I

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2784

To direct the Secretary of the Army to conduct a study on a prospective

cross-harbor rail freight tunnel connecting Brooklyn, New York, with

the west side of New York Harbor.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 28, 1993

Mr. NADLER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Public Works and Transportation

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of the Army to conduct a study

on a prospective cross-harbor rail freight tunnel connecting Brooklyn, New York, with the west side of New

York Harbor.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘New York Harbor

5 Tunnel Act of 1993’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 Congress finds that—
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1 (1) trans-harbor and trans-Hudson River trans2 portation links in the vicinity of New York City have

3 been the prospective targets of terrorists intent on

4 taking the lives of innocent Americans and disrupt5 ing the commerce of the United States;

6 (2) the security of such transportation infra7 structure is vital to the economic and military secu8 rity of the Nation;

9 (3) pursuant to a request by the city of New

10 York, the New York Economic Development Cor11 poration will initiate a study, in cooperation with

12 and financed in part by the State of New York, to

13 determine whether New York should build an addi14 tional tunnel to transport rail freight across New

15 York Harbor;

16 (4) an internal analysis conducted by the Army

17 Corps of Engineers in 1941 concluded that it would

18 be in the Nation’s best interest to complete such a

19 tunnel to help secure the transportation system of

20 the northeastern United States against armed attack

21 by foreign powers;

22 (5) previous studies of the potential for such a

23 tunnel, conducted between 1920 and 1993, have con24 cluded that various alignments and configurations,
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1 including a tunnel from the State of New York to

2 the State of New Jersey, might be feasible; and

3 (6) if such a tunnel were built, it would be em4 ployed in the conduct of interstate commerce.

5 SEC. 3. CROSS-HARBOR RAIL FREIGHT TUNNEL.

6 (a) STUDY.—The Secretary of the Army shall con7 duct a study, in cooperation with local, State, and munici8 pal authorities, on alternative physical and operational

9 configurations of a prospective cross-harbor rail freight

10 tunnel connecting Brooklyn, New York, with the west side

11 of New York Harbor.

12 (b) COMPONENTS.—In conducting the study under

13 subsection (a), the Secretary shall—

14 (1) determine whether the tunnel described in

15 subsection (a) could improve the security of the

16 transportation system of the region;

17 (2) recommend ways to optimize the security of

18 such tunnel, including the use of operational and

19 physical security measures;

20 (3) analyze which of the potential alignments

21 and configurations for such tunnel is the most se22 cure against attack, and determine the relative costs

23 of construction for each such alignment;

24 (4) analyze how each alternative alignment for

25 such tunnel could be constructed and which alter-
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1 natives are feasible, consistent with the need for

2 operational viability of the tunnel after completion

3 and the need to protect the environment and to

4 maintain navigation in New York Harbor during the

5 construction phase and thereafter; and

6 (5) determine the costs of each feasible alter7 native alignment for such tunnel, with and without

8 the addition of operational or physical security

9 measures.

10 (c) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—In conducting

11 the study under subsection (a), the Secretary may procure

12 temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b)

13 of title 5, United States Code.

14 (d) REPORT.—Not later than June 1, 1994, the Sec15 retary shall transmit to the Committee on Public Works

16 and Transportation of the House of Representatives and

17 the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the

18 Senate a report on the results of the study conducted

19 under subsection (a).

20 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is

21 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section

22 $800,000 for fiscal year 1994. Such sums shall remain

23 available until expended.

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