Thiele: Community Risk and Resiliency Act Signed into Law

Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) today thanked Governor Cuomo for signing the Community Risk and Resiliency Act into law. This new law will strengthen New York State’s preparedness for the effects of climate change and help protect communities against severe weather and sea level rise.

The Community Risk and Resiliency Act requires State agencies to consider future physical climate risks caused by storm surges, sea level rise or flooding in certain permitting, funding and regulatory decisions (A06558/S06617-B). The standards would apply to smart growth assessments, siting of wastewater treatment plants and hazardous waste transportation, storage and disposal facilities, design and construction regulations for petroleum and chemical bulk storage facilities and oil and gas drilling permits, and properties listed in the state’s Open Space Plan, as well as other projects.

In addition, the State Department of Environmental Conservation will adopt official projections for sea level rise by January 1, 2016 and update the projections every five years. The Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of State will also prepare model local laws to help communities incorporate measures related to physical climate risks into local laws, as well as provide guidance on the implementation of the Act, including the use of resiliency measures that utilize natural resources and natural processes to reduce risk.

Scientists have confirmed a sea level rise of approximately 13 inches since 1900 along New York’s coast, and have also measured a significant increase in the proportion of total precipitation that arrives in heavy rainfall events. These climate changes, coupled with land-use planning, zoning and investment that allow and sometimes encourage development in at-risk areas, have resulted in more people, businesses and public infrastructure existing in vulnerable areas.

The Community Risk and Resiliency Act will coordinate science and existing policy to create a safer New York. New York State has already invested millions of dollars in research programs to better understand climate change’s effects on New York. In addition, the NY Rising storm recovery programs include components for climate change resilience and adaptation.