Schumer demands timeline to reopen Lady Liberty after Sandy

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) spoke in Battery Park Monday and requested a timeline for repairing damage caused by hurricane Sandy. “The Department of Interior has given us no knowledge, no inkling even, of when the statue is going to open," he said. “Providing a hard timeline of their efforts would be a significant step in the right direction in the recovery process."

The landmark is a major tourist destination for New York and storm damage has kept it closed for three months. Schumer also worked to reopen the Statue of Liberty after it closed for 9/11.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer ( D- New York), right, calls for the full opening of the Statue of Liberty as he is joined by U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn and Queens) during a press conferance held at Battery Park on August 2, 2004 in New York City. The statue's base, pedestal and observation deck will reopen tomorrow, August 3, 2004, for the first time since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. (File/UPI Photo/Monika Graff)

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“Without a firm reopening date for the Statue of Liberty, tourists will be unable to plan visits to this iconic symbol of the nation, businesses will not know when they will be able to once again open their doors, and the employees that have been laid off won't know when they will be able to return to work," Schumer said. "As an enduring symbol of our nation and our city, Lady Liberty cannot be allowed to languish any longer than necessary."

A U.S. Coast Guard boat patrols the waters near the Statue of Liberty on September 2, 2004. (File/UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

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