OWEN H, IOHNSON DISTRICT OFFI€E:

CHAIRMAN OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE 23-24 ARCYI-E SOUARE

BABYLON LONC ISLAND, NY ] I7O2
CHAIRMAN 163 t) 669-9200
SUBCOI\4MITTEE ON L.I. ]\IARINE DISTRICT
ALBANY OFFICE:
COMMISSIO N ER THE SENATE ROOM 9t3
ATLANTIC STATES
LEGISLA'IIVE OFFICE BLDC.
MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION STATE OF NEW YORK ALBANY, NY I2247
(518) 45r-341 l

E-MAIL ADDRESS:
oiohnson@senate state ny.us

September 24,2008 WEBSITE:

www. se natorowen joh n s o n. n ct

Hon. David Paterson

New York State Governor
Executive Chamber, State Capitol
Albany, New York 12224

Re: A.9870-A15.6728-A

Dear Governor Paterson:

As the Senate sponsors of the above-referenced legislation, we write this letter to express
our profound disappointment in your decision to veto this extremely important legislation that
would benefit the residents and protect the environment of Western Suffolk County.

In reviewing your Veto Message 73, we note your directive which provides as follows:

"In the interim, I am asking the DOT, the Department of

Environmental Conservation (which maintains the Preserve), and
the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (which
has jurisdiction over the Sagtikos Parkway), to meet with federal,
state and local leaders) as well as civic and environmental groups,
especially Friends of the Edgewood Preserve and the Four Towns
Civic Association, and private developers, and develop a
comprehensive regional traffic plan to present to both the
Legislature and myself early next year."

In light of this directive, we ask that you provide us with specific information pertaining
to the make up of this ad-hoc committee including: the name of the members; who will serve as
chairperson; dates of meetings held to date and those scheduled in the future; and a specific date
for this committee to submit a final report to the Legislature and your office.

To be clear, we believe your decision to veto this legislation that would have transferred
an approximate 120-acre parcel of environmentally sensitive land from the Pilgrim State Hospital
into the Oak Brush Plain Preserve was wrong and ask that you take note of the following while
the ad-hoc committee is deliberatins:

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