Pass the Resilient Coasts and Estuaries Act
Goal: To bolster the resilience of vulnerable coastal ecosystems and communities from the impacts of sea level rise and climate change
Coastal ecosystems and communities are on the frontlines of the myriad impacts of climate change. Rising seas are squeezing fragile coastal and estuarine habitats that are poised to provide a host of resilience benefits, including serving as natural flood barriers for coastal communities, carbon sequestration, erosion mitigation, and the facilitation of the inland migration of habitats in response to sea level rise.
Despite a suite of climate and resilience benefits, the keystone programs aimed at coastal and estuarine land acquisition, science, and monitoring, have been left unfunded or underfunded by Congress for years.
That’s why we need HR6841 Resilient Coasts and Estuaries Act!
HR6841, sponsored by Representative Mike Levin (CA-49) and a strong bipartisan group of coastal lawmakers, would reauthorize two critical coastal resilience programs:
- Reauthorizing and renaming the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program as the Coastal and Estuarine Resilience and Restoration Program, authorizing $60 million annually for grants to states, local governments, and NGOs to purchase property to protect coastal ecosystems and wetlands;
- Requiring the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to designate at least five new National Estuarine Research Reserves within five years of enactment, increasing the authorization to $47 million to account for new reserves; and
- Establishing coordinated long term monitoring and research within reserves to track the effects of sea level rise and climate change to inform suitable adaptation and mitigation strategies to coastal hazards.
With rigorous protection, restoration, and resilience-focused management, America’s coasts and estuaries can serve as a vital tool in the fight against climate change. The Surfrider Foundation is working to build growing bipartisan support for this legislation in the House of Representatives, secure a Senate sponsor, and educate members of Congress about the value of coastal ecosystems for climate adaptation.