Thursday, February 8, 2024

MTA - PSA Newsletter 7 (February 2024)

 

Welcome to the Penn Station Access Project quarterly newsletter. Penn Station Access will bolster equity, regional connectivity, and reliability by upgrading existing infrastructure and providing a new accessible transit option. Read on to learn more about recent progress, community engagement, and upcoming work. For past newsletter issues, click here. For updates on specific areas along the project corridor where work will take place, sign up here.


Para obtener más información sobre los hitos recientes del proyecto y el trabajo próximo, haga clic aqui.

Recent Progress

2023 Year in Review

The Penn Station Access team made significant progress throughout the project corridor in 2023—including site preparation and grading, drainage systems, micropile installation, switch and track work, and modernizing the overhead catenary systems. Much of this work was concentrated at Leggett Interlocking near Hunts Point. Once commissioned, this critical junction will enable greater operational flexibility for Amtrak and the project.




Recent Progress: Bridge Rehabilitation

In addition to 4 new stations, the project includes 19 miles of track work, 4 new interlockings, 1 reconfigured interlocking, 5 new and 2 upgraded substations, and 4 bridge rehabilitations. The Design-Builder has made steady progress at the first two bridges—the Eastchester Road Bridge near Morris Park and the Bronxdale Avenue Bridge near Parkchester/Van Nest. To minimize disruption to rail service and roadway traffic, the contractor has deployed a strategic span-by-span approach to these bridge rehabilitations. Over the last few months, the team has completed the installation of tiebacks and micropiles at both bridges. 

PSA construction workers preparing for superstructure demolition work

at Bronxdale Avenue Bridge, December 2023

Community Corner


2023 Wrap Up

Community meetings were an integral part of our success in 2023. Throughout the year, the project team participated in more than 20 stakeholder meetings and community events where we heard valuable feedback from local leadership and interested citizens. Thanks to the stakeholder groups and members of the public who attended.

Neighborhood Spotlight: Co-op City

Co-op City is the nation’s largest cooperative housing project, accommodating nearly 50,000 people in 15,372 apartments across 35 towers and 7 three-story townhouse clusters. Constructed from 1965 to 1973 on marshy land and sand fill in the East Bronx, the cooperative originated as an affordable housing project aimed at middle class New Yorkers [Source: https://www.coopcity.com/aboutus]. The Penn Station Access Project will bring direct Metro-North service to the area, transforming access to Manhattan and the Northeast Corridor for the many residents living in and around

Co-op City.

Meet the Team

Duke Samala serves as the Design-Builder’s Quality Control Manager. He has 16 years of experience as a civil engineer and helped to execute the construction of Newark International Airport’s Terminal One. As the Quality Control Manager, he ensures that the project is compliant with the contract and design specifications, acts as a liaison to a variety of project personnel, and provides quality control inspections and testing at work sites throughout the alignment. Duke feels fortunate to be able to contribute to the advancement of New York’s transportation infrastructure. He stands by the principle of always trying to do one’s best and doing the right thing even when no one else is looking.

Commitment to Diversity

In observation of Black History Month & Women’s History Month, the project is celebrating its commitment to promoting a diverse business environment. We’re expanding contract opportunities for often-excluded minority and women entrepreneurs. The MTA, together with the Design-Builder, have established a goal to award 22.5% of the contract values to disadvantaged businesses.


For more information on MTA’s business opportunities for minorities, women and veterans with service disabilities please visit us here.


Up Next

Work will continue to advance throughout the project alignment in 2024. Leggett Interlocking will be commissioned. The contractor will reconstruct the center piers at both the Eastchester Road and Bronxdale Avenue Bridges and commence work at the Pelham Lane and Bronx River Bridges. Foundation construction will continue at the Hunts Point, Morris Park, and Co-op City station areas.


Contact Us

Interested community members can now sign up for

updates on specific areas along the project corridor

where work will take place.


Website: http://new.mta.info/project/penn-station-access

Email: PSAOutreach@mtacd.org

Phone: 347-263-7837


Copyright (C) 2024 MTA Penn Station Access Outreach.

All rights reserved.


Governor Hochul Celebrates First Milestone for New York’s Pro-Housing Communities Program as More Than 80 Localities Launch Applications

Governor Hochul hosts a Pro-Housing Roundtable. 

Twenty Localities From Long Island, Mid-Hudson, Central New York, Western New York, Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier, North Country and Capital Regions Recognized for Their Commitment to Housing Growth – 81 Localities Have Started or Completed Applications to Date

Pro-Housing Communities Will Receive Priority Consideration Over Other Localities for Up to $650 Million in State Discretionary Funds; Under State of the State Proposal, Certification Would Be Required to Access These Funds

Builds on Governor’s Long-Term Strategy to Promote Housing Growth – Including 2024 State of the State Agenda to Increase New York’s Housing Supply

Governor Kathy Hochul today celebrated the certification of New York’s first Pro-Housing Communities as part of her long-term strategy to support local efforts to build more housing statewide. The state’s first 20 Pro-Housing Communities include localities in the Long Island, Mid-Hudson, Central New York, Western New York, Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier, North Country, and Capital Regions. The certification, first announced by Governor Hochul last year as part of a package of Executive Actions to increase the housing supply, recognizes localities committed to housing growth and gives them priority consideration over other localities for up to $650 million in state discretionary funding. As part of her 2024 State of the State, Governor Hochul proposed strengthening the Pro-Housing Communities program by making the certification a requirement for communities to access state discretionary funds.

“These 20 communities — and more than 60 others who have started their applications — are taking a stand to build a better, more prosperous, and more affordable future for New York,” Governor Hochul said. “The only way to solve the housing crisis is to build hundreds of thousands of new homes, and through the Pro-Housing Communities program, my administration is continuing to put its full-fledged support, including up to $650 million, behind communities that are serious about housing growth.”


Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “We are thrilled to announce the first localities to be certified as Pro-Housing Communities and congratulate our government partners for such a tremendous accomplishment. By directly linking up to $650 million in discretionary funds to certification, Governor Hochul is incentivizing municipalities to do more to ease the housing crunch being felt in every region of the state. HCR will continue to work closely with New York’s local governments on the certification process and we look forward to announcing additional certified communities throughout the year ahead.”

The 20 communities receiving Pro-Housing certification are:

  • The city of Binghamton (Southern Tier)
  • The village of Canajoharie (Mohawk Valley)
  • The town of Canton (North Country)
  • The village of Canton (North Country)
  • The village of Croton-on-Hudson (Mid-Hudson)
  • The village of Dryden (Southern Tier)
  • The city of Dunkirk (Western New York)
  • The village of Johnson City (Southern Tier)
  • The city of Kingston (Mid-Hudson)
  • The town of Lowville (North Country)
  • The village of Mineola (Long Island)
  • The town of New Lebanon (Capital Region)
  • The city of New Rochelle (Mid-Hudson)
  • The city of Newburgh (Mid-Hudson)
  • The town of North Elba (North Country)
  • The town of Plattsburgh (North Country)
  • The city of Poughkeepsie (Mid-Hudson)
  • The village of Pulaski (Central New York)
  • The town of Red Hook (Mid-Hudson)
  • The city of White Plains (Mid-Hudson)

Pro-Housing Community Program

In 2023, Governor Hochul signed an Executive Order to establish the Pro-Housing Community Program in order to recognize and reward municipalities actively working to unlock their housing potential and encourage others to follow suit. Localities that have successfully unlocked housing growth or committed to taking important steps to support housing, such as by streamlining permitting and adopting pro-housing policies, and that have applied and submitted critical housing and zoning data to the state, will receive a certification from New York State Homes and Community Renewal that will make them eligible for $650 million in state discretionary funding. The discretionary funding programs include:

  • Downtown Revitalization Initiative, administered by the Department of State; 
  • NY Forward, administered by the Department of State; 
  • Regional Council Capital Fund, administrated by Empire State Development; 
  • New York Main Street, administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal; 
  • Market New York capital grants, administered by Empire State Development; 
  • Long Island Investment Fund, administered by Empire State Development; 
  • Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund, administered by Empire State Development; and 
  • Public Transportation Modernization Enhancement Program, administrated by the Department of Transportation.

Localities who submit documentation that their housing stock has increased by one percent in the previous year or 3 percent over the previous three years (downstate) or by 0.33 percent in the last year or 1 percent over the previous three years (upstate) will qualify for the certification. Communities that have not yet seen housing growth can also achieve Pro-Housing Community designation by passing a resolution stating their commitment to Pro-Housing principles along with submitting the required housing and zoning data.

HCR is reviewing program applications on a rolling basis and will provide approval or denial within 90 days of submission. Applications are available on the program website.


Justice Department Announces Charges and Arrest in Two Separate Illicit Technology Transfer Schemes to Benefit Governments of China and Iran

 

Cases Mark One-Year Since Launch of Disruptive Technology Strike Force

In two separate cases out of U.S. Attorneys’ Offices on opposite coasts, several individuals are charged – one of whom was arrested – in connection with sophisticated schemes to transfer sensitive technology, goods, and information for the benefit of hostile foreign adversaries, in violation of U.S. law.

In the Eastern District of New York, two Iranian nationals are charged with conspiring to export equipment used in the aerospace industry to the Government of Iran, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), in connection with an alleged conspiracy to illegally export U.S. goods and technology without the required licenses.

In the Central District of California, a man was arrested for allegedly stealing trade secrets developed for use by the U.S. government to detect nuclear missile launches and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles.

“One year ago, I launched the Disruptive Technology Strike Force to strike back against adversaries trying to steal our nation’s most powerful technology and use it against us,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Since then, working with our partners at the Commerce Department, we have arrested more than a dozen corporate executives, engineers, distributors, and other high-profile targets on charges that include sanctions and export control violations, and other offenses involving the unlawful transfer of sensitive information and technology. Today’s charges against three additional defendants for seeking to illegally transfer U.S. software and semiconductor technology with military applications to benefit Iran and China highlight the critical importance of our fight against this national security threat.”

“The FBI continues to take aggressive investigative action to hold accountable those who seek to violate sanctions and illegally provide sensitive technology to foreign adversaries,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “Stealing U.S. trade secrets and technology, especially when it can be used for military purposes, will not be tolerated. We will continue to work closely with our partners in the Disruptive Technology Strike Force to stop such activity and protect the national security of the United States.”

“In its first year, the Disruptive Technology Strike Force has strengthened enforcement and disrupted numerous criminal schemes to smuggle highly-sensitive technology that foreign adversaries wield to advance their military and other malign agendas,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The cases announced today underscore the commitment of the Justice Department and our partners to disrupt illegal efforts to siphon off U.S. ingenuity and to safeguard American security and innovation. “

“In the just one year since the launch of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, we’ve stood up over a dozen local investigative cells, opened scores of investigations, and brought criminal charges against more than a dozen individuals and companies associated with nation-state adversaries,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. “Today’s announcement provides the latest example of our unwavering mission — keeping our country’s most sensitive technologies out of the world’s most dangerous hands.”

United States v. Bazzazi (EDNY)

According to court documents, between January 2008 and August 2019, Abolfazi Bazzazi, 79, of Iran, and his son Mohammad Resa Bazzazi, 43, of Iran, and their co-conspirators sought to evade U.S. sanctions and export laws by working to procure goods and technology, including aeronautical ground support equipment, ultraviolet flame detectors, and firefighting equipment, from U.S. companies for end users in Iran, including the Government of Iran, without obtaining the required licenses or other authorization from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

“As alleged, the Bazzazis devised an intricate scheme to evade U.S. export laws in obtaining U.S. equipment and technology to be exported to Iran and for the Government of Iran which has been designated by the United States government as a state sponsor of terrorism,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “The defendants allegedly attempted to obtain commercial and military aircraft items from multiple U.S. companies that supply the military, aerospace, and firefighting industries. These charges demonstrate the resolve of this office and the Department of Justice to prosecute those who seek to aid the Government of Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions.”

According to the indictment, the defendants sought to obtain components that could be used by Iran’s aerospace industry. Additionally, they disguised the final destination of U.S. goods by attempting to forward them through intermediaries in Europe and elsewhere. As alleged, the Bazzazis acted on behalf of the Government of Iran.

The Bazzazis are charged with conspiracy to violate the IEEPA, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and smuggling goods from the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The defendants remain at large.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and FBI are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Jonathan P. Lax, Nomi D. Berenson, and Adam Amir for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney Adam Small of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

United States v. Gong (CDCA)

As alleged, Chenguang Gong, 57, of San Jose, California, was arrested yesterday in San Jose and is expected to make his initial appearance today in the Northern District of California. Gong is a native of China and became a United States citizen in 2011.

Gong is charged in a criminal complaint with theft of trade secrets. According to court documents, Gong transferred more than 3,600 files from the research and development company where he worked — identified in court documents as the victim company — to personal storage devices during his brief tenure with the company last year. The files Gong allegedly transferred include blueprints for sophisticated infrared sensors designed for use in space-based systems to detect nuclear missile launches and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles, and blueprints for sensors designed to enable U.S. military aircraft to detect incoming heat-seeking missiles and take countermeasures, including by jamming the missiles’ infrared tracking ability. Some of these files were later found on storage devices seized from Gong’s temporary residence in Thousand Oaks, according to the affidavit in support of the complaint.

Together with the U.S. government and others, the affidavit states, the victim company “has invested tens of millions each year for more than seven years to develop the technology,” and it “would be extremely damaging economically” to the victim company if the technology were obtained by its competitors and “dangerous to U.S. national security if obtained by international actors.”

“We will do everything to protect our nation’s security, including from foreign threats,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “Mr. Gong, who had previously sought to provide the People’s Republic of China with information to aid its military, stole sensitive and confidential information related to detecting nuclear missile launches and tracking ballistic and hypersonic missiles. We know that foreign actors, including the PRC, are actively seeking to steal our technology, but we will remain vigilant against this threat remain vigilant against this threat by safeguarding the innovations of American businesses and researchers.”

“The FBI is committed to protecting our nation’s critical technologies and to pursuing those who look to steal trade secret information for their benefit or for the benefit of foreign adversaries,” said Assistant Director in Charge Donald Alway of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “The theft of trade secrets, especially of sensitive military technology, undermines our national security, erodes U.S. competitiveness in the global market, and harms the businesses and individuals who have invested time, resources, and creativity into developing innovative technologies. Our actions today send a strong message that anyone willing to steal proprietary information from U.S. businesses will face consequences in the criminal justice system.”

As alleged in the affidavit, the victim company hired Gong in January 2023 to work at one its laboratories as an application-specific integrated circuit design manager responsible for the design, development and verification of its infrared sensors. Beginning on approximately March 30, 2023, and continuing until his termination on April 26, 2023, Gong transferred thousands of files from his work laptop to three personal storage devices, including hundreds of files after he had accepted a job on April 5, 2023, at one of the victim company’s main competitors.

Many of the files Gong allegedly transferred contained proprietary and trade secret information related to the development and design of a readout integrated circuit that allows space-based systems to detect missile launches and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles while providing resilience and a readout integrated circuit that allows aircraft to track incoming threats in low visibility environments. Gong also allegedly transferred trade secret files relating to the development of “next generation” sensors capable of detecting low observable targets while demonstrating increased survivability in space, as well as the blueprints for the mechanical assemblies used to house and cryogenically cool the victim company’s sensors. This information was among the victim company’s most important trade secrets worth hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the complaint, and many of the files were marked “[VICTIM COMPANY] PROPRIETARY,” “FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY,” “PROPRIETARY INFORMATION,” and “EXPORT CONTROLLED.”

During the investigation, the affidavit states, the FBI discovered that, between approximately 2014 and 2022 while employed at several major technology companies in the United States, “Gong submitted numerous applications to ‘Talent Programs’ administered by the People’s Republic of China government.” The affidavit explains that “the PRC has established talent programs through which it identifies individuals located outside the PRC who have expert skills, abilities, and knowledge that would aid in transforming the PRC’s economy, including its military capabilities.” To entice applicants, “the PRC government rewards Talent Recruits with significant financial and social incentives,” noting that the “salaries often meet or exceed salaries the Talent Recruits draw through their non-PRC employment.”

In 2014, while employed at a U.S. information technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the affidavit states that Gong sent a business proposal to a contact at the 38th Research Institute of the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, a high-tech research institute in China focused on both military and civilian products. In his proposal, translated from Chinese, Gong described a plan to produce high-performance analog-to-digital converters similar to those produced by his employer, noting that the global market for those products “is basically monopolized by several companies in the United States” and that the export of those items from the United States requires a “government export license.” On May 8, 2023, the FBI executed a search warrant at Gong’s temporary residence in Thousand Oaks, California, and recovered several digital devices containing hundreds of documents marked as confidential or proprietary belonging to the U.S. information technology company, the affidavit alleges.

In another Talent Program application in September 2020, the affidavit states, Gong proposed to develop “low light/night vision” image sensors for use in military night vision goggles and civilian applications. In a video presentation included with Gong’s submission, Gong used a video containing the model number of a sensor developed by an international defense, aerospace, and security company where Gong worked from 2015 to 2019.

According to the affidavit, Gong also travelled to China several times to seek Talent Program funding to develop sophisticated analog-to-digital converters. In his Talent Program applications, Gong underscored that the high-performance analog-to-digital converters he proposed to develop in China had military applications, explaining that they “directly determine the accuracy and range of radar systems” and that “[m]issile navigation systems also often use radar front-end systems.” In a 2019 email, translated from Chinese, Gong remarked that he “took a risk” by traveling to China to participate in the Talent Programs “because [he] worked for . . . an American military industry company[]” and thought he could “do something” to contribute to China’s “high-end military integrated circuits.” The affidavit states that Gong “continued to seek funding from Chinese government programs through at least March 2022.”

BIS and the FBI are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nisha Chandran and David Lachman for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Brendan Geary of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

These cases were coordinated through the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states. Under the leadership of the Assistant Attorney General for National Security and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement, the Strike Force leverages tools and authorities across the U.S. government to enhance the criminal and administrative enforcement of export control laws.

An indictment and a criminal complaint are merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.