H.R. 764, The Coastal State Climate Change Planning Act

Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy highlight the current coastal storm risks facing the 30 states that border the oceans, the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. As climate data continues to suggest, global warming and the concomitant sea level rise will only exacerbate future coastal storm risks. The Coastal State Climate Change Planning Act (HR 764) establishes a coastal climate change adaptation and response plan to minimize contributions to climate change and mitigate its potential impacts on America’s coasts. H.R. 764 amends the current Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a coastal climate change adaptation planning and response program.

The Act will (A) identify public facilities and public services, working waterfronts, coastal resources of national significance, coastal waters, energy facilities, or other land and water uses located in the coastal zone that are likely to be impacted by climate change; (B) develop adaptive management strategies for land use to respond or adapt to changing environmental conditions, including strategies to protect biodiversity, protect water quality, and establish habitat buffer zones, migration corridors, and climate refugia; and (C) require the initiation and maintenance of long‐term monitoring of environmental change to assess coastal zone adaptation.