Rhode Island 2023 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H6056 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2023 -- H 6056
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7	7	LC001344
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9	9	S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO WATERS AND NAVIGATION -- ACT ON COASTS - COASTAL
16	16	RESILIENCY
17	17	Introduced By: Representatives Spears, Carson, Cortvriend, Finkelman, Casimiro,
18	18	Kazarian, Boylan, McGaw, Shanley, and Speakman
19	19	Date Introduced: March 03, 2023
20	20	Referred To: House Environment and Natural Resources
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22	22
23	23	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
24	24	SECTION 1. Title 46 of the General Laws entitled "WATERS AND NAVIGATION" is 1
25	25	hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 2
26	26	CHAPTER 23.4 3
27	27	ACT ON COASTS - COASTAL RESILIENCY 4
28	28	46-23.4-1. Short title. 5
29	29	This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Act on Coasts – Coastal Resiliency". 6
30	30	46-23.4-2. Rhode Island chief resilience officer (CRO). 7
31	31	(a) The Rhode Island chief resilience officer ("CRO") shall create, maintain, and keep 8
32	32	current the state's resiliency and community recovery program. The CRO shall work half-time in 9
33	33	the department of administration (DOA) and half-time in the department of environmental 10
34	34	management (DEM) and be a member of the executive climate change coordinating council(EC4) 11
35	35	coastal advisory board. 12
36	36	(b) The CRO shall: 13
37	37	(1) Develop a statewide resilience plan with the EC4 to improve coordination among state 14
38	38	agencies and local jurisdictions to support community and economic recovery efforts and to address 15
39	39	risk and vulnerability reduction from sea rise, riverine flooding and urban heat and shall provide 16
40	40	the plan to the governor, the EC4 and the general assembly by June 30, 2025 to be included in the 17
41	41	state climate plan as outlined in the act on climate which statewide plan is due December 31, 2025; 18
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44	44	LC001344 - Page 2 of 6
45	45	(i) It shall be based on existing data and the best available science regarding the current 1
46	46	and anticipated environmental effects of climate change in Rhode Island, including, but not limited 2
47	47	to, increased temperatures, sea level rise, increased frequency or severity of rainfall, storms and 3
48	48	flooding, increased forest fires, and increased frequency and severity of droughts, anticipated by 4
49	49	scientists at least through 2050, working in concert with the goals outlined in chapter 6.2 of title 42 5
50	50	("act on climate"); 6
51	51	(ii) The state resiliency office (the "office") shall develop, implement, and maintain the 7
52	52	state resilience plan and shall coordinate statewide resilience and disaster recovery efforts, 8
53	53	including coordination with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, stakeholders, and 9
54	54	nongovernmental entities. The office shall coordinate and strengthen efforts to reduce losses from 10
55	55	future disasters across the state and shall develop, implement, and maintain a strategic statewide 11
56	56	resilience plan; 12
57	57	(2) The state resiliency office shall consult with the governor's office, the Rhode Island 13
58	58	emergency management agency (RIEMA), the department of health (DOH), DEM, the coastal 14
59	59	resources management council (CRMC), and all other affected state agencies in developing the 15
60	60	state resilience plan; 16
61	61	(3) In developing the program, the CRO shall ensure a participatory process that includes 17
62	62	local government, state agencies, business, labor, industry, agriculture, civic and volunteer 18
63	63	organizations, academia, community leaders, and other stakeholders; 19
64	64	(4) Provide technical assistance to municipalities for the implementation of resilience 20
65	65	planning, including resilience frameworks, vulnerability profiles, risk-reduction plans, and 21
66	66	economic development strategies; 22
67	67	(5) Provide technical assistance to state agencies for the implementation of resilience 23
68	68	policies and procedures and to institutionalize resilience practices across departments and agencies; 24
69	69	(6) Provide technical assistance to local governments and state agencies to secure 25
70	70	additional resources and investment to implement resilience solutions; 26
71	71	(7) Integrate resilience criteria into existing competitive grant programs; 27
72	72	(8) Develop metrics and targets to measure the short- and long-term success of resilience 28
73	73	efforts and actions; 29
74	74	(9) Support RIEMA in long-term community recovery efforts and resource navigation after 30
75	75	a disaster; 31
76	76	(10) Provide strategic direction and support to the EC4 and other cross-departmental 32
77	77	climate change resilience initiatives; and 33
78	78	(11) Facilitating on-going stakeholder engagement, particularly the Rhode Island business 34
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82	82	community, realtors, engineers, municipalities, academia, environmental justice communities, state 1
83	83	and local emergency response teams and the health care delivery systems and input into 2
84	84	recommendations. 3
85	85	(c) The chief resilience officer will provide support to agencies as they identify and 4
86	86	incorporate projections related to coastal change provided by the state resilience plan into their 5
87	87	strategic plans. 6
88	88	46-23.4-3. Coastal resilience plan. 7
89	89	(a) The statewide climate change resilience strategy shall include a coastal resilience plan 8
90	90	that recommends a specific long-term strategy for climate change resilience and adaptation in the 9
91	91	coastal areas of the state, i.e., tidal and non-tidal waters, waterfronts, and inland areas along the 10
92	92	coast. The coastal resilience plan shall include, at a minimum: 11
93	93	(1) An assessment of the vulnerabilities of communities located within the coastal areas to 12
94	94	climate change effects such as rising sea levels, increased flooding, and tidal and storm surge 13
95	95	flooding anticipated by the year 2050, including physical, economic, and social vulnerabilities; 14
96	96	(2) A description of the investments that the state, along with the federal government, local 15
97	97	governments, and other organizations, have already made or committed to make in building the 16
98	98	resilience of coastal communities, including hard and nature-based resistance structures, planning 17
99	99	guidance and assistance, and other resilience and adaptation measures; 18
100	100	(3) Recommended methodologies for decision-making for further investment of state or 19
101	101	federal funds in constructing additional hard or nature-based resilience structures to prevent or 20
102	102	mitigate impacts of climate change, or in adopting other resilience or adaptation strategies; 21
103	103	(4) Recommendations for further actions to be taken by the state to assist coastal 22
104	104	communities in planning for, mitigating, and adapting to the anticipated impacts of climate change; 23
105	105	and 24
106	106	(5) Recommendations for financing strategies to fund the recommended resilience and 25
107	107	adaptation measures. 26
108	108	(b) The statewide climate change resilience strategy shall be updated as necessary and shall 27
109	109	be reviewed at least every two (2) years by the chief resilience officer, with the support of the 28
110	110	interagency council, to ensure consistency with the scientific report on climate change and with 29
111	111	evolving scientific information. 30
112	112	SECTION 2. Chapter 42-6.2 of the General Laws entitled "2021 Act on Climate" is hereby 31
113	113	amended by adding thereto the following section: 32
114	114	42-6.2-4.1. Advisory board on resilience for ocean and riverine coasts. 33
115	115	(a) The advisory board on resilience for ocean and riverine coasts is hereby established. 34
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119	119	The advisory board shall have fourteen (14) members. Six (6) members shall be appointed by the 1
120	120	governor; two (2) of whom shall be representatives of city or town government. Four (4) members 2
121	121	shall be appointed by the president of the senate, who shall give due consideration to appointing 3
122	122	persons with expertise in insurance; flood management and mitigation; and infrastructure. Four (4) 4
123	123	members shall be appointed by the speaker of the house, who shall give due consideration to 5
124	124	appointing persons with expertise in land use planning; environmental organization; riverine 6
125	125	geology; and real estate. 7
126	126	(b) The members of the advisory board shall be appointed for terms of three (3) years; 8
127	127	provided, however, that, with regard to the initial appointments, four (4) members shall be 9
128	128	appointed for terms of one year; five (5) members shall be appointed for a term of two (2) years; 10
129	129	and five (5) members shall be appointed for a term of three (3) years. Members may be reappointed, 11
130	130	and their appointments shall continue until their successors are appointed. The term of a member 12
131	131	representing a city or town shall end when the member no longer holds an elected or appointed 13
132	132	position in the city or town they were representing. A vacancy other than by expiration shall be 14
133	133	filled in the manner of the original appointment, but only for the unexpired portion of the term. 15
134	134	(c) The members of the advisory board shall receive no compensation. 16
135	135	(d) The governor shall appoint a chairperson; a vice-chairperson and secretary shall be 17
136	136	elected annually by the advisory board members. All officers of the advisory board shall serve until 18
137	137	their successors have been duly appointed or elected. 19
138	138	(e) The advisory board shall meet at least quarterly or at the call of the chairperson of the 20
139	139	EC4 council. The chairperson of the council, or designee, shall be present for all advisory board 21
140	140	meetings. 22
141	141	(f) The advisory board shall have the following purposes and duties: 23
142	142	(1) Advise the EC4 on all matters including plans, programs, strategies and make 24
143	143	recommendations for adaptation on resilience in urban, coastal and riverine environments, and sea 25
144	144	rise environments; 26
145	145	(2) Assist the EC4 in improving public access to the best available scientific, technical and 27
146	146	other information regarding coastal, riverine, and urban resilience; 28
147	147	(3) Serve as a conduit for communicating information from the EC4 to communities and 29
148	148	constituencies as well as vice versa, for input from the community level to the EC4; and 30
149	149	(4) No later than June 30, 2025, the EC4 with the state resilience offices shall prepare a 31
150	150	state coastal and resilience plan for submission to the governor. The plan shall also be submitted to 32
151	151	the EC4 to be included in the climate plan described in § 42-6.2-2(a)(2)(i). 33
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155	155	SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 1
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162	162	EXPLANATION
163	163	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
164	164	OF
165	165	A N A C T
166	166	RELATING TO WATERS AND NAVIGATION -- ACT ON COASTS - COASTAL
167	167	RESILIENCY
168	168	***
169	169	This act would establish a chief resilience officer (CRO) and a resiliency office for the state 1
170	170	charged with the creation, maintenance and updating of the state's resiliency and community 2
171	171	recovery program. The act would also create a statewide climate change resilience strategy for 3
172	172	climate change as well as an advisory board on resilience for ocean and riverine coasts. 4
173	173	This act would take effect upon passage. 5
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175	175	LC001344
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