Staten Island, N.Y. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today wrote to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urging the agency to expedite the approval of the South Shore Staten Island Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Report. Senator Gillibrand called on the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Jo-Ellen Darcy (Civil Works) to approve the report so the preconstruction engineering and design phase of the project can move forward and begin to address resiliency issues and safety concerns on the Staten Island coast.
“The devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy was a wakeup call for the immense need to protect our communities, to build resilience, and to invest in infrastructure that makes all New Yorkers more secure,” said Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee. “It is now more than four years since Sandy hit New York’s shores, and without the protection of this critical project the South Shore of Staten Island remains vulnerable to future storms. It is critical that this project is not held up by any bureaucratic delays.”
The full text of Senator Gillibrand’s letter to the U.S. Army Corps included below:
Dear Assistant Secretary Darcy,
It is my understanding the Director’s Report for the South Shore of Staten Island Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study has been submitted for approval. I urge expeditious approval of the report before the end of this year, so that the Preconstruction Engineering and Design phase of the project can begin as soon as possible.
The South Shore of Staten Island was one of the hardest-hit shorelines during Superstorm Sandy. Communities along the shoreline experienced impacts that destroyed homes and other structures, and led to the loss of fourteen lives in the area from Fort Wadsworth to Oakwood Beach included in this study.
The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, which we worked together on in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, allowed the Army Corps to fund the completion of this feasibility study and will authorize construction of the project. Using funds appropriated by that Act, the New York District was able to quickly move forward with this study, which was originally authorized in 1993 but never completed due to a lack of federal and non-federal funds.
It is now more than four years since Sandy hit New York’s shores, and without the protection of this critical project the South Shore of Staten Island remains vulnerable to future storms. It is critical that this project is not held up by any bureaucratic delays. The Army Corp’s New York District has worked diligently to ensure that Sandy-related projects like this one are a priority, and I hope that you will ensure that this project continues on track. We must do everything we can to ensure that my constituents on Staten Island have better protection when the next storm comes, and quickly approving the Director’s Report is indispensable to that effort.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
Kirsten Gillibrand
United States Senator