IN TESTIMONY BEFORE SENATE COMMITTEE, SCHUMER LAYS OUT NECCESARY STEPS TO PROTECT NEW YORK COASTLINE FROM FUTURE FLOODING
Schumer Lays Out Necessary Reforms To Accelerate Flood Protection Projects – In the Past Such Projects Have Sometimes Taken Decades
Also Pushed In-Depth Army Corps Study and Detail Specific Steps That Should Be Considered
Schumer: “This is the ‘New Normal’ And We Need To Be Prepared”
Last week, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) during a hearing entitled, “Sandy and Its Impacts: A Local Perspective.” Schumer laid out necessary reforms that need to be made to current programs to ensure that vital flood protection projects don’t take decades to complete. He will also pushed for a in-depth study, to be done by the Army Corps of Engineers, so a comprehensive and long term plan for flood protection can be created.
Following Schumer’s testimony, EPW Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said the committee would include a host of Schumer’s recommendations into an upcoming flood control bill.
Key excerpts from Schumer’s remarks, as prepared, are as follows
“To protect ourselves in the future, we must Accelerate, Study, and Streamline. And then build. We can no longer be burdened by rules that were written before massive floods were common, and a process that was created before storms of the century happened every 15 years.
“First, we must fast-track and build the federal projects that Congress has already authorized and the Corps of Engineers has studied. There are things we could do right now that would provide real protection in the short-term.”
…
“That’s why a comprehensive Army Corps study, in partnership with the Governors of New York and New Jersey, the Port Authority, the MTA, and the City of New York, must commence immediately to look at a range of options and recommend them to this Committee and this Congress.”
…
“Third, we must reform the federal flood protection process that the Army Corps of Engineers currently operates under.
“Let me be blunt: this process is badly, badly broken. Projects take years and decades because of a mound of red-tape and a lack of adequate funding.
“The Army Corps must pause their work on projects between each of the study, design, and construction phases, in an outmoded and inefficient and outmoded process that is crying out for reform.”
A full copy of Schumer’s remarks, as prepared, are below:
Thank you for taking the time to hold this hearing to discuss the damage to New York’s coastline from flooding and storm surge in the wake of Super Storm Sandy.
I’d like to especially thank the Chair and Ranking Member for agreeing to hold this important hearing today. I’d also like to commend all five Committee members whose states have been affected by Sandy for working so hard on behalf of our constituents. These are tough times.
As you know, this tragic storm was an unfortunate wake-up call for New York and its neighboring states that much more must be done by the federal, state and local governments in our region to protect and fortify our vulnerable coastline from future storm surge activity.
Simply put, New York has no choice: we must simultaneously adapt and fortify our coastline to protect against future storms. We are a waterfront city and a waterfront State.
People outside of New York sometimes forget that the City and Long Island are basically 3 islands, connected by a vast array of hundred year old tunnels and bridges.
Much of this infrastructure was built without the necessary flood protections built into their design.
Sandy reminded us of a very stark reality: we can either invest in protections now – or we will pay later. Well, after touring damage in New York for the past 4 weeks I can report back - we are paying later.
Lower Manhattan was blacked out for days and over 20 million square feet of commercial offices remain closed.
The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel flooded for the first time EVER with over 80 million gallons of water.
The Southern Shore of Staten Island and the Rockaways battered and whole neighborhoods lifted off the earth.
Over 300,000 homes and 265,000 businesses were affected from New York City to the eastern tip of Long Island.
But despite all that pain, we can’t entirely fault those that came before us for building this great Metropolis without adequate flood protections.
First, the threat was not the same. And, second, the technology of flood protection was not what it is today.
And at the same time, we also know that so-called 100 and 500 year floods were actually rare events then. Today, because of our rapidly changing climate, we know that these rarities are becoming all too often our realities.
So where does that bring us?
In the days since Sandy, much has been made about what future flood protections New York needs to adapt to the new 21st century climate.
There are a vast array of opinions and ideas, stretching from one extreme to another. I commend my colleagues in government and academia for having the courage to think outside-the-box in advocating for the future of New York.
Some preliminary research has suggested a Dutch-like system of flood gates in New York Harbor could be an expensive, but feasible alternative. Still others are pushing for a retreat from the coastline.
To the members of this Committee, I would say to you that we should not be the victim of these two extreme choices alone.
That is why I am recommending to you today a comprehensive federal approach to protecting New York’s coastline well into the future. It consists of 3 basic principles.
To protect ourselves in the future, we must Accelerate, Study, and Streamline. And then build. We can no longer be burdened by rules that were written before massive floods were common, and a process that was created before storms of the century happened every 15 years.
First, we must fast-track and build the federal projects that Congress has already authorized and the Corps of Engineers has studied. There are things we could do right now that would provide real protection in the short-term.
After Hurricane Katrina, members of this Congress and the Bush Administration provided the legal flexibility and the funding to take stalled or incomplete Army Corps projects and build and strengthen them.
This concept, sometimes referred to as “accelerate to construction,” is what New York needs now.
Here’s why. In some of our most badly damaged areas – the South Shore of Staten Island, Long Beach, and Suffolk County – there were federal protection projects authorized but never built. These projects were unfortunate victims of bureaucracy and a lack of adequate funding.
They could have built sea walls, rock armor, and dune systems along the coast in places like Midland Beach, which suffered historic and deadly flooding, where surges of over 10 feet came flowing into neighborhoods.
And in other coastal areas – places like Coney Island, the Rockaways, Gilgo Beach and Asharoken – there were federal projects built or partially built that were not kept to a profile of adequate protection.
What we know from Sandy is that many places that had these engineered protections – look at Point Lookout and parts of Long Beach Island, New Jersey – suffered far less damage than their neighbors. They invested early and saved money later.
Therefore, Senator Gillibrand and I have requested that the Army Corps draft Katrina-like “acceleration” language to include in a supplemental relief bill. I would urge the Committee to look at this language and support it.
Second, we must immediately authorize and fund a comprehensive Hurricane Protection Study of New York Harbor and the surrounding region.
We know that the protections I just outlined won’t be enough to protect New York or New Jersey well into the future and there is no federally authorized project for Manhattan.
But we also know that in other places in this country and around the world, government, academia, and the private sector have come together to fully analyze a range of options to provide protections to flood-prone cities.
In New Orleans, we have built a complex network of levees, barrier islands, dunes, and sea walls.
In Houston, they came up with ideas like widening the bayou and building new culverts.
That’s why a comprehensive Army Corps study, in partnership with the Governors of New York and New Jersey, the Port Authority, the MTA, and the City of New York, must commence immediately to look at a range of options and recommend them to this Committee and this Congress.
We know there are many ideas out there other than just flood gates. We need to explore a range of ideas like man-made marshes and inflatable plugs for our tunnels. We cannot rely on one source of protection.
Senator Gillibrand and I have requested that the Army Corps also provide language for this study in a supplemental disaster relief bill and look forward to sharing it with you.
Third, we must reform the federal flood protection process that the Army Corps of Engineers currently operates under.
Let me be blunt: this process is badly, badly broken. Projects take years and decades because of a mound of red-tape and a lack of adequate funding.
The Army Corps must pause their work on projects between each of the study, design, and construction phases, in an outmoded and inefficient and outmoded process that is crying out for reform.
In an America where these storms are becoming the norm, we can ill afford to ask the Corps to come back to Congress and beg for funding every time it passes one phase of the process.
I want to take a moment and commend my Republican colleague and the incoming Ranking Member, Senator Vitter, for his advocacy on this issue. He has been a vocal proponent for a leaner, more efficient Army Corps process.
This Committee should look long and hard on how to streamline this process and accelerate the federal protection projects in your jurisdiction.
We will need that expediency to be implemented when the study of New York Harbor is completed.
Thank you and I look forward to the rest of the hearing.