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East Hampton Press / Community / 1634373

Bill To Protect Montauk Lighthouse Passes Senate

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The Montauk Lighthouse LAURA WEIR

The Montauk Lighthouse LAURA WEIR

authorLaura Weir on May 9, 2016

A bill designed to protect the site of the Montauk Lighthouse from shoreline erosion passed the New York State Senate last week.

The resolution, which asks that the State Department of Environmental Conservation be allowed to take on projects at national historical landmark sites owned by private not-for-profits, has been traveling through the legislature since 2014, when it was first introduced by Senator Kenneth P. LaValle and carried in the Assembly by Fred Thiele. Both legislators have introduced the bill again.

Although it is not a local bill, the spirit of the legislation focuses specifically on the Montauk Lighthouse, which has been deeded to the Montauk Historical Society, but has been designated by the United States Secretary of the Interior as a national historical landmark. As of now, the state DEC cannot legally partner with the management of the site to take measures to protect it from shoreline erosion.

“The legislation provides a solution to the issue,” Senator LaValle said in a release. “Without this legislation, the DEC cannot assist with shore erosion there.”

The lighthouse in Montauk, the oldest in New York State, was commissioned by Congress under the administration of President George Washington in 1792, and construction began on it in June 1796. It took six months to complete.

LAURA WEIR

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