After months of public pressure, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to allow more time and transparency before advancing any of its flood protection plans for New York Harbor – many of which threaten to permanently damage the Hudson and leave communities vulnerable to rising sea level.

The Corps announced this month that it would revamp the timeline for its NY/NJ Harbor storm surge barrier study and hold off until Spring 2020 before narrowing down the six current options to one or two. That step – one that will have enormous consequences – was originally slated to be rushed through this Fall. The Corps will also produce an interim report in early 2019 that could offer the first real details about the six plans. [Update:] The Corps plans to release the interim report February 19 and hold public meetings in March and April 2019.

Activated and informed by Riverkeeper, thousands of individuals, numerous environmental groups, elected officials and at least 17 Hudson Valley communities have demanded more time, information and public participation since the Corps presented the six options to the public in July with barely any notice.

We’ve made some progress. First we won two extensions of the public “scoping” comment period, which currently runs through November 5. Now we’ve gained some improvements in the timeline and a promised interim report. The New York City Council is considering its own resolutionat a hearing on October 22. The Corps has just scheduled a public meeting in Long Island on October 23.

The scale of this project is simply enormous, and so are the potential impacts – particularly from in-water barriers that would choke off the tidal flow of the Hudson River Estuary and the migration of fish. Given the potentially devastating effects, and the lack of any specifics whatsoever, the Corps’ initial timeline was an absolute outrage.

The Corps’ public notification process has been abysmal, almost ensuring that very few people would be involved in the discussion. We have done our best to bring transparency. National groups like Waterkeeper Alliance and NRDC joined our campaign to oppose the in-water barriers and demand meaningful public involvement.

We have learned that New York State has been influential behind the scenes, helping to persuade the Corps to make these improvements to the process. That intervention is very much appreciated. We expect the state Department of Environmental Conservation to take a public and active role in fostering fully-inclusive community participation and full consideration of sea level rise in this process – and to protect our communities, our economy, and our environment against any ill-conceived storm surge barrier plans.

We must clearly voice our shared interest in a rational, comprehensive approach to coastal protection – an approach that plans for the long term, protects us from both storms and sea level rise, and does not cause harm to the life of New York Harbor, Long Island Sound, and New York’s jewel, the Hudson River.

Learn more at Riverkeeper.org/barriers and send a message to the Corps by November 5.