Comptroller Stringer Condemns U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Plans for Offshore Storm Barriers

(New York, NY) — New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers condemning their plan to construct offshore storm surge barriers in New York Harbor. In the letter, Comptroller Stringer castigated the Corps’ proposal for not adequately protecting coastal communities from the threat of sea level rise and associated flooding. The Comptroller’s letter also highlighted the long construction timeline associated with the storm barriers and their high cost estimate — noting that the largest of the options outlined in the proposal would take a quarter of a century to build out, cost six times that of shorefront resiliency options, and endanger the delicate ecosystem of the harbor including the region’s network of marshes and wetlands that are critical to mitigating storm surge.

“There’s no question about it — a future Superstorm Sandy will come and New York Harbor will bear the brunt of it. Too many of our waterfront communities are all too vulnerable to the next storm, or even the next high tide. I am urging the Army Corps of Engineers to get shovels in the ground on shorefront resiliency options like floodwalls, dune systems, wetlands, and levees that can protect New Yorkers and their livelihoods,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “Lives are at stake, homes and businesses are on the line, and futures hang in the balance. We need to act with urgency, plan strategically, and build out resiliency efficiently in the era of climate change, because time is not on our side.”

The Comptroller is calling on the agency to implement an integrated and environmentally-conscious approach that’s focused on onshore resiliency measures including localized floodwalls, dune and wetland restoration, living shorelines, reefs, and levees. Comptroller Stringer’s letter noted that this approach was the only way to protect the city from rising sea levels, storm surge from non-catastrophic weather events, and increasingly catastrophic storms in the future.

The letter follows a May 2019 report published by Comptroller Stringer, “The Costs of Climate Change: New York City’s Economic Exposure to Rising Seas,” which exposed substantial underspending of federally-appropriated Superstorm Sandy recovery funding that the City had not yet allocated to protect vulnerable coastline communities including only 57 percent of a combined $14.5 billion in federal funds. The report concluded that lagging spending posed a threat to the 520 miles of coastline citywide, which is estimated at a combined property value of $101.5 billion within the city’s current 100-year floodplain map — marking a more than 50 percent increase in value since 2010.

“As Comptroller Stringer wisely observes, we need to take thoughtful, comprehensive steps to protect our communities from coastal flooding, and in-water barriers simply won’t do the job,” said Riverkeeper President Paul Gallay. “Massive in-water storm surge barriers would do nothing to protect us from sea level rise. They would take decades to build, cost exorbitant sums of money, do real damage to our river ecosystems, and put communities outside of the barriers at much greater risk. Also, we’re seeing them fail in communities like New Orleans. Riverkeeper thanks Comptroller Stringer for challenging the Army Corps to do what’s right for our communities, rather than pinning its hopes on an unworkable and ill-advised non-solution like in-water barriers.”

“It is critical that we have clear paths forward for adapting to sea level rise and climate change, and we appreciate the US Army Corps of Engineers’ work to study our options. We are, however, concerned about the approach, particularly that the authorized study is solely framed around addressing storm surge, when thousands of homes and businesses lie in areas that will likely be permanently inundated from sea level rise by the end of the century. Further, we are concerned about a process which millions are unaware of, and which may be decided without their true engagement. There is no silver bullet to the challenge and we support efforts to get federal dollars to our region. But in doing so, we ask of the Corps and our congressional colleagues to address sea level rise from the outset; significantly increase investment in public engagement; and ensure local leadership in project design and community engagement. We do need solutions and soon, but we need to do it right,” said Roland Lewis, President and CEO, Waterfront Alliance.
“Surfrider is concerned about the negative impact of the proposed NY/NJ Harbor sea gates on our environment, coastal communities, and beaches. Additionally, we are concerned that they will not actually provide protection from sea level rise and storm surge. Instead we join with Comptroller Scott Stringer in urging the USACE to focus on onshore solutions that will protect both us and our environment,” said Nikita Scott, Chair of the NYC Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.

“The Army Corps’ strategy to build a massive wall in the New York Harbor poses serious risks and could do more harm than good. These plans could cause irreparable damage to the ecosystem and coastal communities of the region, threatening marine life and stirring up pollution along our waterfront. What’s worse, this proposal does nothing to address the threat of climate change New Yorkers know all too well. Before racing to erect giant storm-surge barriers, the Corps needs to consider coastal projects that would be less costly, more protective, and less destructive to the environment and local communities,” said Kimberly Ong, Senior Attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

To read Comptroller Stringer’s letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, click here.

To read Comptroller Stringer’s report on protecting the city’s coastlines from future storms, click here.

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