Healey-Driscoll
Administration Launches Statewide Coastal Resiliency Strategy
A new Chief
Coastal Resilience Officer will lead the ResilientCoasts initiative,
which will establish new Coastal Resilience Districts based on
climate change impacts
BEVERLY – The
Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced the launch of
the ResilientCoasts initiative, a holistic strategy for
addressing the impacts of climate change along the coastline of
Massachusetts. In collaboration with the state’s 78 coastal
communities, ResilientCoasts will pursue a multipronged
approach to identify regulatory, policy, and funding
mechanisms to develop focused long-term solutions. Notably, the
initiative will be led by a new Chief Coastal Resilience Officer within the
Office of Coastal Zone Management. Working with communities, this
team will establish Coastal Resilience Districts based on their
unique climate impacts. The development of a coastal resilience strategy
is a priority action within the state’s ResilientMass
Plan. The announcement took place at the Carriage House in
Beverly.
"Climate change poses a
very real threat to our coastal way of life, but it also presents a unique
opportunity for us to build communities that are safer and more equitable for
years to come,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This is a matter of
fiscal responsibility. Our coastal cities and towns have been weathering
erosion, sea level rise, and extreme storms without a holistic state strategy.
Homeowners, small businesses, and municipal governments deserve a regional
approach to this problem. Our ResilientCoasts initiative will allow us to bring
the full powers of the state to deliver real solutions to our
coastlines.”
“Governor Healey and I both hail
from coastal communities and we feel strongly about the need for both
strong statewide support and local collaboration,” said Lieutenant
Governor Kim Driscoll. “As Mayor of Salem, our city saw a need for
state, regional, and local collaboration on tough coastal issues.
ResilientCoasts will provide this framework to harness the expertise of our
communities to implement a long-term vision for our coasts.”
“We’re not going to stand by while
a major storm wrecks people’s homes, or coastal erosion pulls down seawalls out
from under our small businesses,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs
Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “We have some tough questions ahead – where will
it be safe to build? How can we preserve our historical landmarks? What
infrastructure will withstand ever worsening weather? We’re taking on some of
the difficult aspects of coastal resiliency, and we’re doing it in partnership
with municipalities, lawmakers, academics, and advocates to build consensus
along the way.”
“Now is the time for action,”
said Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer. “This initiative will allow us
to make prudent cost-saving investments that protect our communities and
coastal ecosystems. The state’s 2022 Climate Assessment identifies reduction in
state and municipal revenues as an “urgent impact” of climate change with a
“major level of consequence.” As we pull out all the stops to reduce emissions,
these investments will help municipalities and the state save on climate
response costs in the long term.”
Massachusetts is planning for sea
level rise by up to 2.5 feet by 2050 compared to 2008 if global emissions are
not significantly reduced. Both tidal and storm-related flooding are projected
to increase. By 2070, statewide annual average damages to coastal
structures could be more than $1 billion per year. The total value of
structures within the floodplain for the current 100-year return period coastal
storm is about $55 billion, of which about $40 billion is residential, $12
billion is industrial, and $2.5 billion is commercial. The number of vulnerable
infrastructure assets and anticipated loss will grow over time as rising seas
expand the coastal floodplain. Of the nearly 2.5 million people that live
within the 78 coastal communities in Massachusetts, approximately 55 percent of
the population lives within Massachusetts-designated Environmental Justice
Block Groups, representing communities of color, low-income populations, and/or
communities facing language barriers.
Governance Structure
The Office of Coastal Zone
Management (CZM) will lead the ResilientCoasts initiative. A
newly created Chief Coastal Resilience Officer position will
oversee this effort and provide cross-agency
coordination. CZM’s unique experience and expertise with technical
assistance, funding, partnerships, and regulatory review to address
coastal threats will allow the administration to act swiftly in
mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Coastal Resilience Districts
Massachusetts
has more than 1,500 miles of coastline, spanning salt marshes,
beaches, rocky shores, dunes, ports and harbors, and residential and commercial
areas along the shores of 78 cities
and towns. These geographic differences, along with variations in
development, habitats, and other factors, underly the need for a regional
approach to coastal resilience. A key component of ResilientCoasts will be the
delineation of Coastal Resilience Districts, geographic regions that share
similar landscape characteristics and face similar climate hazards. This
initiative will delineate these
districts in 2024 and then collaborate with communities to implement tailored
resilience policy and regulatory strategies and leverage multiple
state and federal funding opportunities.
Resilience
Strategies
The
ResilientCoasts initiative is a priority within the state’s 2023
ResilientMass Plan. It will identify resilience strategies for both
statewide implementation and strategies tailored to each region’s unique
vulnerabilities. Statewide, CZM will work with relevant state agencies to evaluate building standards, financing strategies,
and scientific best practices, among other pursuits. The
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency will lead an evaluation of
a statewide buyout program. In
addressing the concerns of each Coastal Resilience District, CZM will work
with communities to assess strategies such as nature-based solutions, dredging,
coastal nourishment, roadway elevation, and managed retreat.
Financing & Federal Funding
A key aspect of ResilientCoasts
will be identifying innovative new financing mechanisms for climate
resilience projects. New infrastructure and changing approaches to development
will require reliable funding streams that are structured to incentivize
coastal resilience. Already, CZM has led the effort to pursue federal
funds through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate
Resilience Regional Challenge. The application requests $73 million and
was developed in partnership with 55 community partners. The administration
will work with the Legislature on any recommended approaches.
Modern Regulatory Framework
Massachusetts has the nation’s
oldest coastal and waterways protection program. In order to support
potential resilience strategies, CZM will work in parallel with relevant
agencies to identify updates to state wetlands, waterways, the
building code, and Massachusetts Environmental Protection
Act regulations to better address the climate
challenges of today. The agencies within the EEA will evaluate
changes that will:
· Support
nature-based solutions for coastal erosion and flood protection and
resilience;
· Streamline
the permitting process for coastal restoration and resilience projects;
· Ensure that
permitting and regulatory processes consider projected future
sea level rise and precipitation levels that are based on the latest
science and accurately reflect the changing climate.
Cross-Government and Stakeholder
Engagement
Community engagement will be
critical to the development of ResilientCoasts. A Coastal Resilience Task
Force with representation from communities, businesses, scientists,
community-based organizations, and environmental advocates will be created as
part of the team to support the development of a strategy that effectively and
equitably meets the needs of coastal communities. State agencies will
engage in the effort through the state’s inter-agency ResilientMass Action
Team.
Statements of Support
Adam Chapdelaine, Executive
Director, Massachusetts Municipal Association:
The MMA applauds the
Healey-Driscoll Administration for launching this bold and timely effort and
looks forward to representing the needs and interests of local government as
this critical initiative gets underway."
Bud Ris, Senior Advisor, Boston
Green Ribbon Commission:
“The Commonwealth’s Resilient Coast
strategy comes as a welcome initiative at a critical time – just as we need to
move more briskly from planning to implementation. It can build off of the
good work done already through the Climate Ready Boston program and the
Municipal Vulnerability Plans (MVPs) developed by other coastal communities up
and down the coast. Hopefully, we’ll get a clear set of priorities for the
decades ahead, along with various strategies to implement them.”
Kathy Abbott, President and CEO,
Boston Harbor Now:
“By providing leadership and
coordination at the highest levels, ResilientCoasts is a critical milestone in
the Commonwealth’s efforts to accelerate implementation of climate adaptation.
We look forward to continued partnerships with EOEEA, CZM, and the new Chief
Coastal Resilience Officer on policy, governance, and funding initiatives while
creating a healthier, more resilient and inclusive coast.”
Katie Theoharides, President and
CEO, The Trustees:
“As the stewards of 120 miles of
Massachusetts coastline, the Trustees see first-hand the impact of increasingly
powerful storms and coastal erosion and has been working to pilot nature-based
solutions that build resilient coastal ecosystems. We applaud this effort by
the Healey-Driscoll administration to work with communities and partner
organizations to better prepare and respond to the growing threat posed by
climate change, and we look forward to partnering with the new Chief Coastal
Resilience Officer to promote nature-based solutions to help communities become
more resilient to climate impacts.”
Alli Gold Roberts, Senior Director,
State Policy, Ceres:
"Investors and other financial
actors have long recognized the severe risks facing coastal communities from
climate change. Massachusetts residents and business owners are experiencing
those risks first-hand, and more intensely with each passing storm. Ceres
commends the Healey administration for prioritizing the challenges facing the
Commonwealth's coastline, and looks forward to the innovative solutions
the ResilientCoasts initiative promises to deliver."
Alison Bowden, Interim State
Director, The Nature Conservancy:
“With its proactive approach to
addressing climate concerns on a state level, the Healey-Driscoll
Administration is becoming a standout nationally for climate policy that
addresses issues holistically, creatively, and equitably. This latest
announcement focuses on coastal resiliency which has statewide implications for
Massachusetts. By creating a new Chief of Coastal Resilience and a task force
that includes the voices of science, the administration clearly has a vision
for robust outcomes. Leaning into partners to collaborate is essential to
transforming resilience policies, funding, and strategies. And, by focusing on
nature-based climate solutions to protect intact habitats, shorelines, and
ecologically vital landscapes, we can make a significant difference in
protecting our coastal areas against sea level rise and erosion so they can
endure and be more resilient.”
