Statement from New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer on the Indefinite Postponement of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Storm Risk Management Study for New York Harbor

“The Federal Government’s decision to abandon the Army Corps’ storm surge study is reckless, and it exposes our region to the ravages of the next superstorm. Climate change is real and New Yorkers can’t afford to have the federal government pretend otherwise. Nothing less than the future of our city is on the line. The Army Corps must conclude its study, put shovels in the ground, and begin the build-out of an integrated and feasible shorefront resiliency system that includes floodwalls, dunes, wetlands, and levees —projects that will actually protect our city.”

Last October, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers condemning their plan to construct multi-billion dollar, offshore storm surge barriers in New York Harbor, and urging the agency to instead take a more integrated and environmentally-conscious approach that focused on onshore resiliency measures such as localized floodwalls, dune and wetland restoration, living shorelines, reefs, and levees. The Army Corps’ recent decision to totally abandon its Coastal Storm Risk Management Study for New York Harbor puts the city at grave risk.

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