{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://amo.house.gov/press-release/ri-delegation-announces-15-million-to-remove-languishing-sunken-crane-topped-barge-from-providence-river-and-turn-the-eyesore-into-art", "RI Delegation Announces $1.5 Million to Remove Languishing Sunken Crane-Topped Barge from Providence River and Turn the Eyesore Into Art", "2024-09-05", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "RI", "Gabe Amo", "A000380", "amo.house.gov", "amo", "https://amo.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "PROVIDENCE, RI \u2013 U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Representatives Seth Magaziner (D-RI) and Gabe Amo (D-RI) today announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded a $1,500,512 grant to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) to remove a sunken, crane-topped barge from the Providence River. The 114-foot barge, which is located at the end of Public Street in South Providence, sank into the river during a nor'easter in October 2017. Upon the barge\u2019s removal, RIDEM will partner with The Steel Yard to engage local community groups and high school students to help transform materials recovered from the barge into community-informed art and amenities for a public waterfront access point at the end of Public Street.\n\n\u201cThis will provide a major lift to the years-long effort to remove the sunken barge, which is an eyesore and safety hazard,\u201d said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee. \u201cNot only is the federal government providing funds, thanks to the role of Senator Whitehouse, to clean up this mess, but there is a coordinated effort to salvage the material so The Steel Yard can transform it into engaging works of art.\u201d\n\n\u201cFinally getting that sunken crane out of the water will be a big deal. I am looking forward to seeing what The Steel Yard and some talented Rhode Island students can do to turn the eyesore into public artwork befitting its location across the highway from the iconic Big Blue Bug,\u201d said Senator Whitehouse, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and a champion for cleaning up marine debris.\n\n\u201cArt and activism often go hand in hand, and this federal funding will be used to not only clean up the ocean but also beautify the community with art from repurposed materials,\u201d said Congressman Magaziner.\n\n\u201cTurning a derelict barge into beautiful d\u00e9cor is just the latest example of how Rhode Island leverages its past to create a better tomorrow,\u201d said Congressman Amo. \u201cThis federal funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will help clean up Providence\u2019s waterfront and make it safer for vessels, all while uplifting the incredible work that The Steel Yard does to benefit local artists and improve our community.\u201d\n\nThe 114-foot-long, more than 150-ton barge sunk into the Providence River during a storm on October 17, 2017, and is completely submerged except for its mounted crane, which sticks out of the water at a 45-degree angle. The barge poses no immediate environmental hazard and does not obstruct commerce in the port. Multiple efforts over the years to remove the barge from the river have been sidelined by funding issues and potential environmental hazards.\n\n\u201cThe crane's removal is long overdue, and I'm excited to see what our state's talented artists and students create to turn this blight into beauty,\u201d said Governor Dan McKee.\n\n\u201cDEM is grateful for this federal funding from NOAA\u2019s Marine Debris Program to fund the removal of the barge, which has been one of our priorities for years,\u201d said RIDEM Director Terry Gray. \u201cOur partnership with The Steel Yard will repurpose the steel from the crane and barge for art inspired by the local community\u2019s input.\u201d\n\nThis project\u2019s grant funding was authorized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s Marine Debris Program alongside more than $23 million in federal funding for 13 new projects to remove large marine debris in communities across the country. Funding for NOAA\u2019s Marine Debris Program was included in Democrats\u2019 historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Senators Reed and Whitehouse helped pass in 2022.\n\nWhitehouse and Senator Dan Sullivan\u2019s (R-AK) bipartisan bill reauthorizing NOAA\u2019s Marine Debris Program passed through the Senate Commerce Committee in late July. Whitehouse and Sullivan had previously teamed up on the Save Our Seas and Save Our Seas 2.0 laws, which were the most comprehensive legislation ever passed by Congress to reduce marine debris.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://amo.house.gov/press-release/ri-delegation-announces-15-million-to-remove-languishing-sunken-crane-topped-barge-from-providence-river-and-turn-the-eyesore-into-art"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4397159684449434, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}