Dear Friend, 

After a busy week in eastern Connecticut, I’m here with an update on a major milestone for repairing homes affected by crumbling foundations, a great decision for our maritime economy on the Long Island Sound, and more from the week. Thanks for starting your weekend here. 

A Major Milestone: 600 Homes with Crumbling Foundations Repaired 

We reached a major milestone this week: 600 families in northeast CT have now been able to return home after having crumbling foundations in their houses repaired. I was pleased to make the announcement on Wednesday with Michael Maglaras, Superintendent of the CT Foundations Solutions Indemnity Company (CFSIC), and Governor Lamont. The crumbling foundations crisis hasn’t just been a nightmare for local families – it has dealt a blow to our region’s entire real estate market. Since the crisis burst in 2015, my office has worked to find support for homeowners at the federal, state, and local levels. We’ve made some real progress, and we’re pressing ahead for more.

The CT General Assembly, Governor Lamont, and CFSIC deserve great credit for taking action to support communities and homeowners who have been upended by this problem. In my office, we’ve been focused on finding additional avenues of support—and we’re leaving no stone unturned. Here’s a quick rundown, click here for more: 

• Direct Financial Assistance–Secured $2 million in the 2022 budget to help homeowners with foundation repairs. This is the first time the federal government has provided direct assistance for crumbling foundations remediation–more information coming soon.
• No Federal Taxes on CFSIC Assistance—Pressed IRS to clarify that beneficiaries of CFSIC assistance do not have to pay federal income taxes on funds received from CFSIC for foundation remediation.  
• Federal Crumbling Foundations Testing Through the Department of Housing and Urban Development—Secured guidance that CT can use federal funding for crumbling foundations testing, leading to the creation of the testing program operating today in Vernon, Ellington, and Stafford, and saving homeowners thousands of dollars.  
• Additional Crumbling Foundations Testing Through NIST—Secured $5.5 million in funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to support crumbling foundations research. UConn has received $1.76 million as a grantee to support this research, which has directly led to free pyrrhotite testing for condominium owners. 

The team at CFSIC have done great work to get us here—600 homes seemed beyond reach back in 2015, and now CFSIC predicts that they’ll hit No. 1,000 in the next 6 months. We’ve still got more work ahead, and my office is ready to keep at it alongside local homeowners every step of the way.

A Great Decision for Our Maritime Economy 

Earlier this month, we got the final answer on long-awaited news that will help our region’s maritime economy keep growing for decades to come. After years of working to fight back against the State of New York’s unfounded legal challenge against the environmentally sound selection of the Eastern Long Island Sound Disposal Site (ELDS) for dredged material—and after New York appealed the Court’s initial decision to uphold the site selection—we got the final decision, once and for all. The U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled to uphold the EPA’s selection of the ELDS, emphatically validating the stance we’ve held from the start. 

On Monday, Rep. Courtney joined local boatyard operators and other maritime stakeholders, New London Mayor Mike Passero, CT AG William Tong, Rep. Holly Cheeseman, and others for an update on the long-awaited, final decision on the ELDS

Dredging isn’t flashy, but for our region it’s essential for everything from boating and fishing, to submarine launch and construction, and more—and the ELDS is essential for dredging activity. With major projects like construction of the new Columbia-class submarine program now at hand, this work has become even more important. The ELDS was designated back in 2005 by EPA and the Army Corps after years of painstaking work by scientists and local stakeholders, including New York, to design a long-term plan to safely manage dredged materials while balancing environmental, economic, and national security concerns. The prolonged legal fight over its execution has created some costly uncertainty for local stakeholders, but I’m glad to report that uncertainty is no more—this battle is finally over, and the correct decision was made.

Rep. Courtney has been working with local stakeholders for years to finalize the ELDS. Above, he’s pictured speaking at a 2018 press conference in response to New York State’s legal challenge of the final EPA dredging rule for the eastern Long Island Sound

The groundswell of input from small marinas, local and state officials, and large stakeholders like SUBASE New London, Cross Sound Ferry, and Electric Boat, clearly helped bring about the positive ruling here—their amicus briefs and affidavits were frequently cited in the decision. Now, with the court’s powerful ruling upholding the plan’s legality, it’s time for all parties to get out of the courthouse and work together to implement this disposal plan. 

The Refurbished USS Nautilus Returns to the Submarine Force Museum 

Last Friday, we celebrated the return of the USS Nautilus to the Submarine Force Museum in Groton. The Nautilus is America and the world’s first-ever nuclear-powered submarine—it was launched in 1954, served in our Navy’s undersea fleet until 1980, and was opened to the public in Groton in 1986. The ship has been receiving repair and maintenance work at SUBASE New London since October, and now that it’s completed, it’s officially open again for visits. It’s great to see have piece of eastern Connecticut and U.S. history back at home, and I was grateful to join the celebration along with lots of local veterans, Navy officials, and the shipbuilders and manufacturers who completed the preservation project. 

Last Friday, Rep. Courtney was joined at the official reopening of the USS Nautilus by Navy veterans, current officers – including Lieutenant Commander Derek Sutton, Officer in Charge of the USS Nautilus, families of the marines who served onboard the vessel, and the skilled workers who completed the preservation project

During the ceremony, Adm. Samuel Cox (Director of Naval History and Heritage Command) reminded the audience why the Nautilus is so significant—German submarines were more advanced than allied subs throughout WWI and WWII, and that imbalance brought us dangerously close to losing both. The Nautilus defined a new standard in undersea capabilities, a mantle the U.S. still holds today, and it was built and launched here in eastern Connecticut. Click here to read a bit more about the significance of the USS Nautilus in The Day.

Now that federally funded repair work is completed, the USS Nautilus is re-open for public tours at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton

The work to preserve the Nautilus is federally funded, and it got started with a provision I helped pass as part of the FY2022 budget—$36 million for maintenance work at SUBASE New London. Last October, the Nautilus was towed up the Thames River to the SUBASE, where workers from several nearby organizations replaced a wooden deck, restored the hull, made repairs to the superstructure, gave the exterior a new paintjob, upgraded the lighting system, and improved accessibility for staff at the museum to conduct future cleaning and maintenance. The project was finished ahead of schedule and under budget. Not bad! 

Energy Assistance is Available—And We’re Pressing for More 

We’re moving towards colder weather, and seniors and families in eastern Connecticut shouldn’t have to worry about staying warm in their homes. We shared information last week on assistance that’s available to help families lower their home energy costs this year through the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)—and it’s still available now. The LIHEAP application window for the 22/23 season is open, and there's no longer an asset test to determine eligibility. Instead, eligibility is now determined only by income, meaning many more will qualify. Click below to apply, or contact your local Community Action Agency.

Click here to get started on an online LIHEAP application for the 22/23 season

Now, as we approach the coldest months of the year, I’m leading my colleagues in the New England Congressional delegation on a new effort to increase LIHEAP funding overall. My office is still hearing from seniors and families about the importance of LIHEAP when it comes to lowering home heating costs, and we need to be sure the support is still there when folks need it. This week, I led my colleagues from the New England Congressional Delegation in calling on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to include a new round of emergency funding for LIHEAP in the upcoming federal budget package. This would help keep home energy costs down through the coldest months, and would be a real benefit for people in eastern Connecticut. Click here to read the full letter. 

We’ll be providing more updates on LIHEAP assistance here. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to give my Norwich office a call if you have any questions about the program or my work to strengthen it. 

Honoring the Victims of the 9/11 Terror Attacks in Enfield and Stafford 

Last Sunday marked 21 years since the September 11th, 2001, and I was grateful to spend it with first responders and lots of other eastern CT residents. On Sunday, I attended the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Enfield Fire Department’s Memorial Tribute Garden. There, the station displays two beams from the fallen Twin Towers. Firefighters in Enfield worked hard to recover these beams—emblazoned on the side of one you can clearly make out “FDNY.” It is a beautiful and emotional tribute that appropriately honors those firefighters, police officers, and other innocent Americans who lost their lives that day. Thank you to Fire Chief Edward Richards, Deputy Chief Bill Higgins, the entire Enfield Fire Department, the Enfield Fire Commission who was represented by Patrick Droney, and the town of Enfield for hosting this event. 

On Sunday, Rep. Courtney attended the 9/11 Memorial Tribute Garden Remembrance Event at the Enfield Fire Department. The station has built a memorial to honor victims of the terror attacks (top photo) which displays two beams from the fallen Twin Towers.

There’s another moving memorial in Stafford, at the West Stafford Fire Department. Fire Chief Bill Morrison, his son Fire Marshal Mark Morrison, and their team have built a memorial to honor two victims of the terror attacks from Stafford, Amy King and Michael Tarrou. On September 11th, Amy and Michael were both working as flight attendants onboard United Airlines Flight 175. They lost their lives when the flight was hijacked and flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Months later, Mark Morrison drove into New York City himself to bring a section of a beam from the South Tower back to Stafford. Bill, Mark, and the station then went to work to build this memorial, ensuring Amy and Michael's names will not be lost to history. Bill tells me that people travel from all over the region to mourn and pay their respects, and that he often looks out from the station to see people sitting on the bench. May Amy and Michael rest in peace. 

Last week, Rep. Courtney visited the West Stafford Fire Department. Fire Chief Bill Morrison and his son, Fire Marshal Mark Morrison built this memorial to honor two victims of the 9/11 terror attacks from Stafford, Amy King and Michael Tarrou

Thanks as always for taking some time to read my update. If we can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to my Norwich office at (860) 886-0139. Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Joe Courtney
Member of Congress

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