For Immediate Release
Thursday November 14, 2013
Contact: Roger Downs (518) 426-9144 or roger.downs@sierraclub.org
Last night, Governor Cuomo signed A.8031/S.5824, legislation that makes harmful changes to the Hudson River Park Act by facilitating new construction in and over the river in some of the City’s most storm damage prone areas.
"The vast stretch of Hudson River waters where (A.8031/S.5824) promotes development has been officially designated the highest risk hurricane evacuation zone," said Roger Downs of the Sierra Club. "The new law also jeopardizes up to 490 acres of environmentally critical marine habitat of extraordinary national importance. Governor Cuomo says has prioritized preparing New York for the next catastrophic storm and yet enacting these amendments runs counter to this goal.”
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, when put in a similar position earlier this year vetoed a bill allowing development on piers in "Coastal High Hazard Areas" on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. Governor Christie's 8/19/13 veto message declared that the NJ pier development bill would "jeopardize National Flood Insurance Program ('NFIP') eligibility" for municipalities with piers in the Hudson River and said "I cannot condone such a risk."
The Sierra Club is stunned Governor Cuomo did not come to the same conclusion when deciding how best to reduce the loss of life and property damage from superstorms and hurricanes like Sandy. Because the bill shifts the liability of the newly enabled developments like commercial space on piers or the proposed on-the-water helipad to taxpayers – New Yorkers will be now worse off when the next storm hits.
###