Assemblywoman Galef Sends Letter to Army Corps of Engineers

Assemblywoman Galef Sends Letter to Army Corps of Engineers and to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation asking for more transparency on the Coastal Storm Risk Management Study

The Army Corps of Engineers has been conducting a coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study and has proposed five alternatives to construct a storm surge barrier on the Hudson River

OSSINING (August 9, 2018) – Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, 95th Assembly District, sent a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers and to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation requesting further transparency and additional public meetings regarding the five storm surge barrier proposals.

Three of the five proposals almost entirely block either the Hudson River or major New York Harbor tributaries during storm events while also altering river and tributary flow patterns. The proposed barrier may also impede the estuary’s tidal flow, contaminant and sediment transport, migration of fish and wildlife, and will impede the tidal “respiration” of the river. Over time, the barriers may restrict migrations of various fish native to the Hudson, will prevent the ocean tide from flushing NY harbor, and will inhibit rainstorm flood waters like those during Irene and Lee in 2011 from leaving the harbor and river.

The letters sent by Sandy Galef to the Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Environmental Conservation asks various questions regarding the impact of the barrier on riverside towns and seeks further transparency regarding the five proposed alternatives. The letter to the D.E.C. also asked the role of the state government in overseeing the study and the potential environmental impact.

“We need more in depth analysis on what these proposals and their impact on the Hudson River river towns. After working so hard to clean up the river, we have finally brought it back to life and we hope for more information about the storm surge barrier to ensure that the river can remain a haven for recreational activity, marine life, and for the people who live alongside it,” stated Galef.

On August 8th, the Town of Ossining passed a resolution opposing the proposed plans due to the lack of community participation. While acknowledging the importance of the Hudson River as well as the potential benefits of a storm barrier, the resolution seeks further studies and for the public comment period to be extended 90 days to allow for full public understanding and response to the proposals.

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August 9, 2018

Commissioner Basil Seggos

New York Department of Environmental Conservation

625 Broadway

Albany, NY 12233-1011

Dear Commissioner Seggos,

I am the Member of the New York State Assembly representing the riverfront communities from Briarcliff Manor in Westchester County to Cold Spring in Putnam County. I was only recently made aware of the Army Corps of Engineers study of proposals to prevent future damage to New York City and other cities similar to that caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Last week, I had a meeting with representatives of an organization called Riverkeeper which protects the Hudson River, as well as elected officials of several local waterfront communities. It is my understanding that the proposals have largely ignored the environmental impacts on the riverfronts north of New York City, including the communities in my district. I am seeking further clarification of the department’s involvement in the coast storm study as there is a lack of environmental information regarding each proposed alternative and the role of the state is presently unknown.

There are many questions to ask about the impact of these proposals on the communities in my district, and they all need answers:

• Can the state legally reject one of the proposed alternatives? Will the state choose which alternative to move forward with?
• Has the state voiced its opinion on the proposal? Have they declared their support for one of the alternatives?
• What is the state’s involvement in this study? Can they legally end the study?
• Is the Department of Environmental Conservation directly involved in the study and if so, what have they contributed to it?
• Generally, what would the environmental impacts be for alternatives 1-5 on each of the communities I represent
• What will be the impact on riverside parks and trails, from Scarborough Manor to Cold Spring?
• Why haven’t the EPA, FEMA and NOAA taken a more active role in this, in order to provide an environmental component to the study of which proposals would be better for these communities
• What kinds of federal or state funding or pressure can be exercised so that a thorough environmental study can be done to determine which method(s) are safer for the river and for riverfront communities, economies, industries and transportation?
• Will each proposal be entirely funded by the Federal Government or will state governments and other entities have to help fund each proposal?
• Will each proposal have a coinciding environmental study as the environmental implications for each proposed alternative are unclear at this time?

I look forward to receiving your answers to each of these questions. I feel that my constituents and I deserve to know what the impacts will be for each of these proposals. At present, we simply do not know enough about the environmental effects of the various alternatives.

Sincerely,

Sandy Galef

Assemblywoman, 95th AD