Southampton - The New York Water Environment Association (NYWEA), a statewide, non-profit organization comprised of water quality management professionals, has selected Timothy Bishop, US Congressman for New York's First Congressional District, to be the recipient of its distinguished Nelson A. Rockefeller Award.
The Rockefeller Award was created by NYWEA to honor an elected official, on a state or national level, who has made substantial and meaningful contributions to advancing the quality of the water environment.
The award was presented at the NYWEA 84th Annual Meeting in New York City at the Marriot Marquis.
"NYWEA is very impressed with Congressman Bishop's commitment to funding our aging infrastructure. He has been a steward for environmental issues on Long Island, in New York State and the nation," said Patricia Cerro-Reehil, NYWEA executive director. NYWEA launched the award to its namesake, Governor Rockefeller, in 1973. Subsequent recipients have included Governor George Pataki, Senator Edmund Muskee, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Congresswoman Nita Lowey.
Congressman Bishop's district spans the eastern end of Long Island from Smithtown to Montauk Point. A lifelong resident of the area, he was first elected to Congress in 2002. His priorities in Congress include the economy, veterans' affairs, the environment, education and health care. He is a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, serving as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Bishop has championed the protection of the Long Island Sound and other waterways, to include bringing back federal funding to improve infrastructure. He is lead sponsor of the Long Island Sound Improvement Act Amendments of 2011 (H.R.2110), which will improve and restore water quality in Long Island Sound by providing new funding and regulatory tools for states and municipalities to protect waters throughout the Sound's watershed. He also defeated a plan to dump contaminated dredge spoil as well as led the opposition against a plan to industrialize the Sound.
Bishop holds a BA in history from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts and a master's degree in Public Administration from Long Island University. He and his wife, Kathryn, reside in the village of Southampton. They have two daughters, Molly and Meghan, and welcomed their first grandchild in 2011.