Overview
Blue Buffers is the first statewide proactive voluntary private property buy-out program in New York.
Blue Buffers was authorized in the historic 2022 Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act (EBA), which provides $250 million to RHC to purchase properties at risk of flooding from willing sellers, remove the structures, and transfer properties to land stewards to facilitate restoration. Purchased properties are maintained as open space in perpetuity, which can create a “buffer” to reduce a community’s future flood risks.
To learn more, visit bluebuffers.org.