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Federal dollars will help address growing flood risk for frontline communities
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (Massachusetts 7th District) visited Chelsea City Hall on Feb. 20 for a roundtable discussion and press conference to celebrate the $750,000 in federal funding she secured for the Island End River Flood Resilience Project of the Cities of Chelsea and Everett. The federal dollars will help address the growing flood risk for environmental justice communities in Chelsea and Everett, which are home to critical food distribution and energy infrastructure.
“Our growing climate crisis is a racial, economic, and public health issue that requires bold, intersectional investments to confront it head on,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “With environmental justice communities like Chelsea and Everett at increased risk of flooding and other climate-related disaster, I’m proud to deliver this federal funding to help protect residents from the long-term impact of climate change. I thank City Manager Maltez, Mayor DeMaria, and all of our advocates for their close partnership in bringing this vital project to fruition.”
“The Island End River flood barrier will protect thousands of residents in our communities and billions of dollars in infrastructure,” said Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez. “Chelsea has been working hard to close this flood pathway for years now, and the Community Project Funding that Congresswoman Pressley brought to the project has been critical to moving it forward. This is the kind of federal support that will ensure we are ready to meet the challenges climate change will create locally, and that our community is still thriving fifty years from now.”
“I appreciate Congresswoman Pressley prioritizing the funding needs for this project given all the compelling requests her office receives for earmarks,” said Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria. “I also would like to thank our partners in Chelsea for their collaboration with the shared understanding of the importance of building resiliency against increasing threats of coastal flooding and the risks that our communities would face to public infrastructure and critical economic areas without this important work being done.”
“This is an enormous project that has required leadership at every level, from community groups to Congresswoman Pressley,” said the Mystic River Watershed Association’s Senior Policy Advisor, Julie Wormser. “We’re so grateful that she and others have stepped up in such a major way to protect residents and our regional food security from increasingly damaging coastal flooding.”
According to pressley.house.gov, “Rep. Pressley secured the federal funding for the Island End River Project in the government spending package that passed Congress and was signed into law by President Biden in March 2022. In Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023, Rep. Pressley has secured tens of millions in federal funding for 25 community projects across the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, capping off years of advocacy by the Congresswoman and local leaders.”
