July 9, 2021 — Protecting the health and safety of our community members is of primary concern. As leaders of districts along the coast of Maine, this includes dealing with the impacts of climate change and planning for a prosperous future with these changes in mind.
Maine’s coastline will feel the effects of climate change for generations, which means communities along our rugged shores will feel these effects, too. Rising seas and increasingly dangerous storm surge events threaten our local infrastructure and economies. One of the best ways to protect us from the effects of climate change is to invest in coastal restoration and resilience projects like shoreline stabilization and wetland restoration. Both offer environmental and economic benefits that can help our communities plan for the future.
As we grapple in our districts with the tremendous scope and cost of the coming changes, we are relieved to see the promises of coastal restoration and resilience investments at the federal level. Restoration and resilience programs can and should play a key role in President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda and for several good reasons: These projects will improve community resilience, provide opportunities for job growth and increase economic vitality. Additionally, recent pieces of federal legislation – the Moving Forward Act; Shovel Ready Restoration Grants for Coastline and Fisheries Act of 2020; the Ocean Based Climate Solutions Act, and others – have included coastal and ocean restoration programs. To build on what is in place already, it is important that this funding be appropriated as a new grant program in order to enhance equity and address environmental justice needs. When Congress and the administration consider economic stimulus and infrastructure funding to restore the nation’s economy and address climate change, a $10 billion coastal and ocean restoration program under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration must be part of that package.