DeFalco says coastal protection requires billions and federal partners
DeFalco estimates $1–$2 billion annually over 20–30 years and says the city cannot do it alone. She discusses HATS, the Army Corps, and the need for sustainable funding and government structure.
The city cannot do this alone.
Washington must continue to play a leading role.
We're working with our federal and state partners on a number of projects around the city, including several mentioned here today.
We also continue to work with the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers and our state partners to advance the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributary Study, also known as HATS.
In 2022, HATS identified the broader protections we need for coastal protection projects across the region with a $52 billion price tag.
But that direction must be matched with sufficient federal funding to move the projects toward construction.
Completing this work is essential to protect
New Yorkers over the coming decades.
The scale of hats underscores that protecting New York City from coastal flooding requires major investments across our shoreline, not just individual projects.
We need to be candid about the reality that this level of protection is ongoing and going to be expensive.
We cannot simply identify what needs to be built.
We also need a realistic plan for how to pay for it and how to pay and operate and maintain it once it's built.
A floodgate is only useful if it works when you need it, and not just when it's shiny and new, but when the next big storm comes, whether that's tomorrow or 50 years from now.
Much of this infrastructure requires ongoing maintenance, and we must invest in protecting the assets we worked so hard to build.
BCR is working with OMB and EDC and the Law Department and MOCEJ to examine sustainable funding and financing mechanisms, as well as the government structure necessary to manage this growing portfolio.
Getting that piece right is crucial.