They don’t build many basements in Breezy Point anymore, but Ed Power’s got one. Breezy Point is a remote stretch of New York City along the coast of the Rockaway Peninsula, colloquially known as the “Irish Riviera.” A longtime firefighter who retired as a deputy chief, Power grew up in the neighborhood and raised his kids there. For decades, his basement caused no problems.

But over the last 15 years, it’s begun to flood regularly, the water line moving steadily higher. Breezy Point was decimated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, but Power stuck it out and returned. “The only reason I’m here is because of the ocean. I can see it, I swim in it,” he said. “And the water continues to rise. Another Sandy and I’m out of here.”

Now Power sees a different threat to the beach: the Williams’ Company’s

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