Flood-mitigation relief could be a step closer for parts of this area after the first successful override of a veto in President Bush's seven-year presidency.
The Senate approved Thursday, by a vote of 79-14, the $23 billion Water Resources Development Act. There were 34 Republicans voting for the legislation.
The bill funds hundreds of Army Corps of Engineers projects, such as dams, sewage plants and beach restoration.
It also includes a Susquehanna and Upper Delaware River provision that would authorize the Corps to work with state and local governments to carry out flood-mitigation and ecosystem-restoration projects. Those projects would deal with issues arising from June 2006 flooding.
One of the areas hardest-hit was the village of Sidney.
Mayor Jim Warren said Thursday that if the funds lead to a way to prevent another disaster, the veto override would be "important" for the area. He said he needed more details about what the money would provide.
The authorization is the necessary first step toward securing funding in a future appropriations bill, according to a news release from both Democratic senators from New York.
"With this critical funding, Army Corps will now have the resources they need to take action to prevent future flooding," said Sen. Charles Schumer.
"The resources provided in this bill will help prevent a repeat of last years's disastrous flooding," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said.
Bush's spokeswoman portrayed the issue as a divide between a budget-conscious president and a big-spending Congress.
"The president is standing up for the taxpayers," White House press secretary Dana Perino said. "No one is surprised that this veto is overridden. This bill doesn't make the difficult choices; it says we can fund every idea out there. That's not a responsible way to budget."
The House voted 361-54 on Tuesday to override the Nov. 2 veto. Rep. Michael A. Arcuri, D-Utica, voted with the majority.
"We are moving critical projects forward to help communities prevent and reduce the damaging effects of natural disasters," he said.
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The Associated Press contributed to this article.
