adriano Espaillat Hosts Over 100 Environmental Justice Advocates, Leaders, Students During Annual Boat Tour

Tour Photos

NEW YORK, NY - Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) marked a successful third annual environmental justice boat tour along the Harlem and Bronx Rivers to assess concerns and progress along these corridors. During the tour, Rep. Espaillat was joined by more than 100 environmental advocates, students, and city and state officials.

"Thank you to each of the environmental advocates who joined this year's boat tour to further our work to address the needs and investment along the Harlem River," said Rep. Espaillat. "The interest in this tour has grown and this year I was proud to welcome more than 100 environmental policy leaders on the tour. I am especially grateful to each of the groups for their ongoing commitment and efforts to address the growing environmental challenges along the greenway and for their attention on the impact climate change is having on the surrounding communities. We are stronger when we worked united in our efforts to put into place multi-layered solutions that will benefit families and businesses in the region for many years to come."

This marked the third year Rep. Espaillat has hosted the tour, which took place at the Dyckman Marina located at Inwood Hill Park. This year's event was held in collaboration with The Bronx and Harlem River Watersheds Urban Waters Federal Partnership, the Harlem River Working Group, the Hudson River Foundation, Bronx Council for Environmental Quality, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, South Bronx Unite!, Fordham University, and the New York/New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program.

"Rep. Espaillat's annual Harlem River Environmental Justice boat tour is an important occasion and serves as a unique opportunity to bring together community advocates, and environmental justice leaders with the shared goals of enhancing our neighborhoods and improving our precious waters. The Harlem River is a natural jewel of New York City which should be enjoyed and protected," said EPA Region 2 Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "EPA is proud of our continued collaboration and support of the Bronx/Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Federal Partnership."

"The Harlem River Working Group is proud to partner with Representative Espaillat on this 3rd Annual Environmental Justice Tour. This annual tour allows local residents and organizations to share their perspectives on historic inequities and recent projects to improve access to the Harlem River with city, state and federal elected officials and agencies. We are grateful for the progress that we are making with the support of Congressman Espaillat and all of our partners, and know with our combined efforts that the residents of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx will soon be able to enjoy access to both greenways and on-water recreational programs," said Chauncy Young, Coordinator, Harlem River Working Group.

"We are grateful for Representative Adriano Espaillat's leadership in these environmental justice boat tours. All enjoyed the beautiful weather on the Harlem and Hudson Rivers helping to increase networking and promoting the needed work for our waterfronts. Thank you to all the partners who joined us this year," said Karen Argenti, Secretary, Bronx Council for Environmental Quality.

"Our annual boat ride on the Harlem River is great reminder of how far we have come and how far we need to go to ensure that the river contributes to the health and well-being of neighboring communities," said Robett Pirani, Director, New York - New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program at the Hudson River Foundation. "Thank you, Congressman Espaillat and our partners in the Bronx & Harlem Urban Waters Federal Partnership, for keeping your eyes on the prize of environmental justice."

"We're thrilled to celebrate another remarkable year engaging with community, local, state, and federal partners on the Harlem River. The annual Environmental Justice Boat Tour showcases the importance of cross-sector Partnerships and the incredible progress we achieve when we facilitate those collaborative opportunities. We're incredibly thankful for all of our partners and Representative Espaillat, who work to highlight the successes and continued needs for environmental justice on the Harlem River," said the EPA Harlem and Bronx Watershed Urban Waters Partnership.

"We're grateful to Representative Espaillat for hosting these annual environmental justice tours, as they provide a platform for local advocates to discuss the issues our communities face as well as the solutions we are working to advance," said Peggy Shepard, Co-Founder & Executive Director of WE ACT for Environmental justice. "This year's tour gave us an opportunity to talk about our EPA Region 2 Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center, which is helping community-based organizations and municipalities access the billions of dollars of funding the Biden-Harris administration has made available for environmental justice projects."

"We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Rep. Adriano Espaillat for hosting a remarkable morning boat tour dedicated to advancing environmental justice along the Harlem River Waterfront in the Bronx and Northern Manhattan. This crucial area plays a vital role in ensuring the community's access to a clean and hazard free waterfront. As the Thriving Communities Grantmaker for Region 2, we were thrilled to present our $50M grantmaking program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, to support environmental justice projects and organizations deeply involved in the work. Keep an eye out for our upcoming fall application to secure federal funds for community-led environmental justice solutions," said Dr. Julie L. Gafney, Associate Vice President, Fordham University.

"Rep. Espaillat's annual Harlem River Environmental Justice boat tour is a testament to the power of community and collaboration in addressing environmental challenges. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is committed to working alongside our partners to protect and enhance the Harlem River, ensuring it remains a vital resource for generations to come. Together, we can make significant strides in environmental stewardship and justice," said Colonel Alex Young, Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District.

"On July 26th, South Bronx Unite was proud to join community advocates across the Bronx and Uptown Manhattan on an environmental justice boat tour to spread awareness about several grassroots efforts, including our community-envisioned Mott Haven-Port Morris Waterfront Plan, to increase our communities' access to the Harlem River and other waterways, which have been inaccessible to working-class communities of color for decades and whose waterfronts have been a major source of pollution, especially in the South Bronx. We thank the public agencies and elected officials' representatives who joined the tour and look forward to our ongoing partnership. And we thank Congressman Espaillat for continuing to host this important annual event," said Matthew Shore, Senior Community Organizer, South Bronx Unite.

"The U.S. Geological Survey is proud to be collaborating with community and federal partners as the lead for the Urban Waters Federal Partnership Bronx and Harlem Rivers location," said Rob Breault, director of the USGS New York Water Science Center. "Events like the Harlem River Environmental Boat Tour provide an opportunity to highlight and strengthen the partnerships needed to address water-resources issues to help protect and revitalize these watersheds."

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government's vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at [email protected]