(New York City – September 22, 2014) U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced federal funding for transit authorities to help prevent damage from future storms—like that caused by Hurricane Sandy in New York City, New Jersey and the surrounding region two years ago. The Department of Transportation has selected 40 projects to receive a share of $3.59 billion in federal disaster relief funds to help public transportation systems in the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy to become more resilient, in order to withstand the impact of future natural disasters. Following the announcement, the BlueGreen Alliance’s Executive Director Kim Glas released the following statement:

“Hurricane Sandy showed just how vulnerable our infrastructure systems are to rising seas and extreme storms. As our climate continues to change, we’ll be seeing more frequent and severe events like these, and the systems we rely on every day must be ready for this challenge. Doing so will both address climate change and grow family-sustaining jobs in construction, manufacturing and other economic sectors.

“As we approach the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, repairing America’s basic systems, and modernizing them to be resilient and efficient, should and must be a priority for every level of government in every state and city in this country. We applaud the announcement today from Transportation Secretary Foxx. It further highlights the commitment of this administration to tackling the threat of climate change and its impacts on our infrastructure systems, while growing family-sustaining jobs.”