Healey-Driscoll Administration
Releases Readiness Plan to Protect Against Extreme Weather
‘ResilientMass’
plan establishes an Office of Climate Science and identifies key actions state
government can make to promote resiliency
BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration today released its
Statewide Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan, known as ResilientMass. In total, the ResilientMass plan details 142 actions across state agencies that are tracked
publicly at resilient.mass.gov. Key actions include establishing an Office of Climate Science,
making the state building code more resilient, and updating MBTA design
standards.
“With ResilientMass, our administration is leading by example in preparing for
mounting extreme weather events,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This
summer brought dangerous weather impacts to our communities, and the impacts
have been devastating. ResilientMass ensures that Massachusetts is well positioned for federal
funds, while continuing our nation-leading work on climate.”
“This is an important example of why our whole-of-government
approach is critical to protecting communities from the harshest impacts of
extreme weather,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “More inland
flooding, sea level rise, and extreme heat are on the horizon. Massachusetts is
ready to meet that challenge. We have a strategy in place and make fiscally
responsible investments now to prepare the state and our municipalities for the
growing impacts of the climate crisis.”
"Massachusetts is tackling the climate crisis on two key
fronts: we’re investing in innovative technologies and industries that will
bring down emissions and foster tremendous economic development across the
state. We’re also taking steps to prepare for extreme weather as global
emissions rise,” said EEA Secretary Tepper. “That means taking a fresh
look at our building codes, having sound emergency plans in place, and
following the science to inform our decision making. I’m grateful to our
partners at MEMA and other secretariats for joining us in the effort to combat
the climate crisis.”
“This plan represents a collaborative, forward-leaning approach
to help ensure the Commonwealth is prepared to withstand, rapidly recover from,
adapt to, and mitigate natural hazard events,” said Massachusetts Emergency
Management Agency Director Dawn Brantley. “ResilientMass empowers emergency managers at every level of government with
the data and information they need to develop plans and build resilience with a
focus on lessening disproportionate impacts to environmental justice
populations.”
“This is the year that changed everything. We saw frosts,
floods, extreme heat, and fires devastate our communities,” said Climate
Chief Melissa Hoffer. “These weather events are only expected to increase. ResilientMass represents a whole-of-government approach to ensure that every
agency is working toward a more resilient, healthy future. With this plan, we
see the power of collaboration in preparing for natural disasters.”
ResilientMass is based on the findings, science, and stakeholder engagement
of the Massachusetts Climate Change Assessment. Among the most significant hazards to Massachusetts are
flooding from precipitation, coastal flooding and erosion due to sea level
rise, and high heat. Actions that respond to these impacts will each be
advanced by a designated lead agency, in collaboration with other state and
community partners. ResilientMass is implemented by the inter-agency
ResilientMass Action Team, and a new Office of Climate Science will support
agencies and municipalities in integrating climate change information into
their plans and projects.
Flooding from Precipitation
This summer has brought heavy rainfall and significant flood
damages across Massachusetts. The farming sector have been hit especially hard.
These impacts are only expected to increase with climate change. ResilientMass identified inland flooding as the most significant climate
hazard in Massachusetts. By 2070, Massachusetts is expected to receive 12 to 42
percent more winter precipitation, and the frequency and intensity of
precipitation events is also increasing. Environmental justice and priority
populations live near commercial and industrial buildings that have a 57
percent higher risk of flood damage than the rest of the state.
ResilientMass identified several priority actions to address this increased
risk in flooding, including:
·
EEA, Department of
Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and Massachusetts Emergency Management
Agency (MEMA) will develop a statewide floodplain management plan to coordinate
agencies and partners across the Commonwealth.
·
The Executive Office of
Economic Development will lead efforts to evaluate flood resilient construction
standards in the state building code and develop a guide for municipalities to
take impactful zoning actions to strengthen resilience to flooding.
·
The Executive Office of
Housing and Livable Communities will conduct feasibility studies and implement
resilience improvements to reduce flooding and heat risks at climate vulnerable
state-aided public housing developments.
·
The Massachusetts
Department of Agriculture Resources will continue to expand its ClimateSmart Agriculture Program to support agricultural operations to
proactively assess risks from climate change and implement practices to build
economic and environmental resilience.
High Heat
According to ResilientMass analysis, the average summertime temperatures in Massachusetts
will feel like those in Maryland in 2050, North Carolina in 2070, and Georgia
in 2090. Environmental justice communities will experience acute impacts.
Forests and other natural ecosystems will also experience significant strains.
ResilientMass will guide key initiatives to mitigate extreme heat equitably:
·
The Executive Office of
Health and Human Services will coordinate a multiagency effort to develop and
implement a new Heat Flag system to effectively communicate heat risk to the
public.
·
DCR will work to improve
more shaded areas and cooling structures on its properties, with priority given
to properties in environmental justice communities.
·
EEA and DCR will also
expand their successful Greening the Gateway Cities program in Barnstable,
Malden, Taunton and Worcester. The team will be working towards planting 800
trees per year in these four priority environmental justice communities
experiencing significant urban heat island effects and other climate impacts.
Coastal Flooding & Erosion
Massachusetts is planning for sea level rise of up to 2.5 feet
by 2050 and 4.3 feet by 2070 (compared to 2008 mean sea level) if global emissions
are not significantly reduced.
ResilientMass prioritizes the following actions to address coastal climate
impacts:
·
The Office of Coastal
Zone Management (CZM) in partnership with many agencies will develop a coastal resilience strategy that considers
climate-resilient development and standards in vulnerable areas and develops
best practices for coastal adaptation.
·
CZM will develop best
practices for the redesign of seawalls and revetments considering climate
change.
·
MBTA will update its
engineering design standards and emergency response plans to incorporate
climate resilience and develop a GIS viewer for real-time storm response.
Key Initiatives
Office of Climate Science
EEA has launched an Office of Climate Science to increase state
agency, municipal, and public access and understanding of statewide climate
change projections and trends and to provide technical assistance and guidance.
The Office of Climate Science will convene a climate science advisory group of
academics and researchers to share latest climate research findings, identify
research gaps, and inform best practices.
Financing
EEA, in partnership with the MEMA, awarded $6.3 million in
funding to agencies to implement key plan actions, building on the $13 million
awarded thus far. These include resilience improvements at state-aided public
housing authorities, expanding the climate smart agriculture program, and
updating environmental regulations to consider climate change impacts. EEA has
also brought on a new Deputy Director of Climate Resilience and Finance to
identify of new funding and finance streams for state and local resilience
projects.
FEMA Federal Support
FEMA recently announced that three Massachusetts resilience
projects will be reviewed for over $60 million in funding from the nationally
competitive Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. These
include the Chelsea and Everett’s Island End River Coastal Flood Resilience
Project, MBTA’s Blue Line Tunnel Airport Portal Flood Protection Project, and
Avon’s Emergency Interconnection Pump Station Project.
